Train drivers who are part of the Aslef union—which includes employees of 16 rail firms, including London Underground—have voted to call 14 one-day strikes as part of a 20-month dispute. The strikes will primarily run through April and May.
Strikes will affect Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, and CrossCountry on Friday, April 5; at Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern, and TransPennine on Saturday, April 6; and at c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR’s Great Northern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Thameslink, Southeastern, South Western Railway mainline and depot drivers, and SWR Island Line on Monday, April 8.
Members will also refuse to work their rest days—non-contractual overtime—from Thursday, April 4, to Saturday, April 6, and from Monday, April 8, to Tuesday, April 9.
Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, said: “Our members voted overwhelmingly—yet again—for strike action. Those votes show—yet again—a clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by [the train operators’ body] the Rail Delivery Group which knew that offer would be rejected because a land grab for all the terms and conditions we have negotiated over the years would never be accepted by our members.
“We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table but it is now clear they do not want to resolve this dispute. They are happy for it go on and on.”
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “We want to resolve this dispute, but the Aslef leadership need to recognise that hard-pressed taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54m a week just to keep services running post-Covid. We remain open to talks to find a solution to this dispute.”
Finn Brennan, Aslef’s full-time organiser on London Underground, said: “Aslef tube train drivers will strike in April and May in a long-running dispute over London Underground’s failure to give assurances that changes to our members’ terms and conditions will not be imposed without agreement and that all existing agreements will be honoured.”
Brennan added that under the proposals, staff would have to work longer hours, current working agreements would be removed, and that rail bosses had failed to make trains safer with greater police presence. He also said that, although the two sides are not currently in negotiations, Aslef was prepared to come back to the table.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike... Having resolved disputes with all other rail unions, the transport secretary and rail minister have ensured that a pay offer is on the table—taking train drivers’ average salaries from £60,000 up to £65,000.”
