Rail services will be severely disrupted on Saturday (July 30) due to a train driver strike. Members of the drivers union Aslef at seven train operators are walking out for 24 hours over pay.
The Rail Delivery Group said the industrial action has been timed to coincide with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the start of the new season for most English football league clubs. There will be disruption to parts of the rail network on Saturday and into the morning of Sunday.
Steve Montgomery, chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We’re really disappointed that the Aslef leadership has decided to impose yet more uncertainty and disruption for passengers and businesses in a week which has already seen a strike by the RMT.
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“While we will do all that we can to minimise disruption, if you are going to travel on the routes affected, please plan ahead and check the latest travel advice. If you’re not able to travel, you can use your ticket either the day before or up to and including August 2, otherwise you will be able to change your ticket or claim a refund."
Further strikes are planned for August by Aslef and the RMT in the deadlocked row over pay, jobs and conditions. Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said strikes “are always the last resort."
“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers, our friends and families use public transport, too, and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Tory government.
“Many of our members, who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic, have not had a pay rise since 2019. With inflation running at north of 10% that means those drivers have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years.
“We want an increase in line with the cost of living, we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021. It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row.
He also claims that train companies are doing 'very nicely,' with 'handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers', adding: "Train drivers don’t want to work longer for less."
Saturday's strike will impact the following services:
- Arriva Rail London
- Greater Anglia
- Great Western
- Hull Trains
- LNER
- Southeastern
- West Midlands Trains
According to Trainline, if you have a train ticket for Saturday, you can claim a refund. If you are making a return journey and one leg of your trip is impacted by the strikes, you can claim a refund for your full journey.
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