Train drivers at eight UK operators have announced they will strike on July 30, the same day as the Community Shield between Liverpool and Manchester City.
Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Great Western, LNER, Greater Anglia, Southeastern, Hull Trains and West Midlands Trains are the following companies threatening industrial action as disputes over their pay continue. Similar scenes were witnessed last month and will also occur again ahead of the expected chaos on July 30 as Britain's trade union for train drivers, Aslef, hold out for increase wages in line with the rising cost of living.
Supporters who were intending to travel to the King Power Stadium to watch the Reds in action are now expected to be affected by this development as the main supplier for the route of Liverpool to Leicester are West Midlands Trains. At this stage, it remains unclear as to which services will not go ahead as planned.
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Union Members at Network Rail and 13 train operations staged 24-hour walkouts on June 21, 23 and 25, bringing services to a standstill, and an additional all-day strike has been announced for July 27 by members of RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) and TSSA (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association).
Reacting to news of the July 30 demonstration, which will affect Liverpool fans relying on trains to reach Leicester City's ground, the BBC's transport correspondent Katy Austin commented: "If it does go ahead, it is unlikely to bring the entire rail network to a halt. But it would cause widespread disruption."
Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, has claimed the union did not wish to strike again but have been left with no other option. “We don’t want to go on strike - strikes are the result of a failure of negotiation. We don’t want to inconvenience passengers - and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike," he said.
“But we’ve been forced into this position by the train companies, driven by the Tory government. The drivers at the companies where we are striking have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years - since April 2019. “And these companies are offering us nothing, saying their hands have been tied by the government.”
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