Train drivers at Northern and LNER are to strike next month after the Aslef union claimed the rail operators had persistently failed to comply with agreements.
Aslef members will go on strike on 1 March, a move that is likely to cause widespread disruption for passengers. An overtime ban at both companies will also take effect between 29 February and 2 March.
Northern’s services span 500 stations in the north of England and Midlands while LNER’s services run from London through Yorkshire, the north-east and Scotland.
The union said its dispute with LNER was due to it breaking a number of service agreements, including paying managers to drive trains on strike days.
The dispute with Northern centres around Aslef’s belief that it is failing to adhere to procedures and agreements on subjects such as bullying, intimidation and gaslighting of union reps.
Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, said: “We are fed up to the back teeth with the bad faith shown, day after day, week after week, and month after month by these two companies.
“We always stick to agreements which we make. These companies think they can break agreements – which they freely enter into – whenever it suits them. And they’re wrong. This is a shot across their bows and a sign of things to come.”
Whelan said last month that drivers would keep striking to “raise the profile” of their dispute after half a decade without a pay rise.
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We’re surprised and disappointed that strike action has been called over a local disagreement that we have all been working positively to resolve.
“We encourage ASLEF to work with us to find a solution and avoid further disruption for customers.”
An LNER spokesperson said: “Our priority focus remains on minimising disruption to customers during ASLEF strikes, which sadly will continue to cause disruption and delays. We encourage ASLEF to continue to work with us to find a way to end this long running dispute which only damages the rail industry.”
The latest round of strikes were announced as train drivers at five rail operators voted to continue strike action for six months in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
Members on Chiltern, c2c, East Midlands, Northern and TransPennine railways voted overwhelmingly in favour of the six-month mandate, which is a legal requirement for industrial action to continue.
There are now live mandates at the remaining 11 train operating companies Aslef is in dispute with.
The dispute led to rolling strikes by Aslef across various regions at the start of this month, which caused widespread cancellations.
Whelan said: “These results show – yet again – a clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by the Rail Delivery Group on behalf of the train operating companies with whom we are in dispute
“But we remain open and willing, as ever, to talk about a revised offer. That’s why we are asking the secretary of state for transport or the rail minister, Huw Merriman, to come and meet us”
The RDG has previously said slef’s leadership “need to recognise the financial challenge facing rail” and that “there are no winners from these strikes that will unfortunately cause disruption for our customers”.
