Train drivers on the Elizabeth line are to strike on four separate days over the coming weeks in a dispute over pay.
Members of the union Aslef will take industrial action on Thursday 27 February, Saturday 1 March, Saturday 8 March and Monday 10 March.
Virtually all drivers on the line are in the union, and voted overwhelmingly for industrial action. Aslef blamed the operator, MTR Elizabeth line, for the dispute.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “Our members have been instrumental in the success of the Elizabeth line – it’s a partnership, in practice, between the company and its employees – but, despite our best efforts, MTR has decided not to recognise the input, the importance, and the value of train drivers in this success.”
MTR, which is due to be succeeded as the operator of the line by Tokyo Metro and Go-Ahead in May, has offered drivers a 4.5% pay increase, in line with other pay deals agreed by train drivers.
The Elizabeth line is the cross-London mass transit line, which opened in May 2022, and carries about 800,000 passengers a day.
Other London transport services including the tube, Overground and other national rail services will continue to run as normal.
A Transport for London spokesperson, said: “We encourage Aslef and MTR Elizabeth line to continue working towards resolving this dispute and avoid impacting our customers with strike action.”
Mike Bagshaw, the managing director for MTR Elizabeth line, said: “We are disappointed that drivers on the Elizabeth line have rejected a 4.5% pay rise and voted for industrial action. The offer would have maintained some of the highest salaries in the industry, along with enhanced terms and conditions.
“Any potential strike action will be disruptive for those who rely on the Elizabeth line, and we will work closely with Transport for London to ensure customers are informed of alternative travel options. We remain committed to engaging with Aslef in the hope of resolving this dispute.”
Industrial unrest has persisted in some places on the rail network despite the resolution last summer of the major nationwide disputes that had brought two years of disruption. Threatened strikes on the London Underground network in November were called off after a pay deal was reached.
In better news for passengers, the RMT union has suspended strikes that were planned on Avanti West Coast intercity services over the next three Sundays to allow for “intensive negotiations” in their dispute over rest day working.
Train managers in the union have been staging regular Sunday strikes, currently scheduled to last until the end of May.
Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, said: “Strike action has been suspended to allow space for constructive talks. We are fully committed to using the next three weeks productively to secure a negotiated settlement in good faith.
“However, Avanti must demonstrate a real willingness to compromise if it wants to avoid an escalation of this dispute in the coming weeks and months.”
