Passengers are set to face more rail travel problems after more strikes were called by workers. The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) trade union has confirmed that train drivers from eight companies - including some who operate in the North East - have voted in favour of industrial action.
Ballots were held among members who work for LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express, Chiltern, Arriva Rail London, Great Western, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains. They all resulted in overwhelming support for strike action, with dates for when it will happen to be announced later.
Earlier today (July 11), ASLEF members at ScotRail voted in favour of accepting an improved pay offer, which included a five per cent increase. ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said strike action was "always the last resort" the union wanted to take, but members felt it was necessary to do so.
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Mr Whelan said: "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 driven by the government. Many of our members – who were, you will remember, 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. Especially as the train companies are doing very nicely, thank you, out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and train drivers don’t want to work longer for less.
"We don’t think we’re special; we believe no worker in this country should put up with pay cuts year after year just because this government has allowed inflation to rise. Whatever happened to the Tory wish for good, well-paid, jobs? Obviously that’s only for the CEOs, not for the workers doing the job.
"And, don’t forget, if a train driver doesn’t get a cost of living increase, it won’t mean that a nurse, or care worker, or cleaner will get one. This isn’t – or shouldn’t be – about setting one worker against another.
"Wage rises aren’t exacerbating inflation, anyway. Excess profiteering is. The government isn’t asking companies to cut profits or dividend payments to help manage inflation. Wages are chasing prices, not putting them up."
He added that it is not too late for the companies and the Government to resolve this issue. Mr Whelan said the union was "happy to talk to anyone to do a deal".
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "It is very disappointing that, rather than commit to serious dialogue with the industry, ASLEF are first seeking to cause further misery to passengers by joining others in disrupting the rail network. The train drivers they represent earn, on average, just under £60,000 per year – more than twice the UK median salary and significantly more than the very workers who will be most impacted by these strikes.
"Our railway is in desperate need of modernisation to make it work better for passengers and be financially sustainable for the long term. We urge the union bosses to reconsider and work with its employers, not against them, to agree a new way forward."
Elsewhere, in a separate ballot, members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association at Southeastern have voted to strike and other industrial action over pay, job security and conditions. General secretary Manuel Cortes said: "This is a great result for our union and comes hard on the heels of similar votes at a raft of other train operating companies, with results expected from our Network Rail members imminently."
Last month, another trade union - the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) - staged three days of walkouts over pay and conditions, bringing much of the country's train network to a halt. The strikes were staged on June 21, 23 and 25, with more possible in the near future.
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