A week after the RMT union called off its latest round of rail strikes, the union Aslef has announced its members who are drivers for 12 train operators will stage a walk out at the end of the month.
Aslef members at Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; London North Eastern Railway; London Overground; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Transpennine Express; and West Midlands Trains will strike for 24 hours on Saturday 26 November.
It is part of an ongoing dispute over pay; Aslef claims that, despite engaging in industry talks, its negotiators have received “no offer on pay”.
Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: “We regret that passengers will be inconvenienced for another day. We don’t want to be taking this action. Withdrawing our labour is always a last resort for a trade union.
“We have come to the table, as we always will, in good faith but while the industry continues to make no offer – due to the dodgy deal they signed with the DfT – we have no choice but to take strike action again.
“They want drivers to take a real terms pay cut. With inflation now well into double figures, train drivers who kept Britain moving through the pandemic are now being expected to work just as hard this year as last year but for less. Most of these drivers have not had an increase in salary since 2019.
“We want the companies – which are making huge profits – to make a proper pay offer so that our members can keep up with the cost of living.”
The Transport Secretary has invited Mr Whelan, as well as the general secretaries of the RMT and TSSA unions, to urgent meetings.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “It’s disappointing Aslef has yet again chosen self-defeating strike action when our railway is in urgent need of reform.
“This past week saw positive developments between unions and employers and planned strikes cancelled, so this is a frustrating backwards step.
“More disruption is not only damaging to the public and Aslef’s own member’s livelihoods but threatens the future of the railway itself. It has never been more important for all sides to work together and address the fundamental issues in front of us.”
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson added: “We are incredibly frustrated the Aslef leadership has decided to take further strike action.
“We regret Aslef’s decision, which will cause real disruption to passengers and hit its members’ pay packets. Instead of staging more counterproductive strike action which increases the very real financial challenge the industry is facing, we ask them to work with us to secure both a pay deal and the changes needed it for it to thrive in the long-term and improve reliability across the network.”
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, said: “The attrition continues – just hours after the effects of the RMT ‘strike that never was’ finally ended, the drivers’ union, Aslef, has announced another stoppage aimed squarely at leisure travellers and families.
“Rail staff tell me they feel undervalued and that stopping work is the only way to achieve a fair settlement. Their union says ‘we have no choice but to take strike action again’.
“But ticket revenue for the railway has slumped since Covid, and the employers say they have to balance the books – with pay rises contingent on modernising and cutting costs.
“Meanwhile passengers are caught in the middle of an apparently intractable dispute, facing another day of wrecked travel plans, while the taxpayer picks up the bill for the financial damage the strike will cause.
“At a time when the railway desperately needs to attract new passengers, confidence in train travel is at an all-time low.”
