More rail strikes have been confirmed - with Aslef and the RMT due to walk out on the same day.
Aslef, the train drivers’ union, confirmed on Tuesday morning that its members would walk out on Saturday October 1 and Wednesday October 5 in the ongoing dispute over pay.
The RMT also announced, later on Tuesday afternoon, that its members will also strike for 24 hours on October 1. The TSSA union may also call its members out on strike.
October 1 is the date of the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur north London derby at the Emirates.
The strike is likely to shut the London Overground - meaning no train services to and from Highbury & Islington.
RMT members are taking action - separate to the national rail strike - on Arriva Rail London, the firm that runs the London Overground.
The combined impact of the Aslef and RMT action is likely to shut the Overground.
However, fans will be able to use the Tube.
Great Northern train services into Finsbury Park may still run as the firm is not being targeted by Aslef - but RMT members will be absent as part of its action against parent compant GTR (GoVia Thameslink Railway) .
October 5 is the last day of the Conservative party conference in Birmingham - meaning chaos for Tory MPs and activists.
Aslef members in 12 train companies had originally been due to strike on September 15 but suspended their action after the death of the Queen.
News of the latest strikes began to emerge last Friday but the dates were only confirmed on Tuesday following the Queen’s funeral.
Aslef says the drivers going on strike have not had a pay rise since 2019. Aslef previously went on strike on July 30 and August 13.
Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: “We would much rather not be in this position. We don’t want to go on strike – withdrawing your labour, although a fundamental human right, is always a last resort for this trade union – but the train companies have been determined to force our hand.
“They are telling train drivers to take a real terms pay cut. With inflation now running at 12.3 per cent – and set, it is said, to go higher – these companies are saying that drivers should be prepared to work just as hard, for just as long, but for considerably less.
“The companies with whom we are in dispute have not offered us a penny. It is outrageous that they expect us to put up with a real terms pay cut for a third year in a row. And that’s why we are going on strike. To persuade the companies to be sensible, to do the right thing, and come and negotiate properly with us. Not to run up and say, ‘Our hands are tied and the government will not allow us to offer you an increase.’”
The rail companies affected are: Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; Greater Anglia; Great Western Railway; Hull Trains; LNER; London Overground; Northern Trains; Southeastern; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.
The RMT action will target 14 rail firms and Network Rail.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Transport workers are joining a wave of strike action on October 1st, sending a clear message to the government and employers that working people will not accept continued attacks on pay and working conditions at a time when big business profits are at an all-time high.
”The Summer of Solidarity we have seen will continue into the Autumn and Winter if employers and the government continue to refuse workers reasonable demands.
“We want a settlement to these disputes where our members and their families can get a square deal. And we will not rest until we get a satisfactory outcome.”
