Monday, July 31, 2023
Rail services will be disrupted again this week because of a ban on overtime by train drivers as part of a campaign of action in a long-running dispute over pay.
Members of a railway union, Aslef, at 15 train companies in England will refuse to work overtime from Monday to Saturday and again from August 7 to 12.
The union said its members involved in the dispute have not had a pay rise for four years.
The union said the overtime ban will seriously disrupt services, adding that none of the train companies employs enough drivers.
The withdrawal of non-contractual overtime will affect Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Island Line, LNER, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway main line, TransPennine Express, and West Midlands Trains.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said that they do not want to take this action, because they don’t want people to be inconvenienced, but the train companies, and the government which stands behind them, have forced them into this place because they refuse to sit down and talk to us and have not made a fair and sensible pay offer to train drivers who have not had one for four years since 2019 while prices have soared in that time by more than 12%.
Mr Whelan said an offer made in April was for a 4% pay increase, with a further rise dependent on drivers giving up terms and conditions.
A Department for Transport spokesman said that the government has met the rail unions, listened to them and facilitated improved offers on pay and reform.
The union leaders should put these fair and reasonable offers to their members so this dispute can be resolved.
The overtime ban follows strikes last week by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union which crippled services.
Tags: network rail, rail journeys, railway, railways
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