Aslef has announced that train drivers will go ahead with fresh strike action after the union rejected a pay offer.
Train drivers will strike on 1 and 3 February which will coincide with 100,000 civil servants who have voted for industrial action along with teachers.
Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary said, “The offer is not acceptable, but we are willing to engage in further discussions with the train operating companies.
“They want to rip up our terms and conditions in return for a real-terms pay cut.”
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said earlier this month that they had offered Aslef a better pay offer in exchange for reforms on how the railways operate.
The RDG offered an increase of 4% backdated for 2022 with another 4% pay rise for this year and will not make compulsory redundancies until April 2024.
The RDG said in a statement, “If accepted, the proposal would mean the base salary for the average driver would increase from £60,000, to almost £65,000 by the end of 2023.”
The RDG statement did say, “The offer is contingent on common sense, vital and long overdue changes to working arrangements across the industry.
“Many of these are already best practice in parts of the railway and are designed to avoid disruptive gaps in services.”
