he train drivers’ union has not ruled out strike action continuing into the Christmas period. Mick Whelan, from the union Aslef, told the BBC he did not believe the Government or industry wanted a resolution.
Mr Whelan said there had been no contact from ministers since January, and none with the employers’ group since the spring.
Train strikes are ongoing for the next month, with thousands of London Underground workers and train drivers all set to walk out.
RMT (Rail, Maritime, and Transport union) and Aslef (the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) members are striking in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
London Underground workers are also planning walkouts.
Aslef represents drivers, whereas RMT acts on behalf of members from different sectors within the rail industry — including station staff and guards.
Mr Whelan said the union was willing to talk, but “no-one’s interested, they don’t want a resolution”. He also added that he thought the train companies — who are generally paid fixed fees to run services — had no incentive to raise wages, and the Government wanted to put rail into “managed decline”.
The next round of union train strikes, which began last Friday (September 29) will include walkouts on the last day of the Conservative Party’s annual conference.
With trains to and from Manchester set to be impacted, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has called the strikes “cynical” and “politically motivated”.
“Train drivers are paid an average of £60k for a 35-hour, four-day week,” the Tory minister said. “There’s an offer on the table to take that up to £65k — and still they strike, putting their own jobs at risk.”
This is what the strikes will mean.
Rishi Sunak might have to rethink his transport to and from Manchester
/ PAWhen are the next train strikes in the UK?
Aslef announced its members at 16 train operators would walk out last Friday — the day before the conference — and this Wednesday, October 4, the final day of the event.
The union said the strikes will force train operators to cancel all services, causing travel chaos for passengers, including those travelling to and from the Conservative conference in Manchester, which is being held from October 1 to 4, the Standard has reported.
Aslef members have also banned overtime until October 6, which the union said will “seriously disrupt” the rail network. This means staff will not work any longer than their contractual hours, which will likely see cancellations and delays.
The networks set to be impacted are:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- c2c
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Gatwick Express
- Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express)
- Great Northern
- Great Western Railway
- Heathrow Express
- LNER
- London Northwestern Railway
- Northern
- Southeastern
- Southern
- South Western Railway (including Island Line)
- Thameslink
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Railway
Who else is striking?
RMT members working on the London Underground will also strike this week.
The industrial action will involve thousands of Tube staff and means underground services in the capital will be completely shut down on Wednesday (October 4) and Friday (October 6).
Tube services will be “severely affected” or not run at all on these dates. There will also be no night Tube on Friday.
There will be disruption before 8am on the days following the strikes, on October 5 and 7.
The Elizabeth Line, London Overground, and tram services are not affected..
Why are the strikes being held?
Aslef said train drivers have not had a pay rise since 2019 and that, with inflation rocketing, it means in real terms they have lost money. It will be the 12th one-day strike by Aslef members since the dispute started more than a year ago.
Mr Whelan added: “While we regret having to take this action — we don’t want to lose a day’s pay or disrupt passengers as they travel by train — the Government and employers have forced us into this position.
“Our members have not had a pay rise for four years — since 2019 — and that’s not right when prices have soared in that time.
“Train drivers quite reasonably want to be able to buy now what they could buy four years ago.”
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan outlined details of the walkouts
/ Victoria Jones / PAHow to check if your train is running
You can type the service you’re looking for into the National Rail website.
This website shows information on train services across the country. If you search for the journey you want to make, it will show you whether it is actually running and at what time.
If there are no services available around the time you want to travel, it will not display anything.
