Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire/PA
Rail passengers face new chaos as machinists' union Aslef announces new strikes controversy on wages. Here's what you need to know.
Where are the next train strikes?
The train drivers go on strike for three days:
- Friday, May 12
- Wednesday 31 May
- Saturday 3 June
Thousands of people heading to the Eurovision final in Liverpool on 13 May will be affected by strikes.
< p>The last day of the strike also coincides with the FA Cup Final in London as Manchester United will take on Manchester City at Wembley on 3 June.
Beyoncé fans planning to attend her Renaissance World Tour concert at Tottenham Hotspur stadium on the same day will also be affected.
Which rail companies are affected by the strike?
The Associated Society of Locomotive Builders and Firefighters (Aslef) represents UK train drivers. Workers from 16 railway companies to go on strike:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- East Midland Railway
- Great Western Railway
- Great England
- GTR Great Northern Thameslink
- London North Eastern Railway
- Northern trains
- South Eastern
- Southern/Gatwick Express
- South Western Railway
- SWR depot drivers
- SWR Island Line
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
Why are the Aslef drivers on strike?
Train drivers' The union has been embroiled in a year-long wage dispute, already on an eight-day strike since last summer.
Railway companies, represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), have proposed a 4 percent increase in 2022, followed by another 4 percent. percent in 2023.
Mick Whelan, Aslef's general secretary, said the proposal was “clearly not designed to be accepted” as inflation is still above 10%, meaning the proposal represents a real wage cut.
< img src="/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/45d09e27317d4bee32f30d6b1d1d762b.jpg" />General Secretary Mick Whelan Aslefa rejected a wage offer presented to the union because in real terms it meant a pay cut. Photo: Dinendra Haria/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images. , he added.
To qualify for the first 4 percent increase, companies need to make a commitment to drivers to learn new routes faster to help fill service gaps, and use technology to train new staff faster.
Second year of salary hike will depend on the “successful completion” of reform negotiations whereby drivers working on Sundays will be contractually required to do so unless there is an alternative cover.
This was stated by RDG. the change has been vital as leisure travel has recovered much stronger than commuter and business travel and is now at 116% of pre-Covid levels. back into the hands of the employers.”
Do you support the ASLEF drivers' strike?
However, the machinists' union said the 8% offer over two years, which would raise the average machinist's salary from about £60,000 to just under £65,000, was not enough.
Since then inflation was mostly in double digits. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in July last year, this figure remained at 10.4% in March.
This means that the pay proposal will continue to be a significant reduction in wages in real terms.
< p>The RDG spokesman said: “Further strikes are completely unnecessary, they will only increase the pressure on the industry, which is already in a severe financial crisis.”
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