Members of Aslef walking during the Easter school holidays. Photo: NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Train drivers on rail 16 Companies are set to stage a new wave of strikes this week in a long-running pay dispute that threatens to upset families across the country during the Easter school holidays .
The strikes are the latest in a series of strikes. Aslef has been on strike for 20 months.
Union leaders have announced separate strikes affecting the London Underground.
Here's everything you need to know about the national rail strikes:
When will the strikes take place?
- Thursday 4 April to Saturday 6 April >: Aslef members will refuse to work on rest days.
- Friday, April 5 – Monday, April 8: Aslef employees will conduct a rolling program of one-day strikes from April 5 to 8. , as well as a six-day ban on overtime.
- Monday, April 8 – Tuesday, April 9Members will refuse to work over the weekend.
Which train lines are affected?
Friday 5 April: Drivers will strike at West Coast Avanti, East Midlands Railway, on West Midlands and CrossCountry trains.
Saturday 6 April:Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern and TransPennine are affected.< /p>
Monday, April 8:Strikes will take place at c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway Main Line and Depot drivers and the SWR Island Line.
How will train strikes affect me?
Train operators have warned that during the strike days it is likely that large sections of the network served by the affected train companies will have little or no services.
Services may also be disrupted and start later in the day immediately after the day of the full strike.
On days when an overtime ban is in effect, some train company schedules may be revised in advance and services may be delayed or canceled with short notice on the same day.
Passengers are warned of the possibility of significant service disruptions and It is recommended to plan ahead and check before traveling.
There is now a law aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during rail strikes, but none of the operators involved in the Aslef dispute have applied to use it. .
Why are there strikes?
During the 21-month dispute, Aslef held 14 one-day strikes. The first vote was held in June 2022 and members went on strike for the first time on Saturday 30 July 2022.
The union said it wanted to increase pressure on “intransigent” rail companies and the “ton-deaf” government.
According to Aslef, train drivers have not had their salaries increased for five years, since April 2019. Union bosses said they had been in talks with train operators represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) but had heard nothing more since receiving a new mandate last month for another six months of industrial action.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “Last month, when we announced the renewal of industrial action mandates because under Tory draconian anti-union laws we must vote for our members every six months, we approached the train companies and the government. to come to the negotiating table to negotiate a new wage deal for train drivers, who have not received a pay rise since 2019.
“Our members voted overwhelmingly – once again – to strike.“These voices show the clear rejection by the drivers of the ridiculous proposal made to us last April by the RDG, which knew that this proposal would be rejected because the seizure of land on all the terms that we have agreed on over the years would never be accepted by our members.
“Since then, train drivers have voted again and again to take action to increase wages. That's why Mark Harper, the transport secretary, is being disingenuous when he says the proposal should have been addressed to members.
“Drivers wouldn't vote for strike again and again and again if they thought it was a good proposal. That proposal failed last April, and Mr Harper knows it.
“We have given the Government every opportunity to come to the table, but it is now clear that they do not want to resolve this dispute. . They're glad it's going on and on.”
What did the railroad companies say?
A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents 16 train operators affected by the strikes, said: “No-one wins when strikes affect people's lives and livelihoods and we will work hard to minimize any disruption to our passengers.”
< p>“We want to resolve this dispute, but Aslef's management must recognize that hard-pressed taxpayers continue to pay an extra £54 million a week just to keep services running post-Covid. p>
“We will continue to seek an agreement with Aslef management and remain open to negotiations to find a solution to this dispute.”
What is the government saying?
A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said: “Aslef is the only railway union, continuing strike, harassing passengers and preventing their members from voting on the wage proposal, which remains on the table.
“Having resolved disputes with all other railway unions, the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Railways have ensured that the wage proposal: Average train driver salaries will increase from £60,000 to £65,000.”
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