Due to “no-one coming to the table” to find a solution, nationwide rail strikes are still scheduled to occur this month, according to union leaders.
The strike scheduled at the end of the month, according to Mick Whelan, general secretary of the railway drivers’ union Aslef, will result in “virtually no service” in the impacted areas.
In response to a salary dispute, Aslef members at Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern, and West Midlands Trains are scheduled to strike on July 30. Disruptions to all services are anticipated.
According to Mr. Whelan, the reason behind the Aslef members’ strike is the fact that they have not received a pay increase since 2019.
He claimed that the union has not yet specified “an precise sum” for the wage increase it desires.
He said on Sky News’ Sunday programme that “most people don’t comprehend that nobody in the train industry has got a salary boost for three years… that the cost of living crisis is hurting all workers.”
Taking action, he continued, “saddens” the union. He added, “We’d much prefer to be talking to find a way out of this, but sadly no-coming one’s to the table.”
He responded, “Probably to a lot of people it is, and I look at other workers and believe they should have what he had,” when asked if he thought the median pay for a train driver, which is roughly £59,000, might already be regarded a lot to those outside the business.
We don’t engage in the discussion about the politics of envy. We believe that everyone has a right to a pay raise.
Many traditionalists, he continued, “would like to see (the Labour Party) occasionally stand up and stand with workers more frequently.”
I’ve seen a tonne of what they’ve accomplished behind the scenes, so I know there is a tonne of work being done. Just occasionally, I believe we should talk more.
In addition to yesterday’s (July 16) action, drivers on Hull Trains and Greater Anglia are both scheduled to strike on July 23.
Network Rail and Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) employees made the decision to go on a 24-hour strike earlier this week.
Services provided by Network Rail, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains, and GTR will all be impacted by the RMT strike.
The Gatwick Express is also included, which makes it even more difficult for people who want to take a vacation abroad during the school breaks.
On the same day, members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) will go on strike in protest of their wages, job security, and working conditions (July 27).
Southeastern services between London and Kent as well as portions of East Sussex will be impacted by the TSSA strikes.
Aside from London St. Pancras, Victoria, Charing Cross, and Cannon Street, other stations that could be disrupted include Dover Priory, Ramsgate, Ashford International, Dartford, and Sevenoaks.
TSSA employees working for West Midlands Trains, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, and TransPennine Express are now voting on whether or not to participate in the strike.
On August 18 and August 20, TSSA members and 14 other train operators are also scheduled to strike.
The train sector and the government need to recognise that this conflict won’t just go away, according to RMT general secretary Mick Lynch in a recent interview with The Telegraph.
“They need to take the issue of offering a wage that addresses the dilemma of rising living costs, ensures job security for our members, and offers favourable working conditions seriously.”
The most recent plans from Network Rail were woefully inadequate in terms of compensation and safety during maintenance operations.
In recent negotiations, the railway operating firms haven’t even presented us a wage offer.
We are still available for negotiations, but we will keep up our campaign until a negotiated conclusion is reached.
To address the issue, the government has suggested new minimum service standards that would mandate a specific number of trains to run even during a strike.
However, officials have acknowledged that creating new laws may take some time.