“Strikes are a last resort”
Aslef announced that its members would walk out on Saturday, August 13, saying the firms had not made a pay offer to help members keep up with rising living costs.
Train drivers are already set to strike this Saturday at seven companies, and on Wednesday Aslef members at two more train operators voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action.
The announcement was made as strikes by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union and the Transport Staff Association crippled services on Wednesday, with only about one in five trains running and in some areas none at all.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: “Strikes are always a last resort.
“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and family also use public transport – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike, but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies who say they were pushed to do so by the government .
“Many of our members, who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic, have not had a pay raise since 2019.
“With inflation running north of 10 percent, that means these drivers have had a real pay cut over the last three years.”
“We want an increase in line with the cost of living – we want to be able to buy in 2022 what we can buy in 2021.”
“It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row. Especially since the rail companies are doing very well, thank you, from British Rail – with great profits, dividends for shareholders and big salaries for managers – and drivers don’t want to work longer for less.
“Wage increases do not fuel inflation. Excessive profiteering is so, but the government is not asking companies to cut profits or dividend payments to help deal with inflation. Wages drive prices down, not raise them.
“We don’t see why we should forego wage increases to keep up with inflation and help the privatized rail companies make even more profits to send overseas.”
Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry drivers voted more than 9-1 to strike, it was announced on Wednesday.
They will strike on August 13 alongside drivers on Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.
A row erupted between unions and Transport Minister Grant Shapps after he outlined plans to curb strike action, including a halt to coordinated strike action, curbs on picketing and a cooling-off period after strikes.
Add Comment