Train drivers at eight rail companies will strike on July 30 in a pay dispute, their union Aslef said.
It comes a day after the RMT union said its members at rail operators and Network Rail will walk off the job for 24 hours on July 27.
Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: “We don’t want to go on strike – strikes are the result of a breakdown in negotiations – and this union, since I was elected general secretary in 2011, has only gone on strike so far, until this year, for a few days.
“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – not least because our friends and families also use public transport and we believe in building trust in Britain’s railways – and we don’t want to lose money by striking.
“But we have been forced into this position by the rail companies led by the Tory government.
“Drivers in the companies we are striking at have had real wage cuts for the last three years – since April 2019.
“And these companies are offering us nothing, saying their hands are tied by the government.”
“That means, in real terms, with inflation expected to be 9%, 10% and even 11% this year, depending on which index you use, that they are being told to take a real pay cut.” And that is not acceptable.
“Strike action is now the only option available, but we are always open to talks if the rail companies or the government want to talk to us and make a fair and reasonable offer.”
More strikes at other rail companies
Aslef members in eight companies – Arriva Rail London; Chiltern Railways; Greater England; Great Western; Hull Trains; LNER; Southeast; and West Midlands Trains – will join strike action on Saturday 30 July.
But Mr Whelan said Greater Anglia drivers would also strike on Saturday July 23 and Hull Trains drivers would also strike on Saturday July 16 and Saturday July 23.
Supplementary ballots close at Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry on Wednesday July 27; and on Northern Trains; TransPennine Express; and Transport for Wales on Thursday 25 August, he added.
Read more: Network Rail offers workers new pay after strikes but RMT union calls it ‘real terms pay cut’
“Wage increases don’t make inflation worse – excessive profiteering does”
He also denied claims by some politicians that raising workers’ wages could worsen inflation during a cost-of-living crisis.
“In any case, rising wages do not make inflation worse. Excessive profiteering is.
“The government is not asking companies to cut profits or dividend payments to help tackle inflation. Wages chase prices, not raise them.’
Transport Minister Grant Shapps said: “It is extremely disappointing that just three days after the vote closed, Aslef bosses have already opted for disruptive strike action instead of engaging in constructive talks.
“Not only that, but by seemingly coordinating the strike dates around the Commonwealth Games, it is clear that union bosses are determined to cause as much misery as possible and derail an event that the whole country is looking forward to.”
“Machinists such as those represented by Aslef earn an average of just under £60,000 – more than double the UK average and significantly more than the very workers who will be most affected by these strikes, despite having accumulated £600 per household to keep the railway running throughout the pandemic.
“Our railway is in desperate need of modernization to make it work better for passengers and to be financially sustainable in the long term.
“I urge union bosses to reconsider this divisive action and instead work for employers, not against them, to agree a new way forward.”
Add Comment