Members of the rail union Aslef will take part in a rolling programme of one-day strikes from January 30 to February 5, alongside a ban on overtime for nine days from January 29.
The latest industrial action is part of the union’s continuing dispute over pay.
Drivers will strike on Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink services on January 30.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said they wanted to put pressure on “intransigent” train companies as well as the “tone-deaf Tory government” to give train drivers their first pay rise in almost five years.
He said: “We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table but it has now been a year since we had any contact from the Department for Transport. It is clear they do not want to resolve this dispute.
“Many of our members have not had a single penny increase to their pay for half a decade, during which time inflation has soared and with it the cost of living.
“Train drivers didn’t even ask for an increase during the pandemic when we worked throughout lockdown as key workers, risking our lives to move goods around the country and to enable NHS and other workers to get to work.
“The Tory government has now tried its old trick of changing the rules. When they couldn’t win, they brought in minimum service levels legislation.
“This new law, as we told officials during the consultation period, won’t ease industrial strife. It will just make it worse.
“There is, frankly, no excuse for this nonsense. The government and train operating companies should come to the table with a realistic offer so we can end this dispute and work together to ensure the future of our railways.”
The strikes could be the first test of new regulations aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during strikes, set at 40 per cent in the transport sector.
Source link
[Featured]
[Just In]
