ASLEF’s prepare drivers are staging a collection of strikes this weekend, marking the beginning of main disruption over the subsequent week.
Union members at East Midlands Railway and LNER will stroll out on Saturday, adopted by drivers on 4 different traces on Sunday.
A complete of 15 prepare working corporations shall be affected by strike motion between immediately and Friday 8 December after ASLEF members voted to proceed taking industrial motion for the subsequent six months.
The strike days are amplified by a union-wide time beyond regulation ban which began on Friday and can run till Saturday 9 December.
Full listing of dates in December 2023 and rail traces affected
East Midlands Railway mentioned it won’t function providers on any of its routes on Saturday, whereas the time beyond regulation ban could trigger some late discover cancellations and modifications to coach instances.
Passengers are suggested to verify earlier than travelling.
LNER is operating a lowered timetable between Edinburgh and London and Leeds and London on Saturday.
There can even be no trains to or from London King’s Cross on Sunday as a result of deliberate engineering work.
An LNER assertion mentioned bus replacements could be in place on Sunday however warned they’d have “extremely limited availability and will take considerably longer [approximately 120 minutes].”
Strikes on Sunday will have an effect on Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Great Northern Thameslink and West Midlands Trains, whereas extra strikes towards different operators shall be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday subsequent week.
They come days after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union voted overwhelmingly to just accept a deal to finish their long-running dispute over pay and circumstances.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents prepare corporations, has criticised ASLEF for not following RMT’s strategy and placing the newest pay provide to its members, which it says would take common driver salaries from £60,000 to almost £65,000.
ASLEF’s normal secretary Mick Whelan mentioned he has not had any talks with employers since April and has not met Transport Secretary Mark Harper since final December.
“We are in this for the long haul,” he mentioned.
“Our members, who have not had a pay rise for nearly five years now, are determined that the train companies and the Tory government that stands behind them do the right thing.
“The price of dwelling has soared for the reason that spring and summer season of 2019, when these pay offers ran out.
“The bosses at the train companies – as well as Tory MPs and government ministers – have had increases in pay. It’s unrealistic and unfair to expect our members to work just as hard for what, in real terms, is considerably less.
“These are key staff who saved the nation shifting all through the pandemic. They are merely asking for a good and first rate deal.”
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An RDG spokesperson said: “This pointless and avoidable business motion known as by the ASLEF management has been focused to disrupt prospects and companies forward of the very important festive interval.
“It will also inflict further damage on an industry that is receiving up to an additional £175m a month in taxpayer cash to keep services running, following the COVID downturn.”
Rail minister Huw Merriman mentioned: “Following RMT members voting to overwhelmingly accept the train operators’ pay offer, ASLEF is now not just the only rail union still striking but the only union not to even put an offer to its members.
“They are as an alternative selecting to trigger extra distress for passengers and the hospitality sector this festive interval.”
“The fair and reasonable offer that’s long been on the table would bring the average train driver’s salary up to £65,000 for a 35-hour, four-day week,” Mr Merriman added.
“ASLEF’s leadership should follow in the footsteps of all the other rail unions by doing the right thing and giving their members a say on that offer.”
Passengers who nonetheless intend to journey on days affected by strikes and time beyond regulation bans have been inspired to verify the National Rail’s journey planner earlier than setting off.
Source: information.sky.com”