Train Drivers' Union Announces Further Strike Disruptions

ASLEF, the train drivers union, has announced further strike action, with the union saying it will severely disrupt passengers, with operators potentially forced to cancel all services.

The 16 companies affected include: Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; c2c; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; Great Western Railway; Island Line; LNER; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.

Strike action will take place on Saturday 30th September and Wednesday 4th October.

An overtime ban will take place on Friday 29th September and between Monday 2nd October until Friday 6th October.

Mick Whelan, ASLEF's general secretary, said: ‘While we regret having to take this action – we don't want to lose a day's pay, or disrupt passengers, as they try to travel by train – the government, and the employers, have forced us into this position. Our members have not, now, had a pay rise for four years – since 2019 – and that's not right when prices have soared in that time. Train drivers, perfectly reasonably, want to be able to buy now what they could buy four years ago.'

‘Do you remember Where's Wally? Well, what we want to know is Where's Harper? We last saw the Secretary of State for Transport in December. We last saw Huw Merriman, the Rail Minister, in January. And we last saw the train companies in April. Since then, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Not a letter, not an email, not a text message, not a phone call, not a WhatsApp. Not a word!'

‘So where is Mark Harper? He holds the purse strings. The train companies have told us. They say they cannot act without his say-so. He's the puppet master controlling the companies. But he's hiding. What's the man afraid of? We think it's time Harper stepped up to the mark…'