Train
services
in
England


could
be
cancelled
or
altered
at
short
notice,
because
a
ban
on
overtime
and
rest
day
working
is
being
staged
by
the
drivers’
union
ASLEF
from
today
until
Saturday.

The
restriction
is
part
of
the
union’s
continuing
dispute
with
the
industry
over
pay.

The
union’s
general
secretary
Mick
Whelan
said:
‘Once
again
we
find
ourselves
with
no
alternative
but
to
take
this
action.
We
have
continually
come
to
the
negotiating
table
in
good
faith,
seeking
to
resolve
the
dispute.
Sadly,
it
is
clear
from
the
actions
of
both
the
train
operating
companies
and
the
government
that
they
do
not
want
an
end
to
the
dispute.
Their
goals
appear
to
be
to
continue
industrial
strife
and
to
do
down
our
industry.

‘We
don’t
want
to
inconvenience
the
public.
We
just
want
to
see
our
members
paid
fairly
during
a
cost
of
living
crisis
when
inflation
is
running
at
above
10
per
cent,
and
to
not
see
our
terms
and
conditions
taken
away.

’It’s
time
for
the
government
and
the
companies
to
think
again
and
look
for
a
resolution.’

National
Rail
is
warning
that
problems
are
most
likely
on
Chiltern
Railways,
Govia
Thameslink
Railway
(all
divisions),
Greater
Anglia,
Great
Western
Railway,
South
Western
Railway
(including
Island
Line)
and
TransPennine
Express.
GWR
said
its
sleeper
services
between
London
and
Cornwall
will
not
run
again
until
Sunday
night.

Other
operators
who
may
be
able
to
provide
their
full
timetables
are
Avanti
West
Coast,
CrossCountry,
East
Midlands
Railway,
LNER,
Northern,
Southeastern
and
West
Midlands
Trains.

Operators
who
are
not
expecting
to
be
affected,
including
those
which
are
outside
the
scope
of
the
dispute,
are
c2c,
Caledonian
Sleeper,
Docklands
Light
Railway,
Glasgow
Subway,
Grand
Central,
Elizabeth
Line,
Heathrow
Express,
Hull
Trains,
London
Overground,
London
Underground,
Lumo,
Merseyrail,
ScotRail,
Transport
for
Wales
and
Tyne
&
Wear
Metro.

Meanwhile,
ASLEF
cancelled
a
strike
which
it
had
called
for
yesterday
on
Avanti
West
Coast,
after
a
‘sick
note
policy’
was
withdrawn.

Mick
Whelan
said:
As
we
have
always
said,
we
want
to
maintain
a
culture
of
positive
industrial
relations.
This
outcome
shows
that
when
management
come
to
the
table
and
understand
our
members’
perspective
we
are
able
to
resolve
issues
effectively.’

More
serious
disruption
is
expected
later
in
the
month,
when
the
RMT
stages
three
24-hour
strikes
which
will
affect
the
majority
of
operators
in
England,
on
20,
22
and
29
July.