Train
services


run
by
English
nationalised
operators
and
those
with
a
Department
for
Transport
contract
are
set
to
be
disrupted
for
a
week
from
30
January,
as
the
pay
dispute
between
ASLEF
and
the
operators
continues.

Its
members
will
strike
at
Southeastern,
Govia
Thameslink
Railway
and
South
Western
Railway
(including
Island
Line)
on
30
January,
at
Northern
and
TransPennine
Express
on
31
January,
at
Greater
Anglia,
c2c
and
LNER
on
2
February,
at
West
Midlands
Trains,
Avanti
West
Coast
and
East
Midlands
Railway
on
3
February
and
at
Great
Western,
CrossCountry
and
Chiltern
on
5
February.
There
will
also
be
a
continuous
ban
on
working
non-contractual
overtime
at
all
these
operators
from
29
January
until
5
February.

Although
the
main
effects
will
be
felt
in
England,
some
cross-border
services
to
Scotland
and
Wales
will
also
be
disrupted,
although
the
domestic
operators
in
those
countries
are
not
included.

ASLEF
general
secretary
Mick
Whelan
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’s
clear
they
do
not
want
to
resolve
this
dispute.

‘Many
of
our
members
have
now
not
had
a
single
penny
increase
to
their
pay
in
half
a
decade,
during
which
inflation
soared
and
with
it
the
cost
of
living.
Train
drivers
didn’t
even
ask
for
an
increase
during
the
Covid-19
pandemic
when
they
worked
throughout
as
keyworkers,
risking
their
lives
to
allow
NHS
and
other
workers
to
travel.

‘The
government
has
now
tried
their
old
trick
of
changing
the
rules
when
they
can’t
win
and
brought
in
Minimum
Service
Levels
legislation.
But
this
new
law,
as
we
told
officials
during
the
consultation
period,
won’t
ease
industrial
strife.
It
will
likely
just
make
it
worse.

’There’s
no
excuse.
The
government
and
train
operating
companies
must
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
Department
for
Transport
accused
ASLEF
of
refusing
to
put
‘a
fair
and
reasonable
offer’
to
its
members,
adding:
‘The
ASLEF
leadership
should
do
the
right
thing
and
let
their
members
decide
their
own
future,
instead
of
deciding
it
for
them.’

The
Rail
Delivery
Group
was
also
critical,
saying:
‘Despite
the
railway’s
huge
financial
challenge,
drivers
have
been
made
an
offer
which
would
take
base
salaries
to
nearly
£65,000
for
a
four
day
week
without
overtime
–
that
is
well
above
the
national
average
and
significantly
more
than
many
of
our
passengers
that
have
no
option
to
work
from
home
are
paid.
Instead
of
staging
more
damaging
industrial
action,
we
call
on
the
ASLEF
leadership
to
work
with
us
to
resolve
this
dispute
and
deliver
a
fair
deal
which
both
rewards
our
people,
and
makes
the
changes
needed
to
make
services
more
reliable.’