ASLEF


has
called
another
five
days
of
24-hour
strikes
on
LNER
from
5
to
9
February,
in
what
could
be
the
first
direct
challenge
to
the
new
minimum
service
levels
law,
which
requires
a
set
percentage
of
staff
to
continue
working
during
strikes.

LNER
is
one
of
four
English
operators
who
are
owned
by
the
state,
after
previous
contracts
with
the
private
sector
were
either
cancelled
or
not
re-awarded
when
they
expired.

ASLEF
has
already
called
rolling
strikes
for
a
week
from
30
January,
which
will
affect
most
operators
in
England
for
one
day.

As
well
as
the
new
LNER
walkouts
in
early
February,
ASLEF
drivers
will
also
refuse
to
work
any
non-contractual
overtime
from
7
to
10
February.

Reports
that
LNER
would
impose
minimum
service
levels
for
the
first
time,
although
not
confirmed,
may
have
caused
the
latest
walkouts.

ASLEF
general
secretary
Mick
Whelan
said:
‘We
have
given
LNER
management
–
and
their
government
counterparts
who
hold
the
purse
strings
–
every
opportunity
to
come
to
the
table
and
they
have
so
far
made
no
realistic
offer
to
our
members.

‘We
have
not
heard
from
the
transport
secretary
since
December
2022,
or
from
the
train
operating
companies
since
April
2023.
It’s
time
for
them
to
come
to
the
table
and
work
with
us
to
resolve
this
dispute
so
we
can
all
move
forward
and
get
our
railway
back
on
track.’

The
Guardian
has
quoted
a
‘government
source’
as
saying:
‘The
train
companies
lobbied
us
for
this
ahead
of
the
2019
manifesto
and
they’ve
got
what
they
wanted
so
we
would
very
much
hope
that
they
would
use
those
powers.
We
aren’t
going
to
grandstand
and
publicly
urge
them
to
do
it
but
we
quietly
expect
them
to
do
so.’