Train drivers vote to strike
Members of Aslef, the train driver’s union, will strike over pay
Train drivers voted to strike today over pay, their union Aslef has announced.
The outcome could lead to walkouts over the summer, following strikes by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) last month which crippled services. Talks between the RMT and rail companies are set to resume this week.
The Aslef ballot results are among drivers at Chiltern, GWR, LNER, London Overground, Northern, Southeastern, TransPennine and West Midlands.
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association is also balloting its members at Network Rail and a number of train operators in England for industrial action.
The results of the strike ballot are as follow:
- Arriva Rail London: Yes: 637 [98.9%] No: 7 [1.1%] Turnout: 92.5%
- Chiltern Railways: Yes: 217 [92.3%] No: 18 [7.7%] Turnout: 86.4%
- Great Western: Yes: 1,049 [86.1%] No: 170 [13.9%] Turnout: 86.3%
- LNER: Yes: 323 [88.5%] No: 42 [11.5%] Turnout: 89.0%
- Northern Trains: Yes: 1,562 [95.2%] No: 78 [4.8%] Turnout: 88.5%
- Southeastern: Yes: 741 [91.6%] No: 68 [8.4%] Turnout: 86.2 %
- TransPennine Express: Yes: 426 [94.2%] No: 26 [5.8%] Turnout: 84.8%
- West Midlands Trains: Yes: 636 [89.6%] No: 74 [10.4%] Turnout: 83.5%
Fight to maintain pay
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: “Strike action is always the last resort for this trade union, but many of our members have not had a pay rise since 2019.
“We will fight to maintain the pay, terms and conditions, and the pensions of our members. The train companies are doing very well out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and train drivers are not going to work longer for less.”
This new strike action comes after rail workers voted to strike back in June, which caused three days of travel disruptions.
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