Hull train drivers to walk out as more rail staff join massive strike
Drivers will walk out on Sunday 26th June
Train drivers in Hull have announced they are to join strikes on the railways later this month.
Union ASLEF has made the announcement, which also affects staff working for Greater Anglia and Croydon Tramlink.
Hull Trains Driver Members will be on strike on Sunday 26th June.
It comes as 50,000 members of the RMT, also working for rail firms, are already set to walk out unless a deal can be reached in a wide-ranging dispute over pay and conditions.
That strike will affect c2c and Greater Anglia services on June the 21st, 23rd and 25th.
Mick Whelan, ASLEF’s general secretary, said:
"The latest Department for Transport statistics show that passenger numbers reached the milestone of 90% of pre-covid levels on Thursday 19 May – and went up to 92% over the next three days."
"And the Railway Industry Association says that footfall is returning not just during the week but at weekends, too, and are at their highest levels since March 2020. That’s great news – not just for the railways, but for Britain.
"But this blows the argument – made recently by the DfT and the privatised train companies – that “there is no money” right out of the water. Of course there is money, now the railway is returning to normal, because passengers are back and services are packed again.
"Many of our members have not had a pay rise since 2019. We will fight to maintain the pay, terms & conditions, and the pensions of our members.
"We are not naïve. The train companies are doing very well out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and we are not going to work longer, for less.
"We want a pay rise, for train drivers, who kept people and goods moving during the pandemic, in line with the cost of living, so that we are not, in real terms, worse off."
Yesterday, Andrew Haines from Network Rail said the organisation was "doing everything we can" to avoid the strike action.
"There are two weeks until the first strike is planned. We will use this time to keep talking to our unions and, through compromise and common sense on both sides, we hope to find a solution and avoid the damage that strike action would cause all involved," he said.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has described strike action as "incredibly disappointing".
In a statement Hull Trains said:
"We are disappointed with the ballot result from ASLEF for potential industrial action, at a time when we are re-establishing ourselves, having had to suspend our services on three separate occasions during the pandemic.
"Hull Trains has historically had a good relationship with ASLEF, and we remain committed to meaningful talks with their leadership, with the aim of resolving the dispute for the benefit of customers, employees, and our business.
"In the event of action being taken, we have been developing contingency plans, which includes providing up to date information to customers as early as possible".