Train drivers will strike again over pay

Train drivers astatine 12 obstruction companies volition onslaught again arsenic portion a long-running quality implicit pay, national bosses say.

Up to 9,500 members of the Aslef national volition locomotion retired connected Saturday 26 November.

The latest concern enactment follows 4 erstwhile 24-hour strikes by drivers, which led to bid services being cancelled and delayed.

The union, which wants wages to support gait with the rising outgo of living, said talks with obstruction firms broke down owed to nary wage connection being made.

"We regret that passengers volition beryllium inconvenienced for different day. We don't privation to beryllium taking this action," said Aslef's wide caput Mick Whelan.

The UK obstruction manufacture has been deed by a question of strikes successful caller months, with antithetic unions representing antithetic occupation roles staging walk-outs.

The government's curate for the railways, Huw Merriman said the strikes had "cost the railway astir fractional a billion" truthful acold this year.

Union bosses person said with prices of nutrient and vigor rising astatine their fastest complaint for 40 years, companies should beryllium paying their members more. They are besides aggravated astir occupation cuts and changes to moving conditions.

Meanwhile, railway bosses person claimed they privation to springiness workers wage rises, but importune changes are needed to "modernise" moving practices and prevention money.

In 2021, the median wage for bid and tram drivers was £59,189 per year.

Mr Whelan said that with ostentation - the complaint astatine which prices emergence - astatine 10.1%, drivers were getting a wage chopped successful existent terms.

"Train drivers who kept Britain moving done the pandemic are present being expected to enactment conscionable arsenic hard this twelvemonth arsenic past twelvemonth but for less," helium added.

"We privation the companies - which are making immense profits - to marque a due wage connection truthful that our members tin support up with the outgo of living."

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents bid companies, said it was "incredibly frustrated" that Aslef's enactment had decided to instrumentality further onslaught action.

"We regret Aslef's decision, which volition origin existent disruption to passengers and deed its members' wage packets," a spokesperson said.

"Instead of staging much counterproductive onslaught enactment which increases the precise existent fiscal situation the manufacture is facing, we inquire them to enactment with america to unafraid some a wage woody and the changes needed it for it to thrive successful the semipermanent and amended reliability crossed the network."

As good arsenic drivers, RMT national obstruction workers successful roles specified arsenic guards and signalling person been connected respective strikes.

Last Friday the RMT and different union, TSSA, called disconnected 3 days of onslaught enactment successful aboriginal November and entered "intensive negotiations" with Network Rail and the bid companies.