UK rail passengers will face major disruption again next week when train drivers hold a one-day strike in their ongoing pay dispute with train operators.
Drivers’ union Aslef has announced the latest walkout of its members on Friday, 1 September, which will be followed by another overtime ban on Saturday (2 September).
Alsef said the one-day strike would “force companies to cancel all services in this country”, while the overtime ban on 2 September will coincide with a separate strike by around 20,000 members of the RMT union.
The 16 companies affected by the latest Aslef strike are: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, c2c, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Great Western Railway, Island Line, LNER, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “We don’t want to take this action but the train companies, and the government which stands behind them, have forced us into this place because they refuse to sit down and talk to us, and have not made a fair and sensible pay offer to train drivers.
“The government appears happy to let passengers - and businesses - suffer in the mistaken belief that they can bully us into submission. They don’t care about passengers - or Britain’s railway - but they will not break us.”
Aslef has so far held 11 one-day strikes during the 15-month dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, as well as implementing multiple overtime bans for its members this summer. The UK rail network has also been hit by a series of separate strikes by the RMT and other unions since summer 2022.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operating companies, called Aslef’s latest strike “unnecessary” and would cause “more disruption to passengers”.
“We want to give our staff a pay increase, but it has always been linked to implementing necessary, sensible reforms that would enhance services for our customers,” said a spokesperson for the group.
“We urge the Aslef leadership to acknowledge the substantial financial challenges facing the rail industry and work with us to achieve a more dependable and robust railway system for the future.”