Rail passengers face further disruption this week, as train drivers observe an overtime ban.
Aslef, which represents the drivers, is embroiled in a long-running pay dispute with 15 train companies in England. It has told its members to refuse any overtime from today (7 August) until Saturday 12 August.
Many train operators rely on drivers working overtime to run their full schedules, so there are expected to be cancellations.
It follows four previous week-long bans on overtime in May, July and earlier in August.
Industrial action on the railways
Aslef has rejected a two-year pay offer which would see drivers get a backdated increase of 4% for 2022 and a 4% increase this year.
Last month Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “We don’t want to take this action – because we don’t want people to be inconvenienced – 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 who have not had one for four years – since 2019 – while prices have soared in that time by more than 12%.
“We are determined to get a proper increase – a fair pay rise – for men and women who haven’t had one for four years while inflation has been roaring away. Our members, perfectly reasonably, want to be able to buy now what they could buy back in 2019.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The government has met the rail unions, listened to them and facilitated improved offers on pay and reform.
“The union leaders should put these fair and reasonable offers to their members so this dispute can be resolved.”
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