The Aslef union has announced that train drivers at eight rail companies will strike on 30 July after talks broke down over a pay offer.
The offer, said the union, would not see pay keep pace with the increase in the cost of living.
The move comes a day after the RMT Union, which represents rail workers such as guards, maintenance specialists, engineering and signalling staff, said it would strike on 27 July. They had already walked out for three days in June over pay and jobs.
The Aslef strike will cover Chiltern, GWR, LNER, London Overground, Greater Anglia, Southeastern, Hull Trains and West Midlands rail services. Six of the firms voted this week by large majorities for strikes.
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General secretary of Aslef, Mick Whelan, said members did not want to go on strike, “but we’ve been forced into this position by the train companies, driven by the Tory government. The drivers at the companies where we are striking have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years – since April 2019”.
“And these companies are offering us nothing, saying their hands have been tied by the government.”
“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – not least because our friends and families use public transport, too, and we believe in building trust in the railways in Britain – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike,” Whelan said, adding that the union was open to further talks for a “fair and sensible offer”.
The Department for Transport has previously urged the union to reconsider strike action, saying train drivers earn on average about £60,000 per year – more than twice the UK median salary.
“It is very disappointing that, rather than commit to serious dialogue with the industry, Aslef are first seeking to cause further misery to passengers by joining others in disrupting the rail network,” a spokesperson for the department said.
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The date of action on 30 July coincides with the Commonwealth Games, which are being held in Birmingham.
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