Train drivers at eight rail firms vote to strike

No dates have been announced, and at least two weeks’ notice must be given of any industrial action

Which way now? Leeds station in West Yorkshire (Simon Calder)

Rail passengers face increased industrial action after train drivers working for eight train operators overwhelmingly backed strikes in a series of ballots.

The drivers are members of the Aslef union, which is locked in a series of pay disputes.

The long-distance rail firms that face stoppages are LNER, which runs services on the flagship East Coast main line from London King’s Cross to Yorkshire, Newcastle and Scotland; GWR, operating from London Paddington to South Wales and the west of England; and TransPennine Express, which connects the north of England and southern Scotland.

In addition five commuter-focused operators are affected: Chiltern, London Overground (run by Arriva), Northern, Southeastern and West Midlands.

The union described the majorities in favour of action as “overwhelming”. The London Overground members voted by a majority of 98.9 per cent, on a turn out of 93 per cent. Only seven drivers voted against action, with 637 in favour.

The lowest vote in favour was at GWR, with a majority of 86 per cent on turn out of 86 per cent.

No dates have been announced for industrial action, and at least two weeks’ notice must be given of any strike.

Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, said: “We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use public transport, too – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies driven by the government.

“Many of our members – who were, you will remember, the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic – have not had a pay rise since 2019.

“With inflation running at north of 10 per cent that means those drivers have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years. We want an increase in line with the cost of living – we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021.

“It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row. Especially as the train companies are doing very nicely, thank you, out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and train drivers don’t want to work longer for less.”

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, condemned the votes in a tweet designed to bolster his campaign to take over from Boris Johnson: “Unions linked to Labour have announced train driver strikes. On a salary of almost £60,000, it isn’t fair for train drivers to hurt those on lower wages with more walkouts.

“As prime minister, I would stand up to the unions and make it harder to hold our country to ransom.”

Last month members of the RMT union staged the first national strike for three decades. A skeleton service operated on about half the rail network.

The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: "We congratulate our friends in Aslef for their superb ballot result and the huge mandate they have for strike action on the railways.

"It goes to show that railway workers across every grade from cleaners, catering staff guards, maintenance staff and drivers are fed up with real terms pay cuts, attacks on job security and working conditions.

"When railway unions and others unite, they are an unstoppable force in the workplace and wider society.

"Grant Shapps needs to stop messing around with his doomed Tory leadership bid and get back to focusing on resolving this dispute.”

Any strikes are likely to be coordinated across the rail network.

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators, said: “We want to see rail unions engage with train operators over the reforms needed to secure a bright long-term future for the industry, including working with Aslef to deliver the more punctual, reliable services we know passengers care about.

“Instead of causing further disruption to passengers and businesses, we urge the Aslef leadership to continue talks.”

The Independent has also asked Network Rail for a response.

The news of the Aslef votes emerged shortly after train drivers working for ScotRail voted to accept the improved offer from the train operator which included a 5 per cent increase in basic pay as well as additional improvements to other terms and conditions.

Services in Scotland have been much reduced for weeks as drivers chose not to work overtime.