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On Sunday, many railway travelers will experience disorder. There are no official strikes, but instead a temporary break in the ongoing train driver walkouts. However, their overtime restriction remains in place, leading to the cancellation of numerous trains.
Many areas of the country will not have train service as West Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, and Chiltern Railways have cancelled all of their trains.
Furthermore, major intercity connections such as those between London and Bristol, Cardiff, and Cambridge will be unavailable for passenger use, and numerous other railway lines will also experience disruptions.
Below, we examine the main inquiries and responses leading up to the day of disrupted travel.
Can you please notify me about the current railway strike?
Some train travelers may perceive the strikes as never-ending. However, it should be noted that the first nationwide rail strikes since the 1980s started in the summer of 2022.
The RMT, the primary rail union, has halted their strike efforts for the time being. However, Aslef, a smaller but influential union for train drivers, remains at odds with the 14 English rail companies under government control.
Since the disagreement started, Aslef has organized frequent work stoppages and restrictions on working during rest days. Currently, train operators are in the midst of a nine-day period of protests, which includes a ban on overtime and “rolling” strikes in different regions.
This past Saturday, passengers on the West Coast main line and East Midlands network were affected. Tomorrow, it will be the West of England and CrossCountry routes’ turn.
What makes this time unique?
This is only the second instance in the past 19 months where train drivers, represented by Aslef, have included Sundays in their ban on working on rest days. Due to a shortage of train drivers, many rail companies are forced to cancel services on other days of the week due to the ban on overtime work.
According to Aslef, train operators do not have a sufficient number of drivers to fulfill their promises of service to passengers and businesses, without requiring drivers to work on their days off.
The impact of prohibiting overtime on Sunday for services will be significant. While employees in most forms of public transportation, such as buses and airplanes, may be obligated to work on any day of the week, Sunday is typically considered a day of rest for many railway workers. Train drivers who do not have Sunday included in their work schedule are within their rights to opt out of working. This will result in a significant portion of the country being without railway services, with the regions of the Midlands and the West of England being especially affected.
Do rail companies typically count on train operators working extra hours to cover Sundays during regular times?
There are certain areas in the country where this is true. This applies not only to train operators, but also to other employees working on the railways. It should be noted that within the same railway company, the regulations for working on Sundays may differ. For example, employees of Northern Trains who work on the west side of the Pennines do not have Sunday as part of their working week, whereas those on the east side are required to work on Sundays if instructed.
Only recently hired train operators on the Great Western line are obligated to work any day of the week. Those who have been with the company for more than seven years have the option to work on Sundays or not.
Can you provide an update on the legislation regarding Minimum Service Levels?
Even if one or more of the train operators had decided to impose “Minimum Service Levels” as the law now allows them to do, it would make no difference – because the new rules can’t force people to work on their days off.
Where can the main issues on Sundays be found?
All trains on Chiltern Railways, which links London to Oxford and Birmingham, will be cancelled throughout its entire network. This also applies to West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway. As a result, numerous stations will have no train service, including all stations on the route between London Euston and Rugby, except for Watford Junction and Milton Keynes stations.
On a day with industrial action, Great Western will not be providing train service from London to Bristol. Trains from London will only reach Swindon, resulting in a lack of connection between London and Cardiff.
The Great Northern railway has released a warning to avoid traveling on certain routes, which include the London to Cambridge and King’s Lynn lines. Additionally, C2C, which serves southern Essex, has stated that their service will be significantly reduced.
Additionally, there is a prohibition on working on rest days and scheduled engineering tasks on the West Coast main line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, as well as on the East Coast main line between London King’s Cross and Stevenage.
The train service connecting the capital and the Sussex airport, known as the Gatwick Express, is currently not operating due to an overtime ban. Similarly, the Night Riviera sleeper train between London Paddington and Penzance is also suspended.
What is the underlying cause of the disagreement?
Due to the pandemic, the way people travel has shifted. Revenue from ticket sales has decreased by approximately 20% compared to before Covid. The government reports that the current public subsidy for maintaining the railway is over £17,000 per minute, which is a 43% increase from the typical subsidy. As taxpayers will ultimately cover the cost of train drivers’ salary increases, the Department for Transport will have final approval on any agreements. Government officials see the terms and conditions for train drivers as a contributing factor to the issue.
In order to reduce expenses, they must be willing to adapt their work practices, including working on Sundays. The union strongly opposes this suggestion. The train drivers are willing to discuss these changes, but only after receiving a fair wage increase without any additional conditions, on top of their current average annual salary of £60,000. They have always accepted changes to their work schedule in exchange for a small percentage increase in pay, and they have no plans to deviate from this practice. Caught in the middle are the passengers.
What are the opposing sides stating?
The Independent was informed by Huw Merriman, the rail minister, that a fair and reasonable proposal has been presented to Aslef and it is up to them to present it to their members. The average salary for train drivers is £60,000 for a four-day work week of 35 hours. If the proposed pay agreement is accepted, their salary would increase to £65,000.
Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, believes that the proposed deal is inadequate and cannot be presented to the members. Some members have not received a salary increase in five years. Whelan says that government officials have been unwilling to communicate with the union for over a year. In an interview with The Independent, he stated that while any form of industrial action is harmful, the lack of response from the government and train companies after 18 months of strike has forced them to draw attention to their concerns.
An individual with knowledge of the rail industry stated that Aslef’s decision on Sunday could potentially backfire on the union, as it brings attention to the restrictive agreements that government officials aim to revamp.
The erosion of trust among travelers persists, as rail passengers are unable to schedule trips more than two weeks in advance due to the union’s requirement of a minimum two-week notice for any potential strikes.
Source: independent.co.uk
