New rail strikes planned for December as members of the Aslef union prepare to go on strike.

Train drivers who are part of the Aslef union will go on strike in different regions starting from December 2nd to December 8th.

Instead of a complete nationwide strike, there will be scattered cancellations throughout Britain over the course of the week as train drivers from different operators go on strike.

On every day except for Monday, December 4th, a specific region of the country will be singled out in order to create the greatest disturbance possible.

Furthermore, there will be additional cancellations from December 1st to 9th due to a nine-day overtime ban.

Aslef is requesting an increase for train drivers who have not received a salary raise in four and a half years, without any conditions attached.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) represents the train operators in negotiations, overseen by ministers who will approve any agreement. They require any salary increase to be dependent on updating work methods.

A previous proposal from the RMT, made in April, was dismissed by the union leaders without being brought to a vote.

Aslef has announced the following pattern:

According to Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, the goal is to resolve this conflict and secure a substantial salary increase for train operators who have not received a raise since 2019 despite the significant rise in living expenses during that period.

He alleged that the transportation secretary, Mark Harper, was absent during this conflict.

According to Mr Whelan, the opinions of our members have been expressed and we are aware of their stance. Through their votes, which have been predominantly in favor, it is evident that they are not satisfied with the pay increase proposal given in April.

“The proposal from RDG was an attempt to take over all of our terms and conditions, knowing that it would not be accepted.”

Since the start of the nationwide protests in the summer of 2022, train operators who are members of Aslef have gone on strike a total of 14 times before.

According to a representative from the Rail Delivery Group, the strike initiated by the Aslef leadership is completely unnecessary and will unfortunately cause inconvenience for customers and businesses during the crucial holiday season.

The industry has put forth a reasonable and affordable proposal that would increase the average driver’s base salary for a four-day week from £60,000 to almost £65,000. This offer is still available for consideration.

“We implore the Aslef leaders to present this proposal to their members, allowing for a return to normal for our passengers during the Christmas season, and putting an end to this detrimental labor conflict.”

A representative from the Department for Transport expressed disappointment at Aslef’s decision to target the general public and businesses in the hospitality industry during the start of the holiday season.

During the pandemic, each household paid £1,000 in taxes to support train drivers’ employment. Rather than going on strike, Aslef should consider taking the same approach as other rail unions by allowing their members to vote on the equitable compensation agreement.

The RMT, the primary rail labor union, is voting on a salary proposal that includes a 5% pay increase without any conditions, followed by discussions at the local level.

Neither ScotRail nor Transport for Wales is a party to either of the disputes.

Source: independent.co.uk