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Next month, a series of rolling walk-outs will mark the 22nd month of national rail strikes led by train drivers.
Workers from the Aslef labor union intend to stop numerous trains on April 5, 6, and 8. The goal is to interfere with operations of the 14 railway companies in England that are managed by the UK government and overseen by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
Furthermore, implementing five days of overtime restrictions will result in additional cancellations.
Previously on strike, Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, was present.
The recent nationwide strike carried out by train operators, which included a prohibition on overtime and staggered regional walkouts, lasted from January 29th to February 6th, lasting a total of nine days.
The objective of implementing these recurring work stoppages and prohibiting work on rest days is to create the most chaos with the least financial impact.
In July 2022, a labor strike led by Aslef started due to a disagreement about pay and working conditions. The union is asking for a pay raise without any conditions, but railway companies, under the direction of government officials, insist that any salary increase must be accompanied by significant changes to work practices in order to decrease the need for public funding.
Throughout the disagreement, a significant amount of trips have been terminated, resulting in a significant economic loss for the UK. This has particularly affected hospitality businesses. Taxpayers are now providing additional funds to support the deteriorating and undependable railway, amounting to £90 per second in addition to the usual subsidy.
The dispute has grown more hostile, showing no indication of resolving.
The most recent strikes will accompany two prior days of protests by Aslef employees who operate trains for the London Underground.
The primary goal of the upcoming industrial strike is to heavily disrupt operations in the capital on April 8th, with the cancellation of a large portion of Tube and commuter train services.
Stuck in the midst of an ongoing and difficult argument: the traveler. According to a quick survey on social media by The Independent, out of 2,142 replies, one-third of passengers indicate that they will decrease their travel permanently once the strike comes to a conclusion.
This is a list of important questions and their corresponding answers.
What companies are included in the railway?
Aslef is currently involved in a disagreement with the 14 train companies that have been hired by the British government to supply rail services. The companies are:
Intercity operators:
Avanti West Coast
CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
Great Western Railway (GWR)
LNER
TransPennine Express
Commuter operators in the southeast region of England.
C2C
Greater Anglia
GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)
Southeastern
South Western Railway (including the Island Line on the Isle of Wight)
The focus of operators is on the Midlands and northern regions of England.
Chiltern Railways
Northern Trains
West Midlands Railway (including London Northwestern Railway)
Which train companies are not included?
Railway companies such as ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Transport for London (which operates the Elizabeth line), Merseyrail, and open-access operators like Grand Central, Hull Trains, and Lumo may experience overcrowding during labor strikes due to the duplication of routes, such as Lumo’s journey from Edinburgh to London via Newcastle.
When will the train operators go on strike?
Members of the Aslef union who are drivers will engage in strike action according to the following schedule:
Friday 5 April
Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains and CrossCountry. The aim is to cause maximum disruption on key intercity lines as well as Midland commuter services.
Saturday 6 April
The train companies affected by this strike include Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Trains. The purpose of the strike is to impact passengers traveling in the northern and western regions of England, as well as those attending football games on the same day. One Premier League match that will be affected is the Newcastle-Fulham game in London.
Monday 8 April
These train companies – C2C, Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, and South Western Railway – will be greatly affected by the Aslef strike on the London Underground. This will have a significant impact on London, as nearly all Tube services will be suspended.
What are the anticipated outcomes for each operator?
Based on past experiences, these are the probable service patterns.
Friday 5 April
All train operators, including Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, and CrossCountry, are expected to suspend all train services.
Saturday 6 April
It is probable that Chiltern, Northern, and TransPennine Trains will cancel all of their services.
GWR and LNER will operate a limited service on their main routes between 7am and 7pm.
GWR will operate trains every hour on the route between London and Bristol Temple Meads, with a connection from Bristol to Cardiff and additional routes to branches.
The LNER service will operate on its primary route of Edinburgh-Newcastle-York-London every hour, with a few extra trains on the southern section of the network.
Monday 8 April
Possible rewording: C2C, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink, and Southeastern are expected to suspend all operations.
Greater Anglia will operate trains between London Liverpool Street and Stansted airport, Southend, Colchester, Ipswich, and Norwich.
The Southern company will provide a shuttle transportation service between London Victoria and Gatwick airport.
The South Western Railway service will operate on the route connecting London Waterloo, Woking, and Guildford, and may also include some additional suburban services.
What about the prohibition on working overtime?
During the dates of Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 April and Monday 8 to Tuesday 9 April, members will decline to work their scheduled days off. Due to the reliance of rail companies on drivers working extra hours, it is likely that hundreds, if not thousands, of trains will not be operating.
What is being risked?
The train conductors are requesting an increase in salary to account for the significant inflation rates that have occurred since their last pay raise. According to Aslef, certain members have not received a raise in the past five years.
However, the government maintains that any salary increase, no matter how small, is dependent on significant modifications to established employment agreements in order to decrease expenses. This includes addressing the substantial funding provided by taxpayers to the railway.
Due to the pandemic, travel habits have shifted. The income from tickets has decreased by approximately 20% compared to pre-Covid times. The Treasury and Department for Transport will approve any agreement as taxpayers will ultimately cover the cost of the train drivers’ salary increase.
The government officials think that train operators’ agreements and policies are contributing to the issue. In order to reduce expenses, they must agree to modifications in their job requirements, such as treating Sundays as a regular work day nationwide.
On April 27, 2023, the Rail Delivery Group proposed a pay raise of 4% per year for the years 2022 and 2023. However, this offer is contingent upon certain modifications to terms and conditions, encompassing driver training, Sunday shifts, sick leave, and updated technology.
The union has expressed that this is entirely unacceptable. The train operators are willing to discuss adjustments, but only if they receive a fair and unconditional raise in addition to their current salary.
They believe the money will be found to meet their demands, as it always has been in the past. Aslef has also always “sold” reforms to working arrangements for an extra few per cent on their pay and does intend to change that process.
Unfortunately, the lack of trust in travelers persists as none of them can make travel arrangements beyond a two-week period due to the union’s requirement for a minimum notice of industrial action.
What is the statement of the union?
The secretary of Aslef, Mick Whelan, stated that the members have voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action once again. These votes demonstrate a continued refusal by train drivers to accept the unreasonable offer presented by the Rail Delivery Group in April of last year. The Group was aware that this offer would be rejected as it attempted to take away the terms and conditions that have been negotiated over the years, a move that would not be accepted by our members.
In the past, train operators have consistently voted to take action in order to receive higher pay. Therefore, the statement made by the transportation secretary, Mark Harper, claiming that the offer should have been presented to members is deceptive. The fact that train drivers repeatedly voted for industrial action shows that they do not believe the offer to be satisfactory. In April of last year, it was clear that the offer was not acceptable and Mr. Harper is aware of this.
“We requested a meeting with Mr. Harper, or his representative, Huw Merriman, the rail minister. We also invited the RDG and the TOCs to join us for discussion. We suggested coming together to negotiate in order to prevent further industrial action and avoid disruption on the rail network. However, due to the lack of cooperation from the Tories and TOCs, we have been left with no alternative.”
“We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table but it is now clear they do not want to resolve this dispute. They are happy for it go on and on. Because we are not going to give up.
“Several members have not received a pay raise in five years.”
What are the statements made by the employers and government?
In an interview with The Independent, rail minister Huw Merriman stated that a just and practical proposal is available for Aslef, as long as they present it to their members. According to Merriman, train drivers currently earn an average of £60,000 for a 35-hour workweek spread over four days. If accepted, the new pay agreement would increase their salary to £65,000.
A representative from Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train companies, stated: “It is unfortunate when strikes disrupt the lives and jobs of individuals, and we are dedicated to reducing any inconveniences for our passengers.”
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“We seek to resolve this conflict, however, the Aslef leaders must acknowledge that financially strained taxpayers are still shouldering an additional £54 million per week to sustain post-Covid operations.”
We are still attempting to reach a deal with the Aslef leaders and are willing to engage in discussions to resolve this disagreement.
What is the stance of the Labour Party?
Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said: “It is a staggering dereliction of duty that the transport secretary hasn’t got around the table with the unions to try to resolve it since the Christmas before last.
“Labor will openly adopt a contrasting strategy from the Tories and collaborate with all parties in order to secure a favorable agreement for both passengers and workers. If the transport minister were to adopt this reasonable method, we may not still be facing strikes on our rail system.”
What is the total cost of all the disruption?
The RDG reports that the rail industry incurred approximately £775m in lost revenue due to industrial action between June 2022 and mid-January 2024. This amount does not factor in the impact of the latest strikes and overtime restrictions, which likely added an additional £100m in losses.
According to UKHospitality, the amount of lost revenue in the food, beverage, and lodging industry is approximately £5 billion. Kate Nicholls, the chief executive, states that the continued strikes negatively impact businesses, hinder people’s ability to commute to work, and greatly reduce trust in the railway system.
Furthermore, there is an impossible to determine decrease in income due to passengers changing their daily habits or opting for different modes of transportation; companies foregoing physical trips and utilizing virtual means of communication; and individuals reducing their travel plans due to uncertainty.
Can you provide an update on the legislation regarding minimum service standards?
The new law empowers the transportation secretary to set minimum levels of service (MLSs) on days when there is a strike, equivalent to 40% of the standard service. The goal of the government’s Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act of 2023 is to guarantee that the public can still use essential services during a strike.
The train company is not trying to enforce a new law onto the union for train drivers. LNER had considered doing so at the beginning of the year and began to discuss it with the union. Aslef quickly responded by scheduling a five-day strike solely for LNER. However, the train company later announced that they would not make drivers work and the strike was cancelled.
The Transport Select Committee has previously expressed concern about potential negative outcomes resulting from this law. Iain Stewart, the chair of the Conservative party, stated that there is a possibility that MSLs (Multiservice League) may harm relationships between workers and employers, ultimately leading to a decrease in service reliability.
The minimum service level regulations do not pertain to union restrictions on working on non-contractual rest days – therefore, there would not be any advantage to enforcing the law during an overtime ban.
What is the conflict surrounding the Tube?
Aslef members who are train drivers for the London Underground plan to go on strike on April 8th and May 4th, causing a major disruption on almost all Tube lines.
Finn Brennan, Aslef’s full-time organiser for the Tube, blamed the employer for wanting to impose changes to working arrangements, saying: “They want drivers to work longer shifts, spending up to 25 per cent more time in the cab, and to remove all current working agreements in the name of ‘flexibility and efficiency’.”
A Transport for London spokesperson said: “We have been in long-term discussions with our trade union colleagues on how to modernise procedures and processes on London Underground to improve the experience both for staff and customers.
“We do not have any intentions to enforce these modifications and have made a pledge to ensure that no one will be laid off due to these changes. We have also consulted with our unions to show that our unwavering dedication to safety on the Tube network will not be compromised.”
“We are urging Aslef to engage in further discussions with us in order to avoid any disruptions for the residents of London.”
Source: independent.co.uk
