Train passengers across the country are facing widespread unhappiness and inconvenience as new strikes have been announced.

Nationwide rail strikes have entered their third year, with a series of “rolling” walk-outs planned to disrupt the journeys of millions of passengers across England in late January and early February.

As part of a planned strike by Aslef members, train operators will cease working in different regions throughout a week, starting on Tuesday 30 January and ending on Monday 5 February. This could result in the cancellation of numerous train services daily.

The impact will be intensified by a nine-day prohibition on working overtime from January 29th to February 6th.

The strikes have been planned to create significant disturbance for a prolonged period, while train operators will only lose one day’s worth of pay. This is similar to the ongoing industrial action that occurred at the beginning of December 2023. The timetable is as follows:

Monday 29 January is expected to be the most disruptive due to the large number of passengers affected. This will primarily impact commuters in southeast England who rely on the affected train operators.

Passengers traveling between cities will face the most disruption on Friday, February 2 and Saturday, February 3. The primary train companies on the East Coast and West Coast main lines, as well as the Midland mainline, will experience delays.

There will likely be significant disruption on Sunday, February 4th due to the prohibition of working on rest days.

According to Aslef, no train company has a sufficient number of drivers to fulfill their promise of providing reliable service to passengers and businesses without requiring drivers to work on their scheduled days off.

ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Transport for London (including the Elizabeth Line), Merseyrail and “open-access” operators like Grand Central, Hull Trains, and Lumo are not included in this.

The effects may be reduced if the transport secretary, Mark Harper, uses new legislation to impose “minimum service levels” (MSLs).

According to the Department for Transport (DfT), the minimum service level during the strike will be to offer train operations for 40% of the scheduled services.

However, the Transport Select Committee has cautioned against potential hazards.

The Conservative chair of the committee, Iain Stewart, said last month: “The government has signalled its intention to implement MSLs as soon as possible.

MSLs have the potential to harm the relationship between workers and employers, which could ultimately lead to less reliable services.

Since the summer of 2022, the union representing train drivers has been in disagreement with 14 train companies, including major commuter and intercity operators.

Aslef is requesting a pay raise without any conditions, followed by discussions at the local level to update work methods – which will come with an extra cost for the employers.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, states that a small salary increase is dependent on implementing significant changes.

The DfT will approve any agreement and taxpayers will cover the expenses. Ticket sales have decreased by 20% compared to before Covid. The government reports that the subsidy for keeping the railway in operation is now £17,600 per minute, which is £5,300 more than before the pandemic.

The union has not held discussions with Mr Harper since 2022, the rail minister Huw Merriman since January 2023, or the employers since April 2023.

The general secretary of Aslef, Mick Whelan, stated that the government has been given multiple chances to engage in negotiations, but it has been a year since the Department for Transport has reached out. It is evident that they are not interested in finding a resolution to this conflict.

A majority of our members have not received a salary increase for five years, despite the significant rise in inflation and the subsequent increase in living expenses.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, train drivers did not request a raise despite working as essential workers and putting their lives at risk to enable NHS and other employees to commute.

The government has once again attempted to use their usual tactic of altering regulations when they are unable to succeed, and has implemented legislation for minimum service levels. However, as we warned during the consultation phase, this new law is unlikely to alleviate labor disputes and may even exacerbate them.

There is no justification. Both the government and train operators must present a practical proposal to resolve this conflict and collaborate to secure the future of our rail system.

A representative from Rail Delivery Group stated that strikes have negative effects on both individuals and their means of living. It is challenging to justify these strikes, especially when taxpayers are already contributing an additional £54m per week to support post-Covid services.

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Even though the railway is facing a significant financial burden, drivers have been presented with an opportunity to increase their base salaries to almost £65,000 for a four-day work week without any additional pay for overtime. This amount is considerably higher than the national average and much more than what many of our passengers, who are unable to work remotely, earn.

We urge the Aslef leadership to collaborate with us in finding a solution to this conflict instead of instigating further harmful industrial action. Our goal is to reach a fair agreement that benefits our employees and implements necessary improvements for better service reliability.

A representative from the Department for Transport expressed disappointment at Aslef’s ongoing focus on disrupting the travel of those commuting to work, school, or important medical appointments via train.

“Aslf is now the only rail union that is continuing to strike while refusing to put a fair and reasonable offer to its members. The offer that remains on the table and would bring the average train driver’s salary up to £65,000.

Instead of making decisions for them, the Aslef leaders should allow their members to determine their own future.

Source: independent.co.uk