On Tuesday, the commencement of a series of rolling 24-hour Rail strikes by drivers is set to cause significant disruptions to commuter trains in southeast England. The Aslef union, representing drivers, is orchestrating the strikes at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink, and South Western Railway, citing an ongoing pay dispute as the catalyst.
South Western Railway will operate a severely limited service into London Waterloo, concluding early in the evening. With the exception of limited airport shuttles and a Cambridge-bound train, other operators’ networks will experience a complete cessation of train services. On Monday, operators across England enforced an overtime ban, and people anticipate it to result in extra short-notice cancellations and more extensive disruptions, specifically affecting services that rely on rest day working, such as Chiltern and TransPennine Express.
Five years without a pay increase
Aslef has emphasized that some drivers have endured nearly five years without a pay increase, asserting that the Rail strikes will persist until they initiate negotiations for a resolution. Despite urging from the government for train operators to employ new powers to sustain 40% of their regular timetable, only LNER, one of the three state-run operators, attempted to compel drivers to work. However, they later rescinded this decision after Aslef announced five additional days of strikes.
Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, conveyed in an interview with The Guardian ahead of this week’s industrial action that they have no option but to pursue strikes. He stressed the urgency of addressing the pay dispute, with some drivers facing a five-year span without a pay deal by February. Whelan stated, “[Strikes] will keep raising the profile of our dispute until somebody comes to the table to resolve it with us. I’d happily go back into talks tomorrow to find a way forward.”
LNER and Greater Anglia anticipate providing limited services, while C2C will experience no trains running during strikes on Friday. Saturday will witness strikes across West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, and East Midlands Railway, causing a total halt in operations. The overtime ban will lead to reduced timetables on Sunday, a scheduled rest day relying on voluntary overtime from drivers at various operators.
