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Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said on Friday its members had voted overwhelmingly to extend industrial action for another six months ahead of a week of “rolling” strikes across the UK rail network.
The prospect of further widespread disruption for rail passengers comes a day after the country’s other main railway union, the RMT, called off its 18-month dispute after its members backed a new pay deal.
But Mick Whelan, general secretary of the Aslef drivers union, said the renewed mandate for industrial actions over their pay dispute with train operators showed that his members were “in this for the long haul”.
He added: “Our members, who have not had a pay rise for nearly five years now, are determined that the train companies, and the Tory government that stands behind them, do the right thing.”
The result of the vote came as train drivers launched further industrial action beginning with a nine-day overtime ban on Friday along with a rolling six-day strike that will target different operators on each day.
The walkouts start on Saturday and, with the exception of Monday, run until next Friday, targeting operators as follows:
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East Midlands Railway and LNER on Saturday December 2
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Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, Great Northern, Thameslink and West Midlands Trains on Sunday December 3
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C2C and Greater Anglia on Tuesday December 5
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Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway mainline and Island Line on Wednesday December 6
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CrossCountry and GWR on Thursday December 7
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Northern and TransPennine Express on Friday December 8
The strikes are a continuation of a wave of public sector industrial action that began in the rail sector last summer before spreading across the NHS, schools and scores of government agencies.
While many of these disputes have been resolved, rail industry bosses are pessimistic that a deal with Aslef is possible, with the two sides still far apart.
Whelan said he had not met train companies since April, or the government, which controls the industry’s finances, since January.
Aslef in April rejected an offer of an 8 per cent pay rise over two years, tied to major changes to drivers’ working practices. Whelan said his members were seeking a pay rise “with no strings attached” but the union has not put a figure on what it would accept.
Industry bosses and the government insist reforms are critical to help repair the industry’s finances, which have not recovered from the pandemic, and cut the amount of state subsidy.
According to industry data released earlier this week, passenger revenues in the 12 months to the end of March were £8.6bn and state subsidies totalled £11.9bn, compared with £12bn and £7.4bn respectively in the year before Covid hit.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, said its pay and reform offer was still on the table, and said it was looking for “a fair agreement which will get more trains running on time and put the railway on a sustainable footing”.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said Aslef should “follow the RMT’s lead and give their members a say”.
On Thursday, members of the RMT accepted an offer of a deal that included a backdated pay rise of 5 per cent for the 2022-23 financial year and job security guarantees.
But the deal with the RMT has pushed difficult talks between unions and industry over modernisation into next year with negotiations due to be held at a local level with individual train operators.