Over 40,000 members of the Rail, Shipping and Transport (RMT) Union are expected to strike on 18 and 20 August. They are employed by Network Rail and 14 train operating companies and are protesting about job security, pay and working conditions. Aslef, who represents the drivers, will walk out on Saturday July 30 in a row over their pay. Members at eight companies – Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains – will take part in the strike. The holiday, which comes during the busy summer holidays, is expected to affect sports fans watching the Commonwealth Games, which start in Birmingham on July 28, and the opening weekend of the English Football League. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said on Thursday night: “The rail industry and the government need to understand that this dispute will not just go away. “Network Rail’s recent proposals have been very low in terms of pay and safety around maintenance work. “And the train operating companies didn’t even make us a pay offer in the recent negotiations.” Strikes by Aslef members in July will come less than 48 hours after RMT action, meaning massive disruption throughout the week. With the RMT departing on July 27 and in the early hours of July 28, chaos is expected over the next 24 hours. Grant Shapps, the Secretary of Transportation, blasted Ashlef for refusing to try to hammer out a pay deal. He said: “It is incredibly disappointing that, just three days after their ballots closed, Aslef bosses have already opted for destructive strike action, rather than engaging in constructive talks. “Not only that, but by cynically orchestrating strike dates with the Commonwealth Games, it’s clear that union bosses are determined to cause as much misery as possible and derail an event the whole country is waiting for.” Drivers are pushing for a wage increase that will keep pay in line with inflation, which is currently running at a 40-year high of 9.1 percent. Mr Shapps said: “Drivers such as those represented by Aslef earn, on average, just under £60,000 – more than double the UK average and significantly more than the workers themselves who will be affected more than these strikes, despite the fact that £600 will be raised. per household to keep the railway running throughout the pandemic.” Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: “We don’t want to go on strike – strikes are the result of a failure to negotiate – and this union, since I was elected GS in 2011, has only ever gone on strike, until this year, for a handful of days. “We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – not least because our friends and families also use public transport, and we believe in building trust in rail in Britain – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike. “But we have been forced into this position by the train companies, led by the Tory government. The drivers at the companies we are striking at have had a real pay cut for the past three years – since April 2019.” Typically train operators run a ‘Sunday service’ – equivalent to 60% of a normal weekday – the day after a strike. The RMT announced its latest strike dates on Wednesday. They came after the union let only one in five trains run during three days of action last month. The Aslef strike is expected to leave only one in 10 services operating. The Telegraph reported that train operators are preparing for strikes by different unions to get closer to each other, causing maximum damage to passengers or holidaymakers.
