Rain drivers at eight rail companies have voted to strike in a pay dispute, their union Aslef said on Monday. London Overground, LNER, Southeastern and Great Western are among the companies affected by the industrial action. Dates for industrial action are yet to be decided. The move increases the threat of massive disruption to rail services this summer and is another blow to London commuters and businesses hit with severe disruption when a series of national strikes took place in June. The new industrial action could have an even bigger impact than during last month’s strikes by 40,000 RMT workers, according to reports. The strike will halt services on the following train companies: Chiltern, GWR, LNER, London Overground, Northern, Southeastern, TransPennine and West Midlands.
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Aslef members voted about 9-1 in favor of strikes in a turnout of over 80%. Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: “Strikes are always a last resort. We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families also use public transport – and we don’t want to lose money by striking but we have forced into this position by government-led companies. “Many of our members – who were the men and women who moved essential workers and goods across the country during the pandemic – have not had a pay rise since 2019. “With inflation running north of 10%, this means these drivers have had a real pay cut over the last three years. “We want an increase in line with the cost of living – we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021. “It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row. “Especially as the train companies are doing very well, thank you, outside of British Rail, with big profits, dividends for shareholders and big salaries for directors.” Meanwhile hundreds of TSSA members in Southeastern voted for industrial action. The dispute with the train operator is over pay, job security and conditions. TSSA has not yet set dates for any action and is consulting with union representatives. Union General Secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Well done to all our Southeastern members who took part in these polls. This is an excellent result for our union and comes hard on the heels of similar votes in a number of other train operating companies, with the results currently being awaited by Network Rail members. “The results show that our members are absolutely determined to fight for their pay, jobs and conditions. They are right to do so in the midst of the Tories’ escalating cost of living crisis and a chaotic government hellbent on making deep cuts to our rail network while inflation runs rampant. “It would be unwise for any rail company to ignore the feelings of our members. We will be speaking to our Workplace Representatives shortly to consider next steps over the next few days. “If ministers had any sense they would come to the table and sort this out, so we have a fair settlement for the workers who have been hailed as heroes in the pandemic.”
