Train drivers’ union Aslef said the one-day strike on July 30 was the result of rail companies failing to make a pay offer in line with the rising cost of living. The action will be the first taken by drivers collectively since 1995 and will be the latest disruption to the rail network. A strike last month by RMT unionists targeted staff at Network Rail, Britain’s rail infrastructure provider, and more than a dozen train operators. It has brought the network to a standstill and industry executives fear the drivers’ strike could be more disruptive for the affected lines, as there are very few alternatives to replacing striking drivers, other than a relatively small group of managers who are also trained drivers. Along with a strike on July 27, which the RMT announced on Wednesday after rejecting an “insignificant” pay offer and vowing to continue strikes “as long as necessary”, Aslef’s action will coincide with the start of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on July 28, threatening to hit attendance. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said Ashlef was “cynically orchestrating” strike dates to coincide with the games, with union bosses “determined to cause as much misery as possible”. He added that train drivers earn an average of just under £60,000 a year, more than double the national average. The RMT on Thursday night announced two more days of strike action by its members for next month — on August 18 and 20 — at 14 train operating companies. Aslef 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 walkout. Drivers at individual train operators have gone on strike recently, but Aslef’s move is a concerted move that could cause disruption across the country. “We don’t want to inconvenience passengers, especially because our friends and families use public transport,” said Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan. “We believe in building confidence in rail in Britain — and we don’t want to lose money through strike action.

“But we have been forced into this position by the train companies, led by the Tory government. Drivers at the companies where we are striking have had pay cuts in real terms for the past three years,” he added. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said after announcing his union’s two new strike dates that the rail industry and government needed to understand that the dispute over pay, job security and working conditions would not just go away . “Now that Grand Sapps has given up his hopes for the prime ministership, he can go back to his day job and help sort out this mess,” he said. Other unions are also consulting on further walkouts. TSSA, which largely represents managers and supervisors, has voted for 10 train and rail operators. Within days he is expected to announce strike dates.

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