Today, rail service will be interrupted in several places due to new walkouts.
Aslef will strike Wednesday and June 3, the day of the FA Cup Final, while RMT will strike Friday.
Aslef stated that there was “no waning enthusiasm” in the protracted dispute over wages and working conditions.
The government stated that the coordinated strikes were intended to disrupt key events.
15 train companies will strike on Wednesday, delaying and accelerating services to 07:30 and 06:30.
About 40% of trains will run, but regional differences and some operators won’t.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, stated that train drivers were “committed to finding a solution and staying in this for the long haul.”
However, he stated that “zero” progress had been made in negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Which represents train operators, and accused the government of deceit.
We negotiate in good faith, but the RDG offers us accords they know will fail, which we cannot accept.
After four years without a pay increase, my members feel entitled to one, especially during this cost-of-living crisis.
Train disruptions will impact the FA Cup.
During the RMT strike on Friday, approximately 50 percent of normal services will continue to operate.
On Saturday, Aslef drivers will disrupt the Epsom Derby and the first Manchester-only FA Cup final at Wembley.
Evening services on some lines are likely to be disrupted on the days preceding each strike, so passengers are advised to verify the last train times on the evenings preceding strikes and the mornings after them.
Aslef and the RMT have not received a salary proposal they can endorse to their members.
Unions say wages haven’t kept pace with the greatest cost of living increase in almost four decades.
Mr. Whelan denied that this weekend’s strikes were coordinated with significant events, stating that “there is never a day in this country without a pop concert or something happening.”
A spokesperson for the RDG, however, stated that the walkouts would cause “disappointment and frustration for tens of thousands of people” and inconvenience families traveling during the half-term break.
The Department of Transport official noted that union members must go unpaid while they strike.
They added, “Now that the government has facilitated a fair and reasonable pay offer, union leaders must do the right thing and present it to their members.”
