On February 1 and 3, train drivers will go on strike after union leaders rejected a salary offer from rail firms.
To end a protracted disagreement over wages and working conditions. Drivers were promised a 4% raise for two consecutive years earlier this month.
However, the compensation agreement rested on several adjustments to working standards.
Aslef stated that the idea was “not and could never be acceptable”. But its general secretary Mick Whelan stated that the union was willing to engage in additional discussions.
“Not only is the offer a pay loss in real terms, with inflation exceeding 10%. But it also came with so many stipulations that it was unacceptable. “They want to change our terms and conditions in exchange for a pay drop in real terms,” he stated.
The two new strike dates will impact fifteen railroads. Six times in the past, the union has taken action. Causing severe service disruptions and leaving certain operators unable to run any trains.
In recent months, other train workers, such as guards and signaling staff in the RMT union, have gone on strike, preceding the latest wave of walkouts by drivers.
Signaling staff in the RMT union
The offer, the first in the dispute to be offered by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents railway companies, would have provided drivers with a 4% retroactive pay raise for 2022 and a 4% boost for this year.
According to the RDG, the agreement would have increased the average annual income of a driver from £60,000 to £65,000 by the end of 2023. Ten years ago, the value was £44,985
In response to Aslef’s rejection, the RDG expressed disappointment that its “fair and economical offer” was not presented to the union’s members.
A spokeswoman added, “With taxpayers still paying up to an additional £175 million per month to make up the gap in revenue post-Covid, it gave a considerable salary increase for train drivers and implemented long-overdue reforms that would result in more reliable services for passengers.”
The group encouraged Aslef to “acknowledge the very real financial problem facing the industry and collaborate with us to build a better railway with a strong long-term future.
Mr. Whelan of Aslef, however, stated that the offer was “hurried” and not intended to be accepted.
“Our members at these companies have not received a raise since 2019, despite growing inflation. And it is time for the companies – possibly with government encouragement – to sit down with us and get serious.”
“This is the only way to resolve this disagreement”
The Department of Transport described Aslef’s rejection as “very disheartening”. And stated that passengers had “taken the brunt of these costly strikes for far too long.”
A spokeswoman stated, “The government has done its part and promoted dialogue.”
“We ask Aslef to play its role, call off the strikes, and consider this fair and reasonable offer to members. Which would see train drivers receive a pay increase in line with the private sector without fueling inflation so that we can bring an end to this conflict,”
