by Nationwide rail strikes have entered their third year, with a series of “rolling” walkouts planned to disrupt journeys for millions of passengers across England in late January and early February.
Train drivers owned by Aslef will stop work by region over a period of one week between Tuesday 30 January and Monday 5 February. Thousands of trains are likely to be canceled every day.
The effect will be increased by a nine-day ban on overtime which runs from 29 January to 6 February.
The strikes are designed to cause maximum disruption over a long period, but train drivers only lose one day’s pay. It is equivalent to rolling industrial activity at the beginning of December 2023. The schedule is:
-
Monday 29 January: ban on overtime begins.
-
Tuesday 30 January: strikes on South Western, South Eastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern and Thameslink.
-
Wednesday 31 January: strikes on Northern and TransPennine Express.
-
Thursday 1 February: no strike but ban on overtime continues.
-
Friday 2 February: strikes on Greater Anglia, C2C and LNER.
-
Saturday 3 February: strikes on West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway.
-
Sunday 4 February: no strike but ban on overtime continues.
-
Monday 5 February: strikes on Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern.
-
Tuesday 6 February: no strike but ban on overtime continues for final day.
In terms of the number of passengers affected, Monday 29 January would be the most affected. It is aimed at commuters in the south east of England, most of whom use the train operators in question.
The impact on Intercity travelers will be worst on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 February, when the main operators on the main East Coast and West Coast lines, as well as the main Midland line, will be hit.
It is also likely that Sunday 4 February will be significantly affected due to the ban on working a rest day.
Aslef says no train operator “employs enough drivers to deliver the service they promise to passengers and businesses they will provide without asking drivers to work their holidays”.
ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Transport for London (including the Elizabeth Line), Merseyrail and “open access” operators such as Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo are not involved.
The effects could be reduced if the transport secretary, Mark Harper, uses new legislation to impose “minimum service levels” (MSLs).
The Department for Transport (DfT) says: “The minimum level of service is to provide the train operating services necessary to operate the equivalent of 40 per cent of timetabled services during the strike period.”
But the Transport Select Committee has warned of potential risks.
Conservative chairman of the committee, Iain Stewart, said last month: “The government has indicated its intention to implement MSLs as soon as possible.
“MSLs risk worsening the relationship between workers and employers and, as a result, MSLs may make services less reliable.”
The train drivers’ union has been in dispute with 14 train operators, including the main commuter and intercity companies, since the summer of 2022.
Aslef is demanding a no-strings-attached pay rise followed by negotiations at local level to modernize working practices – which will come at an additional price for employers.
The train operators, represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), say even a moderate pay rise is dependent on far-reaching reforms.
Any deal will be signed off by the DfT and taxpayers will foot the bill. Ticket revenue is about one-fifth down on pre-Covid levels. The public subsidy to keep the railway running is currently £17,600 per minute – £5,300 more than before the pandemic, according to the government.
The union says it has had no talks with Mr Harper since 2022; by Huw Merriman, the rail minister, from January 2023; and with the employers from April 2023 onwards.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: “We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table, but it has now been a year since we have had any contact from the Department of Transport. It is clear that they do not want to resolve this dispute.
“Many of our members have not had a single penny rise in their pay for half a century now, with inflation rising and the cost of living rising.
“Train drivers didn’t even ask for a raise during the Covid-19 pandemic when they worked as key workers, risking their lives to allow NHS and other workers to travel.
“The government is now up to their old trick of changing the rules when they can’t win and legislation has been introduced regarding minimum service levels. But this new law, as we were told by officials during the consultation period, will not reduce industrial strife. It will probably make it worse.
“There is no excuse. The government and the train operating companies must come up with a realistic offer so that we can end this dispute and work together to secure the future of our railway.”
A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group said: “No one wins when strikes affect lives and livelihoods, and it is extremely difficult to protect them at a time when taxpayers are continuing to contribute £54m extra a week to keep services running after Covid.
“Despite the railway’s huge financial challenge, an offer has been made to drivers which would take basic wages to almost £65,000 for a four-day week without overtime – well above the national average and far more than many of our passengers who are not any overtime. option to work from home is paid.
“Instead of further damaging industrial action, we call on Aslef leadership to work with us to resolve this dispute and provide fair treatment that rewards our people and makes the changes needed to make services more reliable.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “It is disappointing to see Aslef continuing to target those who travel to work, school or important medical appointments by train.
“Aslf is now the only rail union continuing to strike and refusing to provide its members with a fair and reasonable offer. The offer which is still on the table and which would bring the salary of the average train driver up to £65,000.
“The Aslef leadership should do the right thing and let their members decide their own future, instead of it being decided for them.”
