UK
Union boss warns train strikes could last 20 years

'We're going to keep taking action until someone listens to us'

Harriet Sinclair
·Trending News Reporter
Mon, July 3, 2023 

Aslef's drivers will not be taking on any non-contractual overtime for a week, while the RMT has also pledged strike action in July. (Getty Images)

The leader of rail union Aslef had warned its members are prepared to strike for decades if it cannot reach a deal with the government over pay and conditions.

The train drivers union has announced a ban on overtime from Monday 3 July to Saturday 8 July in a move short of strike action that will disrupt services on networks including Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia and the Southern/Gatwick Express, among others.

According to Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan, the current action is likely to mark the beginning of a wave of strikes, as drivers voted in favour of action after four years without pay rises.

He told The Guardian there was “no alternative but to take this action”, explaining: “Sadly, it is clear from the actions of both the train operating companies and the government that they do not want an end to the dispute. Their goals appear to be to continue industrial strife and to do down our industry.”

Read more: Rail strikes: Full list of July dates, lines and services affected by industrial action

He added in an interview with Sky News: "This can't go on forever, we want to resolve this no matter how badly [the government] treated us, no matter how badly they behaved.

"It is still our intention to find the resolution... we're going to keep taking action until someone listens to us.

"If we're whistling in the wind for five years, 10 years, 20 years to get somebody to table this, it will be resolved at some point and somebody will talk to us properly at some point."

The ban on overtime has coincided with Wimbledon week and will disrupt services out of London. (Getty Images)

Strikes throughout July.

The union's overtime ban coincides with the Wimbledon tennis championship, and services from London to Wimbledon will see disruption over the course of the week.

A spokesperson for industry representative the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Aslef’s leadership continues to disrupt customers’ travel plans.

"They rejected a fair and affordable offer without putting it to their members, which would take average driver base salaries for a four-day week without overtime from £60,000 to nearly £65,000 by the end of 2023 pay awards.

“Train companies will work hard to minimise the impact of the overtime ban. Customers are advised to plan their journey in advance and check before they travel.

“We ask Aslef to recognise the very real financial challenge the industry is facing and work with us to deliver a better, more reliable railway with a strong long-term future.”
When are the train strikes in July 2023?

The RMT union's own dispute with the government is also rumbling on, with three strikes set to take place in July - on 20,22 and 29 of the month, when 20,000 workers will walk out.

In a recent address to the RMT annual general meeting, union boss Mick Lynch said: "We are not giving up on this struggle. Our members remain committed to the action we will be taking, and they remain committed to our campaign.

"In our continuing dispute with the train operators, we won't take lectures from unelected prime ministers and millionaire politicians and employers about balloting our members."