UK Rail Dispute Escalates: Strikes to Continue for Six More Months

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Rail operators’ staff vote to extend strike for 6 months over pay disputes, affecting Chiltern, C2C, East Midlands, Northern, and TransPennine services.

Locomotive operators from five rail service providers have cast their votes in favor of extending their strike actions for an additional six months, amidst ongoing disagreements regarding wages and working conditions.

The union Aslef reported that its affiliates from the Chiltern, C2C, East Midlands, Northern, and TransPennine rail services have shown strong support for the continuation of strikes, which originated in July 2022.

Every six months, unions are required to hold a vote among their members to decide whether to proceed with strikes.

The dispute involves drivers from all 14 rail service companies overseen by the UK government and represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), with no advancements made since a proposal was presented and immediately dismissed in April 2023. The proposal included a slight salary increase on the condition of significant changes in work practices.

In the most recent voting, the lowest support for further strikes was recorded at 89.4% among C2C operators, who connect London to south Essex, with all other votes surpassing 90%.

Regarding total eligible members, the largest majority supporting strike action was found among operators in the north of England, with Northern at 72% and TransPennine Express at 73%, both government-operated. C2C saw the smallest proportion, at 63%.

Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, commented on the vote outcomes, emphasizing the clear refusal by train drivers to accept the poor proposal made last April by the Rail Delivery Group on behalf of the rail companies involved in the dispute.

A representative for the Rail Delivery Group expressed their desire to offer employees a raise, highlighting the need for the Aslef leadership to acknowledge that in a sector still receiving £54 million weekly in taxpayer support post-Covid, any salary increment must be reasonable and sustainable.

Since the initiation of nationwide rail strikes in the summer of 2022, countless journeys have been scrapped, leading to significant economic losses for the UK, especially for the hospitality sector. The railway system, described as increasingly deteriorating and unreliable, is being subsidized by taxpayers at a rate of £90 per second in addition to the usual public funding.

A recent online survey conducted by The Independent, with 2,142 participants, revealed that one-third of travelers intend to permanently reduce their rail travel after the strike actions conclude.

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