After their union rejected a new pay deal to raise wages from railway companies, train drivers are set to strike on the day of the FA Cup final and the Epsom Derby.

 

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Edited by| Christian Megan

 

Europe section -  CJ journalist

 

London – April,27,2023

 

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Aslef, the body that represents train drivers, said members would now strike on May 12,  May 31 and June 3 - the date for two of the country's most popular sporting occasions.

The walkouts threaten to cause chaos for tens of thousands of football supporters of Manchester United and Manchester City as they travel to London to watch the clubs in the Wembley showpiece.

The Epsom Derby also takes place on June 3 with key services between London and Surrey likely to be hit. Last year, the day of the main race was sold out with 36,000 race fans packed in the grandstand.

It comes just a day after racecourse chiefs announced the Derby will be brought forward by three hours to avoid a clash with the football.

The planned strikes will also impact those looking to travel to Liverpool for Eurovision, with the first day of strikes coming just 24 hours before the grand final.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper called on Aslef to call off the strikes and for members to be given a say on a pay offer put forward by the train operators.

He said: “It is deeply disappointing that Aslef has decided to call strikes and ban overtime, targeting thousands of people attending the UK’s first Eurovision event in 25 years - including Ukrainians displaced by Putin’s war - and the first ever all-Manchester FA Cup final.

“The fair and reasonable offer from RDG included urgent reform to ensure our railways are financially sustainable for the benefit of passengers, rail workers and the taxpayer as well as delivering a pay rise – for members whose salary already averages £60,000 a year.

“Aslef need to call off these strikes and give their members a say on this offer.”

The industrial action will likely shut down the majority of services across the country with Aslef involved in disputes with 16 train companies.

Previous strikes shut almost all the country's rail lines, as operating companies struggled to fill gaps in rotas caused by absent drivers.

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: "Our executive committee met this morning  and rejected a risible proposal we received from the RDG, a pressure group which represents some of the train companies, and lobbies on their behalf, late on Wednesday afternoon,’ said

"The proposal – of just 4pc – was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10pc and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.

"The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernise Britain’s railways and help them run more efficiently, for passengers and for businesses, in the 21st century."

Aslef said its negotiating team has met representatives of the employers on eight occasions over the past year to try to find a resolution to the long-running dispute.

The union said it took eight one-day strikes to bring the train operators and the government "to their senses and persuade them to sit down and talk properly".

Mr Whelan added: "We do not want to go on strike, we do not want to inconvenience passengers, we have families and friends who use the railway, too, and we believe in investing in rail for the future of this country but the blame for this action lies, fairly and squarely, at the feet of the employers who have forced our hand over this by their intransigence.

"It is now up to them to come up with a more sensible, and realistic, offer and we ask the government not to hinder this process."

Eurovision and FA Cup final fans 'senselessly targeted'

The latest strikes come after drivers walked out over two days in February following the rejection of an 8pc pay rise. The deal would have taken the average driver’s salary from £60,000 a year, to nearly £65,000.

A Rail Delivery Group Spokesperson said: “This is disappointing news for our customers and staff, more strike action is totally unnecessary and will only heap more pressure on an industry already facing an acute financial crisis.

"Senselessly targeting both the final of Eurovision and the FA cup final is disappointing for all those planning to attend.    

"After many weeks of negotiations with the Aslef leadership today, we made a revised and fair offer including a pay rise of 8pc over two years. It would have introduced overdue, common-sense improvements already in place in parts of the network, which would will see more trains running on time for passengers.

"Sadly, this has been rejected.

"We urge the Aslef leadership to re-join us at the negotiating table and work with us to find a solution to the issues our industry faces and so we can give our people the pay rise we have always said we wanted to do."

The Rail Delivery Group is also currently in a separate dispute with the RMT, which represents ticket office staff and train guards. The RMT currently has no planned action.

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