{"id":2550,"date":"2024-01-15T22:20:27","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T12:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=2550"},"modified":"2024-01-15T22:20:27","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T12:20:27","slug":"train-drivers-to-stage-fresh-strikes-and-overtime-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=2550","title":{"rendered":"Train drivers to stage fresh strikes and overtime ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

Train drivers will stage a series of fresh strikes and an overtime ban in their long running dispute over pay and conditions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Danny Lawson\/PA Wire<\/em><\/p>\n

Members of Aslef will take part in a rolling programme of one-day strikes from January 30 to February 5, as well as banning overtime for nine days from January 29.<\/p>\n

The union said it wanted to put pressure on \u201cintransigent\u201d train operating companies as well as the \u201ctone-deaf Tory government\u201d to give train drivers their first pay rise in almost five years.<\/p>\n

Drivers will strike at Southeastern, GTR Southern\/Gatwick Express, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, SWR Island Line, and South Western Railway main line and depot drivers on Tuesday 30 January; at Northern Trains and TransPennine Trains on Wednesday 31 January; at C2C, Greater Anglia, and LNER on Friday 2 February; at Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, and West Midlands Trains on Saturday 3 February, and at Chiltern, CrossCountry, and GWR on Monday 5 February.<\/p>\n

The strikes could be the first test of new regulations aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during strikes, set at 40% in the transport sector.<\/p>\n

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: \u201cWe have given the Government every opportunity to come to the table but it has now been a year since we had any contact from the Department for Transport. It\u2019s clear they do not want to resolve this dispute.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of our members have not had a single penny increase to their pay for half a decade, during which time inflation has soared and, with it, the cost of living.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrain drivers didn\u2019t even ask for an increase during the Covid-19 pandemic when we worked throughout lockdown as key workers, risking our lives, to move goods around the country and to enable NHS and other workers to get to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tory government has now tried its old trick of changing the rules. When they couldn\u2019t win they brought in minimum service levels legislation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this new law, as we told officials during the consultation period, won\u2019t ease industrial strife. It will just make it worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is, frankly, no excuse for this nonsense. The Government and train operating companies (TOCs) should come to the table with a realistic offer so we can end this dispute and work together to ensure the future of our railways.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Train drivers will stage a series of fresh strikes and an overtime ban in their long running dispute over pay and conditions. Danny Lawson\/PA Wire […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,387,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-british-railways","category-scotlands-railway","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t