UK train drivers’ union secures new 6-month strike mandate

Rail passengers across much of England face the prospect of months of further disruption to services, after members of the UK’s main train drivers’ union voted to continue their long-running industrial action over pay.

Aslef said on Wednesday that more than 85 per cent of its members at all of the train operating companies balloted had backed a request to extend its mandate to hold walkouts by six months.

The vote risks prolonging the dispute between drivers and train operators, already under way for a year.

Stoppages by Aslef — most recently on June 3 — have hit services far harder than others by the RMT union, representing other railway staff.

The workers are striking to force train operators to improve their current pay offer of 4 per cent for the last pay year — mostly to March 2023 — and 4 per cent for the current year, to March 2024.

Their demands for higher pay have been echoed by workers across the public and private sector sectors, who have staged the biggest wave of strikes in decades amid the cost of living crisis.

Responding to the ballot, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said his members had “once again” decided they were “in this for the long haul”.

“Train drivers are sick to the back teeth of their employers and the government failing to negotiate in good faith,” he said. “We have always said we are prepared to come to the table but the government and the train companies need to understand that this dispute won’t be resolved by trying to bully our members into accepting worse terms and conditions.”

However, the Rail Delivery Group, which speaks for train operators, said it was “not fair nor sustainable” for the industry to continue relying on record taxpayer subsidies.

“Aslef must recognise that the reform of long out-of-date working practices is the only way forward to improve reliability and fund a pay rise,” the RDG said, adding that its current offer would lift average driver salaries to £65,000 a year for a four-day week before overtime.

The government said Aslef’s announcement was “disappointing for rail passengers across the country who want this dispute to end”.

It said that it had “played its part to try and end this dispute, enabling a generous pay offer”, and called on Aslef to “do the right thing and give members a say on that pay offer”.

Aslef has yet to announce strike dates, but any stoppages will affect almost all train operators in England holding franchises from the UK government, except for the main operations of South Western Railway.

They will not affect services run by ScotRail or Transport for Wales, franchised by devolved national governments, nor London Overground, the Elizabeth Line or Merseyrail, all franchised by local governments.

England’s three purely commercial “open-access” operations — Lumo, Hull Trains and Grand Central — will also be exempt.