Railroad workers have announced two more days of strike action in August, in addition to industrial action later this month, which has paralyzed railways at the start of the Commonwealth Games and the football season.
More than 40,000 members of the railway, maritime and transport workers’ union (RMT) are expected to go on strike on 18 and 20 August. They work through Network Rail and 14 train operating companies and protest against job security, pay and working conditions.
Aslef, who represents the machinists, will leave on Saturday 30 July in a row for his salary. Members of eight companies – Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater England, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains – will take part in the strike.
The interruptions, which occur during the hectic summer holidays, are affecting sports fans attending the Commonwealth Games, which begin in Birmingham on July 28, and the inaugural weekend of the League. of English football.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said Thursday night: “The railway industry and the government need to understand that this dispute will not simply go away.
“Network Rail’s recent proposals fell very short in terms of pay and security around maintenance work.
“And the train operating companies haven’t even made us a pay offer in the last negotiations.”
Aslef members ’strikes in July will occur less than 48 hours after the RMT’s action, which means major disruptions throughout the week.
With the departure of the RMT on July 27 and in the early hours of July 28, chaos is expected for the next 24 hours.
Grant Shapps, the Secretary of Transport, condemned Aslef for his refusal to try to approve a wage deal.
He said: “It is incredibly disappointing that, just three days after their polls closed, Aslef’s leaders have already opted for a destructive strike, rather than engaging in constructive talks.
“Not only that, but by cynically orchestrating strike dates with the Commonwealth Games, it is clear that union leaders are determined to cause as much misery as possible and derail an event the whole country is looking forward to.”
Drivers are pushing for a wage increase that keeps wages in line with inflation, which is currently at a 40-year high of 9.1%.
Shapps said: “Train drivers, such as those represented by Aslef, earn, on average, just under £ 60,000, more than double the UK average and much more than the workers themselves who will be most affected by these strikes despite having raised £ 600 per household to keep the railway running throughout the pandemic “.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “We do not want to go on strike – the strikes are the result of a failure in the negotiations – and this union, since I was elected GS in 2011, has only been on strike , until this year, for a handful of days.
“We don’t want to upset passengers, especially because our friends and families also use public transport and we believe in building trust on the railways in Britain, and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike.
“But we have been forced into this position by train companies, driven by the Tory government. The drivers of the companies where we are on strike have had a reduction in real wages over the last three years, since April 2019. “
Normally, train operators do a “Sunday service”, equivalent to 60% of a normal working day, the day after the strike.
The RMT announced its latest strike dates on Wednesday. They arrived after the union only left one in five trains running for three days of action last month.
Aslef’s exit is expected to leave only one in 10 services in operation.
The Telegraph reported that train operators were preparing for strikes by different unions to approach each other, causing maximum damage to passengers or those traveling on holiday.