Drivers from eight railway companies will go on strike on July 30 in a wage dispute, their union Aslef has reported.
It comes a day after the RMT union said its members of the rail and Network Rail operators would leave work for 24 hours on July 27th.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “We don’t want to go on strike – the strikes are the result of a failure in the negotiation – and this union, since I was elected general secretary in 2011, has only been in 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 real reduction in salaries over the last three years, since April 2019.
“And these companies do not offer us anything, saying that the government has tied their hands.
“This means, in real terms, that inflation is advancing to 9%, 10% and even 11% this year, depending on the index you use, that they are being asked to accept a real wage reduction. And that is not acceptable.
“The strike is now the only option available but we are always open to talks if the train companies, or the government, want to talk to us and make a fair and sensible offer.”
More strikes at other train companies
Aslef members in eight companies – Arriva Rail London; Chiltern Railways; Great England; Great Western; Helmet Trains; LNER; South East; and West Midlands Trains: will join the strike action on Saturday 30 July.
But Whelan said Greater England drivers would also go on strike on Saturday 23 July and Hull Trains drivers would also go on strike on 16 July and Saturday 23 July.
More votes close at Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry on Wednesday, July 27; and the Northern Trains; TransPennine Express; and Transport for Wales on Thursday, August 25, he added.
Read more: Network Rail makes new pay offer to workers after strikes, but RMT union calls it a “pay cut in real terms”
“Rising wages are not aggravating inflation, but overusing”
He also denied claims by some politicians that giving workers a pay rise could worsen inflation, during a cost-of-living crisis.
“In any case, rising wages are not aggravating inflation. Overexploitation is.
“The government is not asking companies to cut profits or pay dividends to help manage inflation. Wages are chasing prices, not raising them.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps 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 seemingly coordinating strike dates around the Commonwealth Games, it’s clear that union leaders are determined to cause as much misery as possible and derail an event the whole country is looking forward to.
“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 all and having raised £ 600 per household to keep them in. the railway running throughout the pandemic.
“Our railroad desperately needs modernization to make it work better for passengers and be economically sustainable in the long run.
“I urge union leaders to reconsider this divisive action and instead work with their employers, not against them, to agree on a new path to follow.”