The summer of travel chaos brought about by rail strikes is far from over as Britain prepares for the latest 24-hour union action on Saturday, August 13, as train drivers’ union Aslef organizes a strike.
The industrial action is likely to disrupt the morning of Sunday 14 August, affecting the following lines: Avanti West Coast, Arriva Rail London, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, LNER, Greater Anglia, London Overground, Southeastern, Hull Trains and West Midlands trains.
Aslef is on strike over driver pay, with general secretary Mick Whelan saying: “Many of our members – who were the men and women who moved important workers and goods across the country during the pandemic – have not had a pay rise since 2019. ”
Steve Montgomery, Chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “For the second time in as many weeks, Aslef’s leadership has decided to impose even more uncertainty on passengers and businesses by disrupting passengers’ weekend plans.
“We’re calling on Aslef to come to the table so we can fund the pay raise we want to give our people, while delivering the improvements in Sunday services and greater punctuality that our passengers deserve.”
More strikes will also affect commuters next week, with the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ Union (RMT) following a strike on August 18 and 20 about 14 train operators and Network Rail.
Here’s what you need to know about the RMT and Aslef strikes and others: summer train travel chaos.
On which days are there train and metro strikes?
- Saturday 13 August
- Thursday, August 18
- Friday August 19 – Pipe Strike
- Saturday 20 August
Which train operators are affected?
Avanti West Coast, Arriva Rail London, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, LNER, Greater Anglia, London Overground, Southeastern, Hull Trains and West Midlands Trains are affected by the strike on August 13.
The RMT train strikes on August 18 and 20 will affect Network Rail and the following operators: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).
The TSSA is also currently voting members at West Midlands Trains, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, TransPennine Express for industrial action.
Southeastern, which is wholly owned by the Department for Transport (DfT) and provides train services between London and Kent, as well as parts of East Sussex, will also be affected by the TSSA strikes. Stations potentially affected include London St Pancras, Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, as well as Dover Priory, Ramsgate, Ashford International, Dartford and Sevenoaks.
Is there a Tube strike?
The RMT announced another Tube strike on August 19.
RMT leader Mick Lynch said: “Our members will once again choose the picket lines in this important dispute over pensions, jobs and benefits.
“They have been confused by Transport for London and Mayor Sadiq Khan. Unless guarantees can be given about jobs, pensions and adverse changes in working conditions, our strike will continue on August 19.”
Meanwhile, the nighttime action continues to affect Central, Jubilee, Northern and Victoria lines every Friday and Saturday through December 6.
The London Underground came to a standstill 24 hours a day on June 21 as RMT members decided to go on strike in a row due to TfL’s way of cutting operating costs.
What are employees striking for?
The Aslef strikes are all about wages. Mr Whelan states that members have not had a pay rise since 2019.
“We want an increase in line with the cost of living – we want to be able to buy in 2022 what we could buy in 2021 – for those members – who, as you recall, were the people who moved key workers and goods around the world. country during the pandemic,” he said.
The RMT’s train strikes in August (and the July 27 railway strike) are the latest in the union dispute over job security, wages and working conditions. Mr Lynch said: “The rail industry and the government need to understand that this dispute will not just go away.
“They should be serious about providing a wage offer that helps address the crisis in the cost of living, job security for our members and good working conditions.
“Recent proposals from Network Rail are seriously lacking in terms of wages and safety around maintenance work. And the train companies have not even made us a wage offer in the recent negotiations.
“We remain open to negotiations, but we will continue our campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement.”
The August Tube strike is over an ongoing dispute over pensions and jobs. The RMT said this call to action was “spurred on by TfL’s refusal to share the details of a draft proposal from the government they received regarding financing the transport system in the capital.”
Meanwhile, TSSA members protest over pay, jobs and conditions.
“If ministers had any idea, they would come to the table to sort this out so we have a fair settlement for workers hailed as heroes during the pandemic,” said TSSA Secretary General Manuel Cortes.
Can I get a refund or travel on another service if my train is cancelled?
According to consumer group Which? the process differs depending on which train company a person travels with and customers can only “claim compensation for a delay in the event of a train strike based on the replacement or emergency timetable for train or replacement bus services”.
What is the government doing about it?
The government has already impending new minimum service requirements that would require a certain number of trains to run during a strike. However, ministers have warned it could take months to draft the new laws.
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary who has dropped out of the race to become the next Tory leader, was quick to condemn the strikes.
“With a salary of almost £60,000 it is not fair for train drivers to hurt those with lower wages with more strikes,” he wrote on Twitter.
This article is kept up to date with the latest information.