Rail workers announced two more days of strike in August in addition to: strike action later this monthparalyzing the railways at the start of the Commonwealth Games and the football season.
On August 18 and 20, more than 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ Union (RMT) are expected to go on strike. They work for Network Rail and 14 train operators and protest against job security, wages and working conditions.
Aslef, who represents drivers, will walk away on Saturday 30 July in a row because of their wages. Members of eight companies – Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains – will join the strike.
The disruptions, which come during the busy summer holidays, are expected to affect sports fans attending the Commonwealth Games, which start in Birmingham on July 28, and the opening weekend of the English Football League.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said Thursday evening: “The rail industry and the government need to understand that this dispute will not just go away.
“Recent proposals from Network Rail fall far short in the area of wages and safety around maintenance work.
“And the train operators haven’t even made us a wage offer in recent negotiations.”
The July strikes by Aslef members will take place less than 48 hours after the RMT’s action, causing massive disruption throughout the week.
With the RMT departing on July 27 and into the early hours of July 28, chaos is expected for the next 24 hours.
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, condemned Aslef for his refusal to try to negotiate a wage agreement.
He said: “It is incredibly disappointing that just three days after their ballots have closed, Aslef’s bosses have already opted for destructive strike action rather than engaging in constructive talks.
“Not only that, but by cynically orchestrating strike dates with the Commonwealth Games, it is clear that union bosses are determined to cause as much havoc as possible and derail an event that the whole country is looking forward to.”
Drivers are pushing for a wage increase that will keep wages in line with inflation, which is currently at a 40-year high of 9.1 pc.
Mr Shapps said: “Train drivers, such as the one Aslef represents, earn on average just under £60,000 – more than double the UK average and significantly more than the workers who will be most affected by these strikes, despite the fact that they have raised £600 per household to keep the railway running during the pandemic.”
Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: “We don’t want to go on strike – strikes are the result of a failure of negotiations – and this union, since I was elected GS in 2011, has only been on strike until this year for a few days.
“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – not least because our friends and families also use public transport, and we believe in building confidence in Britain’s railways – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike .
“But we have been forced into this position by the train companies, driven by the Tory government. The drivers at the companies where we strike have had a real pay cut in the past three years – since April 2019.”
Typically, train operators operate a “Sunday shift” — equivalent to 60% of a normal weekday — on the day after the strike.
The RMT announced its latest strike dates on Wednesday. They came after the union allowed only one in five trains to run during three days of action last month.
Aslef’s strike is expected to keep only one in ten services in operation.
The Telegraph reported that train operators are bracing for strikes by different unions to drive close together, causing the maximum damage to commuters or those going on holiday.