Aslef boss Mick Whelan: ‘There’s no cost to the economy in running rail properly’
Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union Aslef, prides himself in rarely calling a strike since taking the helm in 2011. Now though, three years since most of his members last had a pay rise, industrial action looks increasingly likely.
Ballots close on Monday at eight major train operators where drivers are voting to back strikes, and three more are due in a fortnight – potentially giving Whelan the power to bring most of the railway around England to a halt.
The eventual departure of Boris Johnson – who has long backed driverless trains and refused to meet unions when, as London mayor (2008-2016), he was responsible for transport in the capital – could slightly alter the rail dispute, Whelan says.
“We do believe that Boris had unfinished business with us from his time as mayor,” he says.
But Whelan also notes what he calls “the myths and legends” put out by the transport secretary, Grant Shapps – highlighting train drivers’ salaries (even when it was signallers and guards on strike) and damning so-called Spanish practices such as Sunday overtime and break-time allowances.
“Mr Shapps is talking about modernisation, which is actually degradation. Do drivers require time to walk from one end of a train to the other? Well unless someone’s invented some sort of Star Trek technology, yes we do.”
Walking time is factored in at stations such as St Pancras by train operators who do not know on which platform a train will arrive, he says: “If they knew, we’d adjust the walking times accordingly.”
Regarding the infamous Sundays when some trains did not run for lack of drivers on the day of the final of the 2018 World Cup or Euro 2020 (in 2021), Whelan says: “I wonder how many journalists on their day off would have
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