Aslef drivers at eight train operators vote to strike over pay
Drivers at eight train companies have voted to strike over pay, raising the prospect of significantly more travel disruption this summer.
Members of the train drivers’ union Aslef at Chiltern, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, London Overground, Northern, Southeastern, TransPennine Express and West Midlands all voted overwhelmingly to go on strike.
Drivers at three other companies have already voted to go on strike and the wide mandate from ballot results announced on Monday means Aslef could stage industrial action as disruptive as the RMT rail union’s walkout in late June.
The union’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, said strikes are “always the last resort”.
Most drivers have not had a pay rise in three years, according to Aslef, while operators have offered 2%, well below the current rate of inflation.
Whelan said: “We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use public transport, too – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike, but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, driven by the government.”
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