Mick Whelan, General Secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ trade
union, has called on the government, and the train companies, to
come to the table and negotiate a new pay deal after members –
who have not had an increase in salary for five years – voted
overwhelmingly for more strikes. This includes cross border
operator Trans-Pennine Trains
Mick Whelan said:
‘These results show – yet again – a clear rejection by train
drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by
the Rail Delivery Group on behalf of the train operating
companies with whom we are in dispute.
‘The RDG knew the offer would be rejected because we had told
them that a land grab for all the terms & conditions we have
negotiated over the years would be unacceptable.
‘Since then our members have voted, time and again, for strikes.
That’s why , the Transport Secretary, is
being disingenuous when he says that offer should have been put
to members. Drivers obviously wouldn’t vote for industrial
action, again and again and again, if they thought that was a
good offer. They don’t. That offer was dead in the water in April
last year – and I think Mr Harper knows that.
‘But we remain open and willing, as ever, to talk about a revised
offer. That’s why we are asking the Secretary of State for
Transport, or the Rail Minister , to come and meet us. Mr Harper hasn’t seen fit to
talk to us since December 2022; Mr Merriman has not been in the
room with us since January 2023; and the RDG has not talked to us
since April last year.
‘Today we are saying, clearly, to Mr Harper, Mr Merriman, the RDG
and the TOCs, come and have meaningful talks with us. Let’s
sit around the table and negotiate. You don’t want any more
strikes, and we do not want to be forced to take any more
industrial action, although we have the renewed mandates to do
just that.
'We want to find a resolution to this dispute, for members who
have not had a pay rise since our last deals ran out in 2019, and
the only way to resolve this dispute is for the employers, and
the government that stands behind them, to come and talk to us.
‘That’s why I’m saying the ball is in your court. We are ready to
talk. Are you?’ ENDS
NOTES
Under the Tories’ anti-union legislation, a mandate for
industrial action only lasts six months. That’s why we have had
to reballot. Here are the results:
Chiltern Railways
Yes to strike action: 94.5%
Turnout: 73.9%
Yes to action short of a strike: 97.7%
c2c
Yes to strike action: 89.4%
Turnout: 70%
Yes to action short of a strike: 97.5 %
East Midlands Railway
Yes to strike action: 90.4%
Turnout: 71.9%
Yes to action short of a strike: 95.6%
Northern Trains
Yes to strike action: 93.9%
Turnout: 76.7%
Yes to action short of a strike: 96.6%
TransPennine Trains
Yes to strike action: 95.5%
Turnout: 76.6%
Yes to action short of a strike: 98.2%
The 16 companies with whom we in dispute include: Avanti West
Coast; Chiltern Railways; c2c; CrossCountry; East Midlands
Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; Great
Western Railway; Island Line; LNER; Northern Trains;
Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway
main line; SWR depot drivers; TransPennine Trains; and West
Midlands Trains.
We have called 14 one-day strikes during this 20-month dispute.
Our first ballots went out in June 2022 and members withdrew
their labour on Saturday 30 July 2022; Saturday 13 August;
Saturday 1 October; Wednesday 5 October; Saturday 26 November;
Thursday 5 January 2023; Wednesday 1 February; Friday 3 February;
Friday 12 May; Wednesday 31 May; Saturday 3 June; Friday 5
September; Saturday 30 September; and Wednesday 4 October.
We held our first rolling programme of a week of staggered
one-day strikes at different companies from Saturday 2
December to Saturday 9 December; and another week of staggered
strikes from Tuesday 30 January to Monday 5 February.
We have also withdrawn rest day working – non-contractual
overtime – from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 May 2023; from Monday 3
to Saturday 8 July; from Monday 17 to Saturday 22 July;
from Monday 31 July to Saturday 5 August; from Monday 7 to
Saturday 12 August; on Friday 29 September; from Monday 2 to
Friday 6 October; from Friday 1 to Saturday 9 December; and
from Monday 29 January to Tuesday 6 February.
