'What are we going to do?': Misery for commuters as train strikes continue

More train strikes are on the way, the boss of the train driver’s union has warned, as passengers face a third consecutive day of chaos.

Thousands of trains were cancelled over the weekend (6 and 7 April) after a walk-out by ASLEF members crippled services at 16 major rail operators.

Previously, the union – which represents 96% of Britain’s train drivers – had accused employers “failing” to give members a pay rise in more than half a decade.

• Britain on strike: Have we reached boiling point?
• What is my right to strike?

Yesterday – ahead of a third and final day of rolling strikes on Monday (8 April) – general secretary Mick Whelan said an agreement was unlikely.

“The reality is, we are going to ask for a pay rise, they are going to say: ‘We can’t give you a pay rise if we haven’t been able to settle the previous two years,’ but they are not going to settle for the previous two years, so what are we going to do?

“We don’t want another dispute but at this moment in time, it is very much heading along that line again.”

When are train strikes ongoing?

Train strikes cancelled services across the country on the weekend. The remaining scheduled strikes are:

Monday 8 April: Greater Anglia, c2c, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway main line and SWR Island Line.

Saturday 20 April: LNER, with overtime bans between April 19 and April 21.

These are the latest walkouts in a two year dispute over pay. ASLEF say that wages have stagnated since 2019 – before the cost of living crisis spiked inflation to record levels.

In April 2023, the union’s executive committee rejected a 4% pay rise for two consecutive years.

In the most recent ballot, some 98% of ASLEF drivers voted to strike, with a turnout of 70%. ASLEF’s Whelan previously described this as an “overwhelming” mandate.

The Rail Delivery Group – the umbrella organisation representing Britain’s mainline rail operators – and ASLEF last met in April 2023.

A RDG spokesperson said it would endeavour to “minimise disruption.”

“We want to resolve this dispute, but the Aslef leadership need to recognise that hard-pressed taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54m a week just to keep services running post Covid,” they said.