Members of the Aslef union are on strike on Saturday, with 5,500 staff expected to walk out. Drivers are striking over pay, with Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan saying many members have not had pay rises for three years. The following services will be affected:
London Overground – no service Greater Anglia – much reduced Heathrow Express – no service Great Western Railway – much reduced Hull trains – reduced hours LNER – much reduced London Northwestern Railway – no service Southeast – no service West Midlands – much reduced
The strike will last 24 hours and customers should expect some rail disruption to continue until Sunday 31 July. Updated at 13.58 BST Important events BETA filters Key Facts (9) Aslef (16) Labor (8) Mick Whelan (7) RMT (6) Sam Tarry (4) Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the strike showed the “determination” of union members to stand up to the government and training companies. Describing Saturday’s strike as “robust”, Whelan said: “This shows the solidarity of our members and their determination not to be pressured by Grant Shapps, the Department for Transport and the train companies.” “Having kept Britain moving during the pandemic, they expect our members, who have not had a pay rise since 2019, to continue working, effectively for a pay cut.” The union leader said the union is asking for a wage increase commensurate with the increase in costs. “Rising inflation is not the fault of the workers in this country, it is the fault of this government and their inept handling of the UK economy,” he said. Mick Whelan, General Secretary of UK trade union ASLEF Photo: Nick Ansell/PA He accused Sapps of “ducking and diving” instead of finding a solution to the dispute. “It could solve it in an instant by allowing the train companies to come to the table with a reasonable offer and negotiate with us.” Whelan accused Shapps of “lying” about this summer’s rail strike negotiations after Shapps claimed the RMT was “stopping on reform” and that Aslef was “dragging his feet in negotiations”. The Department for Transport issued a statement on Saturday saying it was “misleading” to suggest Shapps should be involved in negotiations over pay and working practices. Updated 16.08 BST Former shadow transport secretary Sam Tarry, who was sacked after giving interviews from a picket line, said he “absolutely” still believes Sir Keir Starmer is the best man to lead the country – but that Labor must show solidarity to the striking workers. My colleague Joe Middleton has the full report here:
Will there be more rail strikes this summer?
More rail strikes are planned for next month, with the shutdown expected to continue amid negotiations over wages and conditions in the industry. Industrial action is planned for the following dates:
Saturday, August 13 Thursday, August 18 Saturday, August 20.
In addition, London Underground staff will strike on August 19. Zarah Sultana, the Labor MP for Coventry South, joined the Ashlef queue outside Coventry train station. She wrote on Twitter that “the Labor Party was founded to represent the interests of working people. The clue is in the name’ – a reference to divisions within the party over Labour’s relationship with the trade union movement amid industrial action. Labor was founded to represent the interests of workers. The clue is in the name. That’s why I was proud to join the @ASLEFunion stand outside Coventry train station today, supporting their fight for fair pay ✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/o79yQVUb6e — Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) July 30, 2022 Updated at 14.51 BST As we reported this morning, the disruption on some routes is expected to continue tomorrow. Holidays will continue trains tomorrow (Sunday). Please only travel if absolutely necessary. — GWR (@GWRHelp) July 30, 2022 ❗ Due to industrial action, we will be running a reduced route on July 27th, with no trains on July 30th. This will also affect services on the mornings of the 28th and 31st. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused. For more information, visit > pic.twitter.com/PxAsoiWnA0 — West Midlands Railway (@WestMidRailway) July 25, 2022 Updated 14.06 BST The picket line outside Leeds train station in Leeds as members of Aslef drivers’ union at seven train operators walk out for 24 hours over pay. Photo: Danny Lawson/Parail strikes Photo: Danny Lawson/PA The Department for Transport said it was “misleading” to suggest Grant Shapps should be involved in negotiations over pay and working practices. Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, accused the transport secretary of “lying” about the strike negotiations, telling Times Radio: “We’re not dragging our feet in negotiations. we negotiate with 14 private companies. We do not work for the government or the DfT [Department for Transport].” Whelan said the strikes were “a last resort”. Many of Aslef’s members have not had a pay rise in three years, he said, despite working through the pandemic, and are now facing a pay cut in real terms due to inflation. The Department for Transport described the suggestion Shapps was involved as “grossly misleading”. Her statement said: “His role is to protect the public purse, ensuring value for money for the hardworking people of this country. “He is therefore required to set the limits of taxpayer support and ultimately sign any agreement, not engage in a negotiation and his contracts with operators allow him to do just that.” Updated at 1.15pm BST
Strike from Sunday at Hitachi railways
Hitachi rail workers will strike for three days from Sunday in a row over pay and conditions. Members of the Rail, Shipping and Transport Union (RMT), whose jobs include maintenance, are in dispute over pay and issues such as breaks, holiday entitlement and shift length. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members know the value of their work and will not be deprived of Hitachi Rail. “I congratulate our members for this strong industrial response and the RMT will support further strikes until they receive a fair settlement.” Updated at 12.57 BST Jessica Murray The Guardian’s Midlands correspondent Jessica Murray reports from Birmingham, where rail strikes are disrupting one of the busiest days of the Commonwealth Games: Snow Hill station in central Birmingham was closed on Saturday as no trains ran from the site, where protesters stood meters from the marathon route which closed several roads in the city. The picket line had a paper cut-out likeness of Keir Starmer, in reference to the Labor leader’s ban on MPs joining strikes. The Aslef Elevation Line outside Snow Hill Station in Birmingham. Photo: Gary Calton/The Observer The strikers, from train drivers’ union Aslef, said they were striking because rising inflation meant the value of workers’ wages was falling, while rail bosses were pocketing huge paychecks. Andy Street, the Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, said the RMT strike on Wednesday had little impact on the Games but that Saturday would be a “big test”. “We are absolutely determined that people should be able to travel into the West Midlands and then use public transport to get to the venues. This has always been a Public Transport Race,” he said, adding that an additional 600 buses were used to help visitors reach the 16 venues where events were being held. “We are determined not to let Aslef destroy the success of the Games,” he said. “It is rather cynical manipulation of the Games to declare their strike on the first Saturday of the event. It is an international holiday and I feel it is a great shame that they are being targeted in this way.” Some rail operators, including Avanti, Chiltern and Cross Country, were expected to run as normal, meaning it would still be possible for people across the country to travel to Birmingham for the event, although services were expected to be very busy . Updated at 12.49 BST Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, has said Grant Shapps “cannot continue to hide” and must “stop misleading the public”. Asked what he would say to the transport secretary, Whelan replied: “Mr Shapps, you can’t keep hiding. At some point, someone has to stop misinforming the public [and] tell the truth about the contracts you signed with these people.” It comes after Whelan accused Shapps of “lying” about this summer’s rail strike negotiations. He told Times Radio this morning: I say Mr. Shapps is lying, quite simply, plainly. We do not drag our feet in negotiations. we negotiate with 14 private companies. We do not work for the government or the DfT [Department for Transport].” I wish Mr. Shapps would get us out of this situation he misrepresents at every opportunity. Updated at 12.21 BST
Which train services are affected and for how long?
Here’s a quick recap to let you know about the services affected by the industrial action. Members of the Aslef union are on strike on Saturday, with 5,500 staff expected to walk out. Drivers are striking over pay, with Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan saying many members have not had pay rises for three years. The following services will be affected:
London Overground – no service Greater Anglia – much reduced Heathrow Express – no service Great Western Railway – much reduced Hull trains – reduced hours LNER – much reduced London Northwestern Railway – no service …
