After his members decided to call their first nationwide strike since 1995, the leader of the UK railway drivers’ union warned commuters to expect “huge” disruption this summer.
Massive train driver walkouts over compensation in the upcoming months would exacerbate the transport disruption in the nation and be the most recent in a string of walkouts that have stoked concerns about a “summer of discontent.”
It will also draw attention to the fact that train drivers make an average pay of £59,000, with East Coast train drivers earning an average salary of £71,000 as well. The typical wage in the UK is £25,971.
Aslef, the union representing the drivers, held a ballot on industrial action that coincided with a similar vote by the TSSA union that represents staff in stations and ticket offices.
The votes came shortly after the country’s rail network ground to a halt after the RMT went on strike last month, with the union threatening to hold further walkouts later in the summer.
The road network was severely congested yesterday as a result of demonstrators blocking cars and yelling over the skyrocketing cost of petrol.
As workers struggle to make ends meet on their present wage packages, soaring inflation is mostly blamed for the anger among union members.
The initial results from Aslef’s balloting of train drivers will be out next week.
“It will cause far greater disruption than in the past.” According to Mick Whelan, general secretary of the drivers’ union Aslef, “we don’t go on strike very often.”
Staff at three companies have already voted in favour of strike action and Whelan said it was ‘likely’ that walkouts would be coordinated. This would in effect lead to the first national drivers’ strike since 1995.
‘We believe [strikes] will have a massive effect,’ he said, adding: ‘There will be a summer of disruption.’
Aslef staff have been offered a 2 percent pay rise as well as money saved from productivity gains, such as changes to shift patterns.
However, Whelan said his members deserve an increase closer to inflation, which is projected to hit 11 percent by October.
The TSSA is also threatening action, with results from ballots at 10 train operators and Network Rail due in the next two weeks.
The road network was severely congested yesterday as a result of demonstrators blocking cars and yelling over the skyrocketing cost of petrol.
As workers struggle to make ends meet on their present wage packages, soaring inflation is mostly blamed for the anger among union members.
The initial results from Aslef’s balloting of train drivers will be out next week.
“It will cause far greater disruption than in the past.” According to Mick Whelan, general secretary of the drivers’ union Aslef, “we don’t go on strike very often.”
Two industry executives said if drivers at all companies walked out simultaneously, the network would run less than 10 percent of normal services.
The government has berated the unions for causing disruption to people’s lives and are now threatening new ‘minimum service agreements’, which would mean that a certain number of services would have to be maintained in the event of a strike.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps has also stated he wants to introduce a new law that would make it harder for unions to strike unless they adhere closely to the wording of their initial ballot.
In a statement the government said: ‘We want to see rail unions engage fully with their employers, instead Aslef are first seeking to cause further misery to passengers by joining others in disrupting the rail network,’.