Londoners have been warned of rail shortages as train drivers refuse to work overtime
ondoners are warned to expect failures in railway services this week as train drivers refuse to work overtime for six days.
Aslef announced last month that its members would cancel non-contractual overtime, known as a day off, from 16 of the country’s 35 rail operators from Monday to Saturday 8 July.
The promotion may affect visitors during the first week of the exhibition Wimbledon tennis tournament.
Popular commuter services such as Southern, Southeastern, Thameslink and Southwest Railway will be affected.
Some rail companies have warned they will not be able to run full services on those dates, while others have said they could face cancellations at short notice.
Affected railway companies: Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; Running; East Midlands Railway; Greater England; GWR; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; Island Line; LNER; Northern trains; South-eastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; main line of the South-Western Railway; SVR depot drivers; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.
It is understood that since the announcement of the action on June 19, no negotiations between the union and the railway workers have been held.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said at the time: “Once again we have no choice but to take these measures.
“We sat down at the negotiating table in good faith all the time, trying to resolve this dispute.
“Unfortunately, it is clear from the actions of both the railway companies and the government that they do not want the dispute to end.
“It seems their goals are to continue industrial conflicts and destroy our industry.
“We don’t want to inconvenience the public.
“We just want our members to be paid fairly during a cost of living crisis with inflation above 10% and our terms and conditions not to be scrapped.
“It’s time for the government and companies to think again and find a solution.”
A spokesman for Rail Delivery Group responded: “Aslef management continue to disrupt customers’ travel plans.
“They have rejected a fair and affordable proposal without presenting it to their members, which would have seen the average driver’s basic pay for a four-day week without overtime rise from £60,000 to almost £65,000 by the end of 2023.
“Rail companies will do their best to minimize the impact of the overtime ban, but the impact of Aslef’s action will vary between the 16 train operators and customers are advised to check their travel plans before departure.
“We are asking Aslef to recognize the very real financial challenge facing the industry and work with us to create a better railway with a strong long-term future.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/aslef-overtime-ban-rail-disruption-london-wimbledon-championships-b1091592.html
