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ASLEF drivers have overwhelmingly voted for more strikes at five train operators, again rejecting the offer the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) put to the union last April.
General secretary Mick Whelan today urged the government and the train companies the RDG represents to resume talks following the results of the six-monthly reballot.
He said the RDG knew its “ridiculous” offer would be rejected “because we had told them that a land grab for all the terms and conditions we have negotiated over the years would be unacceptable.”
Across rail operators — Chiltern Railways, c2c, East Midlands Railway, Northern Trains, TransPennine Trains — between 89.4 and 95.5 per cent of workers voted for strike action.
The turnout was between 70 and 76.7 per cent.
The union also announced strikes and an overtime ban at two train companies — LNER and Northern — “for their persistent failure to comply with existing agreements” on March 1.
Members will also not work overtime on LNER and Northern from February 29 to March 2.
Mr Whelan said: “We are fed up to the back teeth with the bad faith shown, day after day, week after week, and month after month by these two companies.
“We always stick to agreements which we make. These companies think they can break agreements — which they freely enter into — whenever it suits them.
“And they’re wrong. This is a shot across their bows and a sign of things to come.”
The RDG said: “We want to give our people a pay rise, but the Aslef leadership need to recognise that in an industry where taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54 million a week to keep services running post-Covid, any pay rise must be fair and sustainable.”
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said the company was “surprised and disappointed” that strike action has been called.
An LNER spokesperson said: “We encourage Aslef to continue to work with us to find a way to end this long-running dispute which only damages the rail industry.”
