TRAIN drivers across 16 companies and the London Underground will strike next month, Aslef announced today.

Tube drivers voted to walk out on April 8 and May 4 over bosses’ failure to give assurances that changes to their terms and conditions will not be imposed without agreement and that all existing agreements will be honoured.

London Underground Aslef organiser Finn Brennan said London Underground management established a full-time team of managers preparing to impose their plans “for massive changes to drivers’ working conditions.”

A Transport for London spokesperson said it had no plans to impose changes without discussions and was committed to protecting jobs.

Separately members at the train operators will begin another series of rolling one-day strikes from April 5 to 8 alongside an overtime ban from April 4-6 and 8-9.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the decision to strike shows a “clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by the Rail Delivery Group.”

He said the union called on the train companies and the government to come to the table for “meaningful talks to negotiate a new pay deal for train drivers” last month but “it is now clear they do not want to resolve this dispute.” 

Drivers will walk out at Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, and CrossCountry on April 5; at Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Trains on April 6;  at c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway main line and depot drivers, and SWR Island Line on April 8. 

The Rail Delivery Group insisted it wanted to resolve this dispute but services were being subsidised by “hard-pressed taxpayers.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson hit out at Aslef for continuing strikes and said it resolved disputes with other rail unions.