UK train-driver union would make threatened strikes national

The UK train drivers’ union said it’s likely to coordinate any strikes resulting from a ballot across multiple companies, aiming for maximum disruption to the railway amid disputes over pay.

Results from a month-long vote are due Monday, according to Keith Richmond, a spokesman for the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. Coordinating any action as a walkout covering much of Britain would be an “obvious” move, he said Tuesday.

A strike by Aslef drivers would herald a new wave of turmoil across Britain’s rail network even as the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers consults with members on the latest proposals to resolve its dispute, which led to the country’s biggest train strike in 30 years last month.

Aslef is seeking higher wages for members who it says have had no raise since 2019 as inflation spirals. Annual pay currently ranges from about £45,000 on the 8.5-mile Isle of Wight line to £70,000 for drivers of intercity expresses.

The union, which has more 21,000 members, has called ballots for industrial action across numerous firms as it pushes its claims. Strikes have already been held at Greater Anglia and the Croydon Tramlink, while a walkout at Hull Trains was put on hold amid continuing negotiations.

Ballots close on Monday at eight operators, including LNER and Great Western, which respectively link London with Scotland and southwest England and Wales, the Southeastern commuter service, and Northern Trains and TransPennine, which provide vital transport links in northern England.

Votes will be held through July 27 at CrossCountry, freight operator Direct Rail Services, and Avanti West Coast, which connects London with Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow.

A ballot on a recommended offer from ScotRail closes on Friday, with deals already concluded at eight companies including Eurostar International Ltd.

RMT Pause

In the separate RMT dispute, over job security as well as pay, the union’s lead negotiator said Friday that there’ll be a pause which may take the whole of this week while it seeks feedback from members on the latest offer from employers and requests for associated savings.

Negotiations with train operating companies and state-backed track and station owner Network Rail Ltd. are set to resume next Monday, spokesman John Millington said in an email, with no further strike dates currently scheduled.

The RMT’s three-day national action last month likely cost the economy almost £100 million ($121 million), with London worst hit, according to analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

Aslef General Secretary Mick Whelan said that a national drivers strike would cause “massive” disruption to travel this summer, the Financial Times reported earlier, citing an interview.

French Action

French rail workers are meanwhile set to strike Wednesday, creating further transport havoc in the country after three days of walkouts last week at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport that closed runways and led to flight cancellations.

TGV expresses within France will be cut back by as much as 40% depending on the route, state rail operator SNCF said in a statement. Regional and Paris commuter rail lines will also be disrupted, while connections to Spain and the overnight train to Vienna will be halted.

The Eurostar link through the Channel Tunnel and Thalys services to Brussels and Amsterdam should be unaffected, while operations to Italy, Germany and Switzerland will be “quasi-normal,” SNCF said.