UK train conductors to strike again at the start of February

Train drivers across the UK will strike again at the start of next month after rejecting the latest pay offer from rail companies.

The Aslef union said Tuesday its members would walk out on Feb. 1 and 3 in a move likely to bring the network to a standstill.

The first date will coincide with separate strikes by teachers and as many as 100,000 civil servants who are also demanding higher pay in the face of double-digit inflation. Labor groups will also stage protests on Feb. 1 against a proposed law that would allow the government to enforce minimum levels of service during strikes.

“The proposal is not and could not ever be acceptable but we are willing to engage in further discussions within the process that we previously agreed,” said Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef.

The train lines set to be affected by the new strike dates are Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; London North Eastern Railway; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway (depot drivers only); SWR Island Line; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.