Train drivers at nine rail companies to strike on August 13
The walkout means only 20% of trains have run on Wednesday, as Consumer Editor Chris Choi reports
Another rail strike is scheduled to take place next month plunging the country further into travel chaos amid a worsening dispute over pay and working conditions.
Union Aslef train drivers at nine rail companies will stage a one-day walkout on Saturday August 13.
The union said the firms failed to make a pay offer to help members keep pace with increases in the cost of living and the strike is a "last resort".
Drivers are already set to strike this Saturday at seven companies, while on Wednesday, Aslef members at two more train operators voted overwhelmingly for industrial action.
The announcement was made as strikes by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union and Transport Salaried Staffs Association crippled services on Wednesday, with only around one in five trains running and some areas having none at all.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know
Shadow transport minister Sam Tarry, who appeared on the picket line with rail workers during Wednesday's strike, has been sacked for taking part, the Labour Party has said.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party will always stand up for working people fighting for better pay, terms and conditions at work.
“This isn’t about appearing on a picket line. Members of the frontbench sign up to collective responsibility. That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed frontbench positions.
“As a government-in-waiting, any breach of collective responsibility is taken extremely seriously and for these reasons Sam Tarry has been removed from the frontbench.”
Drivers at Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry voted by more than 9-1 to go on strike, it was announced on Wednesday.
They will strike on August 13 alongside drivers at Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.
Rail bosses admitted earlier they "don't know how long" strikes will continue, with further days of industrial action planned next month on the railways and London Underground.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, said he does not know how long the strikes could go on for and that train operators and Network Rail need to come up with "feasible" offers
General secretary of union Aslef, Mick Whelan, said: “Strikes are always the last resort.
“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use public transport too – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the government.
“Many of our members, who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic, have not had a pay rise since 2019."
He pointed out that with inflation forecasted to rise above 10% this year, drivers have actually had a "real-terms pay cut" over the last three years and said "it's not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row".
"Especially as the train companies are doing very nicely, thank you, out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and train drivers don’t want to work longer for less," he added.
How have the strikes impacted passengers around the country? ITV News journalists report from Edinburgh, Bradford and Truro
“Wage rises aren’t fuelling inflation. Excess profiteering is, but the government isn’t asking companies to cut profits or dividend payments to help manage inflation. Wages are chasing prices, not putting them up.
“We don’t see why we should forego an increase in salary to keep pace with inflation and help the privatised train companies make even bigger profits to send abroad.”
A row broke out between unions and the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps after he laid out plans to curb industrial action, including stopping coordinated industrial action, limiting picketing and having a cooling off period after strikes.
He told the Daily Telegraph: “I’m looking at banning strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period. We should also place an absolute limit of six pickets at points of Critical National Infrastructure, irrespective of the number of unions involved, and outlaw intimidatory language.
“Ballot papers should also set out clearly the specific reason for industrial action and the form of action to be taken. In addition, before strike dates are announced, employers should have the right to respond to the issue cited on the ballot paper.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “If Grant Shapps had his way we would all still be in the workhouse.”
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The Government wants to turn the clock back to Victorian times when children were sent up chimneys and working people ruthlessly exploited.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “It’s incredibly disappointing Aslef bosses have announced more destructive strike action, particularly when it has become clear they have no interest in holding constructive talks with the industry.
“Train drivers, such as those Aslef represent, earn, on average, just under £60,000 – more than twice the UK average and significantly more than the very workers who will be most impacted by these strikes despite stumping up £600 per household to keep the railway running throughout the pandemic.
“Our railway is in desperate need of modernisation to make it work better for passengers and be financially sustainable for the long term. We urge union bosses to reconsider this divisive action and instead work with their employers, not against them, to agree a new way forward.”