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Aslef overtime ban sparks reduction in train services

EPA A woman runs for a trainEPA

Rail passengers are being warned of disruption for the next six days, due to an overtime ban by train drivers in the Aslef union.

Fifteen train companies based in England will be hit from Monday until Saturday, in the latest move in the long-running pay dispute.

Many will reduce their service levels, and passengers are being advised to check before they travel.

Aslef said the latest pay offer was like a return to "Victorian times".

Strikes by other rail workers in the RMT union are set to take place later this month, on 20, 22 and 29 July.

Tennis travel hit

Most train companies rely on drivers working overtime to run their full schedules.

Among the disruption expected this week:

  • South Western Railway says it will run a reduced timetable with some first and last trains cancelled. Its services are likely to be busier than usual, and passengers heading to the Wimbledon tennis championships are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys
  • Gatwick Express is not running this week but the airport will be served by Southern and Thameslink
  • Northern is advising passengers to expect some services to start later and finish earlier than usual, as well as short-notice cancellations
  • Great Western Railway expects some short-notice alterations or cancellations, and says its Night Riviera Sleeper service will not run in either direction until Sunday
  • Chiltern Railways is warning customers only to travel if absolutely essential on Saturday. Its trains will not stop at the station by Wembley Stadium, which is hosting a concert by Blur.

The long-running pay dispute by train drivers centres around union members accepting a deal worth 4% two years in a row, bringing drivers' average pay to £65,000. This offer has already been rejected by Aslef.

It would have been contingent on changes to working practices, which the employers and government - who dictate what is under discussion in talks - say are needed to cut costs and modernise how the railway runs.

"They wanted to go back to Victorian times, in relation to how we roster, how we recruit, how we do things," Aslef general secretary Mr Whelan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "The word 'reform' is 'want productivity for nothing'."

The union argues members, who have not had a pay rise in four years, should not have to sacrifice working conditions in return for a below-inflation wage increase.

Last month, Aslef members at 10 operators backed further strike action, meaning it could last for another six months if there is no settlement.

Mr Whelan said the situation was a "Westminster ideological problem" and claimed the union did not have issues in Scotland, Wales, with freight, the London Underground, Crossrail or Eurostar.

"We did 14 pay deals in the last 12 months. The only place we can't get a pay deal is with the Westminster government," he added.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said Aslef had rejected a "fair and affordable offer" without putting it to its members. "We ask Aslef to recognise the very real financial challenge the industry is facing and work with us to deliver a better, more reliable railway with a strong long-term future," it added.

Further strike action?

Aslef does not have any further strikes planned at present but said more dates could "quite possibly" be added soon.

Meanwhile, workers such as train guards in the RMT union are expected to walk out later this month in their dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions.

The strike action has now lasted over a year. With no resolution in sight, the train companies are preparing to move ahead with plans to close hundreds of ticket offices.

The RDG said only 12% of tickets were now sold at station kiosks.

Its spokesperson said under proposed changes staff would be moved on to concourses to help and advise more customers. They added that employees and the public would be consulted about any changes.

But RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said last week his union would not "meekly sit by and allow thousands of jobs to be sacrificed or see disabled and vulnerable passengers left unable to use the railways as a result".

The union suggested it could take further industrial action over the issue.