Members of the union at LNER have decided to refrain from working on weekends starting from September 1 until November 10.
Passengers travelling between London and Edinburgh will experience significant disruption as LNER drivers have announced a series of strikes spanning from September to early November.
According to Aslef, the train drivers’ union, its members employed by LNER have decided to go on strike every weekend from September 1 to November 10. Aslef claims that this decision is a result of a significant deterioration in industrial relations, instances of management bullying, and consistent violations of agreements by the company.
This action will result in significant disruption to passenger services on the east coast mainline, which is a crucial route connecting London to cities such as Leeds, York, and Newcastle.
The union has made it clear that this strike action is distinct from the ongoing national dispute with 16 train companies. There is potential for resolution if union members accept the recently negotiated pay deal between the government and Aslef bosses.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has been operating the east coast line under the LNER brand as an operator of last resort since May 2018, so it will be an issue for the incoming Labour government. After Virgin Trains East Coast, which was 90% owned by Stagecoach, terminated its unprofitable contract, the government assumed control.
These new strikes come as a setback to the government’s optimism that the proposed deal for Aslef members and the train operating companies would finally bring an end to the prolonged railway disruptions that have lasted for over two years. Train drivers have been presented with a generous offer of a 14% pay increase over a span of three years. This increase is not only backdated but also pensionable, and it comes without any alterations to their existing terms and conditions.
Similar to an auditor, the occurrence of these events on a state-run service may have implications for the DfT’s efforts to renationalise the railways. This includes the plan to bring franchises under public control when the current private operators’ contracts expire, or even earlier if legal advice suggests a breach of contract.
James Cleverly, a contender for the Conservative Party leadership, expressed his belief that the Aslef announcement demonstrated the government’s susceptibility to union influence and would have dire consequences for families.
The union has scheduled 22 days of action, with each strike beginning on Saturday at midnight and concluding on Sunday just before midnight.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, expressed frustration with the company’s ongoing inability to address longstanding labour disputes, which has led to the current situation. We would prefer not to be here. The company has consistently violated diagramming and roster agreements, disregarded the agreed-upon bargaining machinery, and demonstrated a complete lack of good faith.
According to the union, this action is the result of a long-standing dispute that has been ongoing for almost two years. The concerns raised include drivers being asked to work outside of agreed-upon schedules and the use of managers as replacement drivers during strike days.
According to Aslef, managers were provided with £500 per shift to compensate for workers on rest days and £175 if any action occurred during a regular working day. Nigel Roebuck, Aslef’s representative for negotiations with LNER, expressed concerns about the staffing levels of drivers employed by the company. According to Roebuck, LNER has struggled to fulfil its service commitments due to a shortage of drivers. He also mentioned that the company has relied heavily on favours and goodwill in the past, but when those resources became scarce, they resorted to pressuring our members and violating our agreements.
The union urged LNER to engage in discussions and emphasised that the train operator has the power to halt the strikes by adhering to their agreements and conducting themselves in a proper and decent manner.
A state-owned operator of last resort oversees LNER, one of four operators in England. There are also Northern Trains, TransPennine Trains, and Southeastern Trains.
In the latest report by the Office of Rail and Road, it was revealed that LNER ranked as the fifth worst-performing operator in terms of reliability. Only 57.3% of its trains managed to arrive on time between January and March this year.
LNER stated that their main focus is to minimise the inconvenience caused to customers during the upcoming Aslef strikes, which unfortunately will still result in disruptions and delays. After our recent fruitful discussions, we are shocked and disappointed by this news. We will strive to collaborate with Aslef in order to resolve this ongoing dispute, as it only serves to harm the rail industry.