By Jack Mendel
Train and tram drivers have voted overwhelmingly to strike, as Aslef members on the Croydon tram system will also walk out next month.
Chiltern, Northern and TransPennine Express have backed industrial action in a dispute over pay, according to their union Aslef.
The votes were 9 to 1 in favour of strikes, with turnouts of over 80 per cent.
Union members who operate the London Tramslink in south London will also walk out for three days in September.
This comes amid a summer of discontent with train, rail, postal and telecommunications workers all striking over pay and conditions.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said according to PA, strikes were always the last resort, adding: “You can see from the votes – and the turnouts – just how angry our members are.
“These are the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic, yet have not had a pay rise since 2019.
“With inflation running at north of 10 per cent – and set to go much higher – several train companies are saying that they want their drivers to take a real-terms pay cut.
“We now have mandates at 12 companies. After our one-day strike on August 13, the Rail Delivery Group, the pressure group which represents the interests of the privatised train operating companies, asked for talks. Those talks were strained, but quite constructive.
Meanwhile, Finn Brennan, ASLEF’s full-time organiser on Croydon Tramlink, said: “There has been no contact from Tramlink management and no new offer since our last strike in the middle of July. It seems FirstGroup, who operate the tram system on behalf of TfL, don’t care about either the welfare of their staff or the impact on their passengers of more disruption.
‘Their offer means a huge wage cut for staff who face being unable to heat their homes and pay their bills this winter. We are having to strike again because management are not prepared to make anything like a fair offer that reflects the real cost of living.”
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