More rail disruption as union announces new August overtime ban for train drivers

Passengers are being warned of additional disruption to train journey after the train drivers’ union introduced one other week-long overtime ban.

Drivers will refuse to work overtime from Monday 7 August till Saturday 12 August, with the Aslef union claiming providers will likely be “critically” affected.

It has accused the train firms of failing to make use of sufficient divers to “ship the providers they’ve promised passengers, and the federal government, they may run”.

The operatiors affected by the economic motion are: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, Cross Nation, East Midlands Railway, Higher Anglia, Nice Western Railway, GTR Nice Northern Thameslink, Island Line, LNER, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Specific, South Western Railway primary line, TransPennine Specific, and West Midlands Trains.

It can comply with 4 earlier week-long bans on drivers working overtime – one in Might and three in July – affecting trains proper throughout the nation.

“We don’t need to take this motion – as a result of we don’t need folks to be inconvenienced – however the train firms, and the federal government which stands behind them, have pressured us into this place as a result of they refuse to take a seat down and discuss to us and haven’t made a good and wise pay supply to train drivers who haven’t had one for 4 years – since 2019 – whereas costs have soared in that point by greater than 12 per cent,” mentioned Mick Whelan, Aslef’s basic secretary.

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