Britain is set for biggest rail strike in nearly 100 years
Thousands more workers vote for walkouts
UNION barons threatened the biggest strikes on the railways for nearly 100 years yesterday as thousands more workers voted for walkouts.
Train drivers for eight operators, including on major routes such as the East Coast Main Line, voted in favour of a ‘summer of discontent’.
And members of the TSSA union, who work for Network Rail and operator Southeastern, also voted for walkouts.
Aslef members had already voted to strike on trains run by another three operators, and TSSA members for five operators had also already voted for walkouts.
The militant RMT, the biggest of the three rail unions, is also poised to announce another series of walkouts at 14 mainline train operators, Network Rail and the London Underground.
Walkout dates have yet to be announced, but union leaders have threatened to co- ordinate them in a bid to cause the biggest walkout since the 1926 General Strike.
They must give at least two weeks’ notice, meaning July 26 is the earliest all could walk out together. That week or the first week of August could be targeted to cause mayhem for the Commonwealth Games, which runs from July 28 until August 8 in Birmingham.
It would also create chaos for domestic holidaymakers and those trying to reach airports, with millions of families planning trips abroad after the majority of schools break up on July 22.
There is speculation that the three unions are delaying announcing dates so they can coordinate their action.
TSSA boss Manuel Cortes told the Daily Mail: ‘We’re probably heading towards the biggest strike wave on the railways since 1926.
‘Whatever we do, we will be seeking to maximise the impact of any action.
‘If the Government removes its dead hand from the negotiations and allows employers a free hand, we might get there with a deal before we have to take any action.’
Boss of Aslef, Mick Whelan, said: ‘Many of our members – who were, you will remember, 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 said the demands were not ‘unreasonable’ despite train drivers already earning an average salary of £54,000, compared to around £31,000 for nurses and £41,000 for police officers.
RMT boss Mick Lynch said: ‘We congratulate our friends in Aslef for their superb ballot result and the huge mandate they have for strike action on the railways.
‘When railway unions and others unite, they are an unstoppable force in the workplace and wider society.’
Rail bosses concede that if all three unions walk out together, barely any trains could run. During the last round of three 24-hour walkouts last month, which only involved RMT workers, they managed to keep around one in five services running.
Collectively, the three unions represent about 90,000 rail workers. They want salary increases of at least seven per cent and a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.
Talks got under way again yesterday between the RMT, Network Rail and train operators in a bid to strike a deal.
A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said: ‘We want to see rail unions engage with train operators over the reforms needed to secure a bright long- term future for the industry, including working with Aslef to deliver the more punctual, reliable services we know passengers care about.’
‘Unstoppable force’