Train passengers warned of more rail strikes in December – full list of …

Rail passengers are being warned of more potential disruption in December due to upcoming strikes and an overtime ban by train drivers. The industrial action is taking place asl part of a long-standing pay dispute.

As a result some train operators may not run any services on affected days - and there could be last-minute cancellations. The drivers' union Aslef will stage a series of one-day strikes across different train operators from December 2 to 8, along with an overtime ban across all train companies from December 1 to 9.

Revised timetables are being prepared and should be available by November 30. Passengers who need to travel have been advised to plan ahead and check when their first and last train will depart.

The strikes will affect services at 17 train companies, with wide regional variations expected. Some operators will not run any services at all on strike days, and those that do will start later and finish much earlier than usual typically between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

It's likely that services on some lines will be affected on the evening before and morning after each strike from December 2 to 8 because rolling stock will not be in the right depots.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan earlier this month: “We are determined to win this dispute and get a significant pay rise for train drivers who have not had an increase since 2019, while the cost of living, in that time, has soared.

“The Transport Secretary, who has gone missing in action during this dispute, says we should put the offer to our members.

“What the minister apparently fails to understand is that, since the Rail Delivery Group’s (RDG) risible offer in April, we have received overwhelming mandates, on enormous turnouts, for more industrial action.

“Our members have spoken and we know what they think. Every time they vote – and they have voted overwhelmingly – for strike action in pursuit of a proper pay rise it is a clear rejection of the offer that was made in April.

“The RDG’s offer – a land grab for all our terms and conditions – was made in the full knowledge that it couldn’t – and wouldn’t – be accepted.”

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group said: "This unnecessary and avoidable industrial action called by the Aslef leadership has been targeted to disrupt customers and businesses ahead of the vital festive period, where people will be attending events and catching up with friends and loved ones."

"It will also inflict further damage on an industry that is receiving up to an additional £175 million a month in taxpayer cash to keep services running, following the Covid downturn."

"As the level of service varies across the country, our advice is to check before you travel and follow the latest travel information. Customers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets for travel between Saturday 2 December Friday 8 December can instead use their tickets any time between Friday 1 December up until Tuesday 12 December. Those with Advance tickets can be refunded fee-free if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed, or rescheduled."

"It doesn't have to be this way. The Aslef leadership are blocking a fair and affordable offer made by the industry in the Spring that would take average driver base salaries for a four-day week from £60,000 to nearly £65,000."

"We urge them to put it to its members, give Christmas^[3] back to our customers and end this damaging industrial dispute."

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport expressed disappointment, saying: "It is disappointing that Aslef are targeting the public and hospitality businesses at the beginning of the festive period, when there is a fair and reasonable pay offer for train drivers on the table that would take their salary up to an average of £65,000 for a 35-hour, four-day week. "

"Taxpayers contributed £1000 per household to protect train drivers' jobs during the pandemic. Instead of going on strike, Aslef should be following in the footsteps of the other rail unions and giving their members a vote on this fair pay deal."

The strikes will affect the following operators:

• December 2: East Midlands and LNER.
• December 3: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, West Midlands Trains, Great Northern/Thameslink.
• December 5: C2C, Greater Anglia.
• December 6: Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, Island Line.
• December 7: CrossCountry, Great Western Railway.
• December 8: Northern, TransPennine.
• Aslef members in all the companies will ban overtime from December 1-9.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.

References

1. ^{^} Partner of man battered to death in his own home picked out alleged murderer in ID parade, jury told (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Moment killer Audi driver speeds past at 118mph seconds before horror crash on major road that left one dead (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Christmas (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)