ASLEF train drivers will begin a week-long rolling programme of one-day strikes today over their bitter pay freeze dispute.
The rail union said that members across 16 train firms will walk out from Saturday to next Friday alongside a nine-day overtime ban.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the action was to “express our disgust at the intransigence of this government, and the bad faith shown by the private companies which employ us.”
He said the union hasn’t heard from its employers since April as they and ministers “simply can’t be bothered.
“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,” he said.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train firms, said they “want to reach a fair agreement which will get more trains running on time and put the railway on a sustainable footing.”
