ASLEF union said that a driver was sacked for raising a safety concern as its members went on a strike again today over his dismissal.

Members of the train drivers’ union have been taking industrial action since March over the sacking of a colleague who has been in the industry for 25 years.

Hull Trains have denied firing the driver for raising a concern about fatigue.

Today Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “The company seems to think that we’re going to give up and go away, but it is wrong.

“It sacked a driver, over what it claimed was a safety issue, who has a clean safety record. The driver did nothing wrong.

“The company has behaved not just badly but vindictively in persecuting a driver for doing nothing more than raising a safety concern.

“The company appears to think this is just ‘a little local difficulty’. It isn’t. There is a very important principle here that involves everyone in the railway industry.

“The company’s failure to act responsibly has enormous implications not just for rail workers and passengers at Hull Trains but for staff and passengers right across the wider rail network.

“This is a moral issue because we have a culture on the railway designed to keep everyone safe.

“Anyone who works on the railway should be able to report a safety concern without fearing that they will be penalised, punished, or lose their livelihood.”

A spokesman for Hull Trains said: “The company put forward an offer to resolve this situation but this was rejected. We remain committed to open dialogue with Aslef.”