Union leader accuses Shapps of lying about negotiations
The Aslef union has accused the Transport Secretary of “lying” about this summer’s rail strike negotiations.
Grant Shapps had written in the Times: “The ‘two Micks’, RMT’s Lynch and Aslef’s Whelan, are taking the taxpayer for a ride, but not in the way they are intended.
“RMT is stalling reform and Aslef is dragging its feet on negotiations while both are calling for more strikes. Enough.”
Mick Whelan, General Secretary of Aslef Picture: Nick Ansell/PA
In response, Whelan told Times Radio this morning:
I say Mr. Shapps is lying, plain and simple.
We are not dragging our feet in negotiations, we negotiate with 14 private companies, we do not work for the government or the DfT [Department for Transport].”
I wish Mr. Shapps would get us out of this catch-22 situation that he misrepresents at every opportunity.
Updated at 10.05am BST
Key events
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Key events (5)Aslef (8)RMT (3)London (3)Labour (3)Mick Whelan (3)
More Labor MPs have shown support for Aslef members as Ian Lavery and Ian Mearns join the picket in Newcastle along with North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll:
Updated at 10.43 BST
Sam Tarry joins the Aslef picket line at Paddington Station
Sam Tarry, the former shadow transport minister who was sacked from the front bench this week, has joined another picket line at London’s Paddington station.
Tarry and Transport for London Assembly leader Elly Baker joined Aslef members at the station as thousands of train drivers from seven companies walked out for 24 hours.
Tarry was sacked on Wednesday hours after joining strikers on an RMT picket line at Euston station.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer, who previously banned banking leaders from joining picket lines, said he was sacked for carrying out a media round without warning.
Tarry wrote about his decision and sense of duty to join the picket line for the Guardian. You can read it here:
Updated at 10.16am BST
Mary Kelly Foy, Labor MP for Durham City, has expressed her solidarity with Aslef union members as they go on strike.
In solidarity with @ASLEFunion members on strike across the country today.
I am with you in your fight for safer work and better conditions.
Under the Tories we face a race to the bottom: working people deserve better. https://t.co/QSqBSWbGzg
— Mary Kelly Foy MP (@marykfoy) July 30, 2022 The picket line in Reading, Berkshire Picture: Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock Aslef union members on strike Picture: Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock
LNER, which runs trains between London and Scotland, is today warning customers of its “extremely limited services”.
Updated at 09.35 BST
Union leader accuses Shapps of lying about negotiations
The Aslef union has accused the Transport Secretary of “lying” about this summer’s rail strike negotiations.
Grant Shapps had written in the Times: “The ‘two Micks’, RMT’s Lynch and Aslef’s Whelan, are taking the taxpayer for a ride, but not in the way they are intended.
“RMT is stalling reform and Aslef is dragging its feet on negotiations while both are calling for more strikes. Enough.”
Mick Whelan, General Secretary of Aslef Picture: Nick Ansell/PA
In response, Whelan told Times Radio this morning:
I say Mr. Shapps is lying, plain and simple.
We are not dragging our feet in negotiations, we negotiate with 14 private companies, we do not work for the government or the DfT [Department for Transport].”
I wish Mr. Shapps would get us out of this catch-22 situation that he misrepresents at every opportunity.
Updated at 10.05am BST
Great Western Railway says the disruption to its services will continue tomorrow and is asking passengers to travel only if strictly necessary.
Updated at 09.01 BST
In response to Aslef, the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, says it would be unfair to give drivers a raise as it would mean asking passengers for more money.
Steve Montgomery, the organization’s president, said:
We are very disappointed that Aslef management have decided to impose even more uncertainty and disruption for passengers and businesses in a week that has already seen an RMT strike.
Millions of passengers will have their weekend plans disrupted, especially those who are working, or going to the Commonwealth Games or the first football game of the season.
While we will do our best to minimize disruption, if you are traveling on the affected routes, please plan ahead and check the latest travel advice.
If you are unable to travel, you can use your ticket the day before or up to and including August 2, otherwise you can change your ticket or claim a refund.
Like any service or business, we have to move with the times and we can’t keep asking taxpayers or passengers for more money when we should be responding to the huge changes in travel behavior post-Covid.
Updated at 08.49 BST
We’ve got a bit more from Mick Whelan on why Aslef members have decided to strike.
He says:
We don’t want to upset commuters, our friends and family use public transport too, and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike, but we have been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been. pushed into this by the Tory government.
Many of our members, who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods across the country during the pandemic, have not had a pay raise since 2019.
With inflation north of 10%, that means these drivers have had a real pay cut over the past three years.
We want an increase in line with the cost of living, we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021.
It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you don’t get worse for three years in a row.
Mainly because the train companies are doing very well, thank you, outside of British Rail, with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders and big salaries for managers, and train drivers don’t want to work longer for less.
Rising wages are not fueling inflation. Excess leverage does, but the government doesn’t ask companies to cut profits or pay dividends to help manage inflation.
Wages follow prices, not drive them up.
We don’t see why we should give up a pay rise to keep up with inflation and help the privatized train companies make even bigger profits to ship overseas.
Why are the machinists on strike?
The striking drivers are all part of the Aslef trade union.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said strikes were “a last resort” but that many of its members had not had a pay rise for three years, despite working during the pandemic, and the ‘high level of inflation meant that they had received a salary. cut in real terms.
We apologize for the disruption caused. We understand that this is what happens when we take industrial action, but it is up to the companies to correct it.
Updated at 08.48 BST
What services are affected?
topham white
As just mentioned, West Midlands Trains is one of the seven companies affected today.
But these companies operate more than seven services.
The other services experiencing problems are intercity services on the LNER, which runs from London to Scotland via Leeds. This service will be greatly reduced. Great West services will be severely curtailed. All Heathrow Express trains are canceled and no GWR services will run west of Bristol to Wales.
A minimum of one Greater Anglia service and only one Hull Trains service in each direction will operate. There will be no trains running on the South East and most London Overground services will also stop.
Other train operators such as Southern and Thameslink have warned that services could be overcrowded and disrupted as passengers switch to alternative services.
Updated at 07.58 BST
The biggest strike of machinists in decades begins
Good morning.
Across the UK, millions face rail disruption today as thousands of train drivers from seven operators strike in a dispute over pay.
The industrial action by members of the Aslef union represents the biggest strike by train drivers in decades and will halt services at some train operators.
Among the services affected is West Midlands Trains, which runs to sports venues around Birmingham, the host city of the Commonwealth Games.
Rail officials accused the union of targeting its action on the opening weekend of both the Games and the new English football league season.
We’ll bring you the latest on this story throughout the day.