A new wave of rail strikes will disrupt all services on the West Midlands Railway network on Sunday, December 3.
The strike action was announced by The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) union, on November 16.
Union members will also refuse to work overtime, from December 1 to December 9, which could lead to service disruption and on the day cancellations throughout the strike action.
The current wave of industrial action – which has seen a total of 14 strike days since July 2022 – continues to blight passengers, as the union seeks a pay rise for its members.
The 18 month dispute remains ongoing after ASLEF members rejected a pay offer in April, yet rail operators and the current Conservative government appear too stubborn to re-open negotiations.
“We are determined to win this dispute,” said Mick Whelan, ASLEF’s general secretary. “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.
“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.”
Mick added: “We will continue to take industrial action until the train companies – and/or the government – sits down and negotiates with us in good faith.”
Other train operators will be impacted on the following dates:
- East Midlands and LNER – Saturday 2nd December
- Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Great Northern Thameslink – Sunday 3rd December
- C2C and Greater Anglia – Tuesday 5th December
- Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express and SouthWestern – Wednesday 6th December
- CrossCountry and GWR – Thursday 7th December
- Northern and TransPennine Express – Friday 8th December
Passengers with valid tickets for travel on the affected days may be entitled to compensation under the Delay Repay scheme, subject to its guidelines.
Visit www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/travel-information/journey-planning/service-disruption/industrial-action for more information.
