On the eve of a “solidarity rally” in support of a sacked train driver, the leader of Aslef has warned that strikes on Hull Trains will continue.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union, said: “The dispute’s been on for seven months and you know what we’re like – we’ll keep going till we get the appropriate result.”
Aslef is calling for the reinstatement of a driver who was dismissed on safety grounds in January 2025, following a company briefing on fatigue.
In the latest ballot, drivers working for Hull trains voted 17 to 15 in favour of continuing the strike. They have taken 77 days of industrial action so far.
The union says the driver has experienced several suicides during their shifts and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following assistance he gave to victims of the 7/7 bus bombing in London.
Mr Whelan said: “He ran towards Tavistock Square to help those that were injured and dying. That did leave him with a bit of PTSD.
“The company and him worked it through. He has had fatigue problems in the past, but they’ve given him coping mechanisms.
“We have a 51-year-old driver with a perfect record of 20 years who’s done nothing wrong, who they’ve – through a witch hunt – have forced out of the industry.”
Leaders of several trades unions will join the Aslef general secretary at the rally at Hull Paragon station on Friday, 28 August. Mr Whelan said: “It’s our way of letting Hull Trains know that we’re not going away.
A spokesperson for Hull Trains, said: “Hull Trains follows highly regulated industry standard agreements and procedures for safety. We have stringent safety reporting processes and provide extensive ongoing training and health and wellbeing support for our colleagues which has secured industry recognition.”
“The company has made a number of proposals for a resolution of this matter with Aslef. We remain committed to open dialogue to resolve this situation and avoid further disruption to our customers.”
Hull Trains has been running a full timetable for several weeks, using non-striking drivers and managers.
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