National rail strikes by train drivers will enter their 22nd month with a series of rolling walk-outs next month.
Members of the Aslef union plan to halt thousands of trains on 5, 6 and 8 April. The aim is to disrupt services on the 14 rail firms in England that are controlled by the UK government and represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
In addition, five days of overtime bans will cause further cancellations.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union, Aslef, during a previous strike
(PA)
The previous national industrial action by train drivers, comprising an overtime ban and “rolling” regional walk-outs, hit for nine days from 29 January to 6 February.
The aim of these rolling strikes and the ban on rest-day working is to cause maximum disruption for minimum loss of pay.
Industrial action by Aslef in a dispute over pay and working arrangements began in July 2022. The union is demanding a no-strings pay award, but rail firms – directed by ministers – say any increase is contingent on radical reforms to working practices in order to reduce public subsidies.
During the dispute, hundreds of millions of journeys have been cancelled. Billions of pounds have been lost to the UK economy – particularly hospitality businesses – and taxpayers are pumping cash into an increasingly decrepit and unreliable railway to the tune of £90 per second on top of the normal subsidy.
The quarrel has become increasingly bitter, with no sign of any progress towards a settlement.
The latest walk-outs will be in addition to two days of strikes by Aslef members who drive trains for the London Underground.
One aim of the next industrial action is to bring the capital to a near-standstill on Monday 8 April when the vast majority of Tube and commuter trains will be cancelled.
Caught in the middle of a seemingly intractable dispute: the passenger. In a snap social media poll for The Independent, with 2,142 responses, one in three passengers say they will permanently travel less after the industrial action finally ends.
These are the key questions and answers.
Which rail firms are involved?
Aslef is in dispute with the 14 train operators that are contracted by the UK government to provide rail services. They are:
Intercity operators:
CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
Great Western Railway (GWR)
TransPennine…
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