London: Train drivers at 16 rail companies in Britain began a new wave of strikes starting from Friday, amid a long-running dispute over pay.
Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), a trade union of train drivers in England, Scotland and Wales, were expected to take part in a program of rolling one-day strikes between Friday and next Monday.
ASLEF announced the industrial action last month, calling on the train companies and the government “to come to the table for meaningful talks to negotiate a new pay deal for train drivers who have not had an increase in salary since 2019.”
“Many members have now not had a single penny increase in pay for half a decade, during which time inflation has soared and, with it, the cost of living,” ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said in a statement.
“We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table but it is now clear they do not want to resolve this dispute,” he added. “They are happy for it to go on and on.”
As strike action was likely to result in little or no services across large areas of the network operated by the affected train companies, passengers were warned to expect significant disruption and advised to check before traveling.