Second strike in a week halts UK trains

Written by David Milliken

LONDON (Reuters) – Nearly 5,000 train drivers on nearly a quarter of Britain’s rail network went on strike on Saturday as part of a push to raise wages after the country’s inflation hit a 40-year high.

The 24-hour strike organized by ASLEF is the second significant labor strike this week on Britain’s rail network, after 40,000 members of the RMT and TSSA unions – which represent other railway workers – staged a major strike on Wednesday. free businees.

Rising prices – consumer inflation currently stands at 9.4% – and lower wage increases have heightened labor tensions in sectors such as the postal services, health care, schools, airports and the judiciary.

The rail strike is expected to cause a “significant disruption” to services throughout Saturday and Sunday morning, according to Network Rail, which operates Britain’s rail infrastructure.

Nearly all services have been canceled on seven of the country’s 34 train operators, including regional networks to southeast and eastern England, as well as long-distance lines connecting London to the southwest, northeast and Edinburgh.

Rail services in Great Britain are run by foreign state-owned railway companies that receive short-term contracts and operating subsidies from the government. These subsidies have increased as passengers stay home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said franchise agreements typically only provide for 2% salary increases for mechanics.

“In this time of the cost-of-living crisis, we believe this situation cannot continue,” Whelan told BBC Radio.

Steve Montgomery, managing director of rail operator First Rail and president of the Rail Delivery Group, said operators will only give higher pay increases if train drivers agree to changes in labor practices that lead to cost savings.

“We’re not asking people to ‘work more hours,’ but to be more productive within the hours they currently have,” he said.

ASLEF is planning another one-day strike on August 13.