Aslef announce strike dates

[Efini92]

Aslef have announced the following dates for strike action and ban on non compulsory overtime.


Strikes & Non-compulsory overtime ban dates

Avanti West Coast
Strike day: Saturday 3 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6 February.

C2C
Strike day: Friday 2 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Chiltern Railways
Strike day: Monday 5 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

CrossCountry
Strike day: Monday 5 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

East Midlands Railway
Strike day: Saturday 3 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Great Western Railway
Strike day: Monday 5 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Greater Anglia
Strike day: Friday 2 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

GTR Great Northern Thameslink
Strike day: Tuesday 30 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Island Line
Strike day: Tuesday 30 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

LNER
Strike day: Friday 2 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Northern Trains
Strike day: Wednesday 31 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

South Western Railway Depot Drivers
Strike day: Tuesday 30 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

South Western Railway Mainline
Strike day: Tuesday 30 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Southeastern
Strike day: Tuesday 30 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Southern/Gatwick Express
Strike day: Tuesday 30 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Transpennine Trains
Strike day: Wednesday 31 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

West Midlands Trains
Strike day: Saturday 3 February 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until23:59 Tuesday 6 February.

 

[Mastermind88]

source?

 

[Sly Old Fox]

Email to members.

 

[Mastermind88]

Email to members.

thanks strange how its not broadcast via news yet

 

[HamworthyGoods]

thanks strange how its not broadcast via news yet

ASLEF usually announces to members first prior to making a press release.

 

[The Prisoner]

On the news now (multiple sources)

 

[footprints]

This strategy worked so well in December, I'm sure it will achieve a similar level of success this time round. It seems that ASLEF have either run out of ideas or just given up.

 

[newtownmgr]

thanks strange how its not broadcast via news yet

Aslef announces any news to members first & quite rightly so. Unlike this government & the RDG who announce so called offers to the press first without negotiations with aslef.

 

[43066]

This strategy worked so well in December, I'm sure it will achieve a similar level of success this time round.

. You say the same thing every time, including about the RMT dispute, and things changed there!

ASLEF’s strategy is to apply pressure “little and often”, but not overdo it to keep the membership whole financially, and run the clock down until the government decides to settle the dispute (as it has done in other areas) or gets kicked out of office. Seems sensible enough to me.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

This strategy worked so well in December, I'm sure it will achieve a similar level of success this time round. It seems that ASLEF have either run out of ideas or just given up.

Although this one is likely to be different as the Minimum Service Bill has been passed!

 

[Rich1974]

ASLEF have been banging on for the past few years they want the railways back in Public Ownership (Government) and I've always said if that happens you can forget decent Payrises, well now we're having a taste of what they want so suck it up ASLEF.

 

[Efini92]

Although this one is likely to be different as the Minimum Service Bill has been passed!

Yes will be interesting to see if the companies use it and what the outcome is.

 

[Mikey C]

. You say the same thing every time, including about the RMT dispute, and things changed there!

ASLEF’s strategy is to apply pressure “little and often”, but not overdo it to keep the membership whole financially, and run the clock down until the government decides to settle the dispute (as it has done in other areas) or gets kicked out of office. Seems sensible enough to me.

These strikes are achieving nothing. It'll annoy some travellers, most will just revise their plans around the strikes.

It's way down the list of government priorities at the moment, and indeed Keir Starmer's list of priorities too.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Slightly selfishly, that doesn't appear to affect any of my upcoming Jan/Feb travel. Still annoying though, and Aslef should have gone the way of RMT ages ago.

 

[JonathanH]

This strategy worked so well in December, I'm sure it will achieve a similar level of success this time round. It seems that ASLEF have either run out of ideas or just given up.

It is a really good way of just keeping the dispute alive, and gets a whole week of disruption while only losing each member one day's pay.

 

[MikeWM]

At least this time around they've 'conveniently' picked a weekend for the overtime ban that coincides with the Cambridge South works, so Great Northen will have a better excuse for running almost nothing on the Saturday/Sunday than they had in the December strikes...

 

[irish_rail]

This strategy worked so well in December, I'm sure it will achieve a similar level of success this time round. It seems that ASLEF have either run out of ideas or just given up.

Your right, it did work well in December. There was chaos spread over 10 days. It proved a very effective way of acting, whilst individual members lose at most one day's pay for over a week of disruption. After 5 years with no reasonable payoffer from Dft what else is Aslef to do?

 

[43066]

ASLEF have been banging on for the past few years they want the railways back in Public Ownership (Government) and I've always said if that happens you can forget decent Payrises, well now we're having a taste of what they want so suck it up

I also disagree with ASLEF’s stance on nationalisation, but it’s notable that their members who work for the public sector Elizabeth line, London Overground, Transport for Wales etc. have secured pay rises and settled their disputes. The common denominator preventing movement is government interference via the DfT, not public ownwhership/control per se.

These strikes are achieving nothing. It'll annoy some travellers, most will just revise their plans around the strikes.

On the contrary; continuing the dispute is achieving keeping the current Ts and Cs. We’ll keep going for as long as it takes.

and Aslef should have gone the way of RMT ages ago.

If the government alters its position in relation to ASLEF as it did with the RMT, perhaps there will be some movement. Albeit fairly likely that the RMT will soon be back in dispute either locally or nationally spending on how the “negotiations” go.

 

[ScouserGirl]

Your right, it did work well in December. There was chaos spread over 10 days. It proved a very effective way of acting, whilst individual members lose at most one day's pay for over a week of disruption. After 5 years with no reasonable payoffer from Dft what else is Aslef to do?

I just asked my partner when was the last time the government actually asked ASLEF to sit around the table and negotiate? Am sure it was at the beginning of last year… seems the wallys on twitter are already starting to say sack all drivers they don’t work and bring on automatic driverless trains!!

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Your right, it did work well in December. There was chaos spread over 10 days. It proved a very effective way of acting, whilst individual members lose at most one day's pay for over a week of disruption. After 5 years with no reasonable payoffer from Dft what else is Aslef to do?

This time is of course potentially different with the new law.

 

[Rich1974]

ASLEF Would do better having a rolling overtime and restday working ban week after week, that way it surely gets around the minimum service law which I can see is going to slip up a few members and probably end up getting them either in trouble with the company or suddenly being called a scab.

 

[ainsworth74]

It'll be interesting to see how the minimum service level legislation plays into this strike. Will it be used (my money is on the DfT leaning heavily on the TOCs to make sure it is)? Will there be legal challenges? Very interesting to see what happens.

There was chaos spread over 10 days.

Was there? I don't recall chaos being caused by the strike action. Weather related chaos for sure but not industrial action related chaos!

 

[irish_rail]

This time is of course potentially different with the new law.

Indeed, I look forward to watching the chaos unfold, and that'll be another government policy down the pan!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jan 2024 ==

It'll be interesting to see how the minimum service level legislation plays into this strike. Will it be used (my money is on the DfT leaning heavily on the TOCs to make sure it is)? Will there be legal challenges? Very interesting to see what happens.


Was there? I don't recall chaos being caused by the strike action. Weather related chaos for sure but not industrial action related chaos!

On GwR there was a big uptick in cancellations due to staff shortages. Same on XC, I can't comment on other TOCs mind you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jan 2024 ==

ASLEF Would do better having a rolling overtime and restday working ban week after week, that way it surely gets around the minimum service law which I can see is going to slip up a few members and probably end up getting them either in trouble with the company or suddenly being called a scab.

And ironically that's what I see happening. If Gov are daft enough to force staff to come to work in a strike, Aslef will simply withdraw all overtime, and it'll be chaos permanently.

 

[MikeWM]

On GwR there was a big uptick in cancellations due to staff shortages. Same on XC, I can't comment on other TOCs mind you.

Based on the last few overtime bans, GTR chop about 50% out of their timetable and then seriously struggle to run most of what is left. At weekends they barely run anything, and nothing runs at all after mid-afternoon.

By contrast, GA seem to manage to run >95% of their usual service, with just a handful of cancellations.

 

[Mag_seven]

seems the wallys on twitter are already starting to say sack all drivers they don’t work and bring on automatic driverless trains!!

I'm sure government's client media are working on such headlines now.

 

[footprints]

It is a really good way of just keeping the dispute alive, and gets a whole week of disruption while only losing each member one day's pay.

It's a "whole week of disruption" in name only in terms of actual strike dates. Take the North West, for example. The TPE and Northern strike day on the Wednesday aside, the rest of the strike days are going to be completely irrelevant for most people in that region, though of course the overtime ban will have an impact (but even that will vary considerably). Indeed, travelling from the North West to London, as an example, if anything becomes easier compared to most of the previous strike days, thanks to LNER and Avanti taking action on different dates. And what's the point of targeting commuters on Mondays and Fridays when many work from home compared to Tuesday to Thursday?

In essence, this is the same failed approach of occasional strike days and overtime bans that failed to achieve anything in 2022 and 2023, repackaged as a week's worth of walkouts.

 

[Goldfish62]

Your right, it did work well in December. There was chaos spread over 10 days. It proved a very effective way of acting, whilst individual members lose at most one day's pay for over a week of disruption. After 5 years with no reasonable payoffer from Dft what else is Aslef to do?

If your only aim is to disrupt people's journeys then yes, it worked well. It didn't work at all in helping achieve the aims of the dispute.

But yes, I take your about what else is ASLEF to do. While the weapon of industrial action is clearly completely ineffective at the moment it's their only weapon.

I only see one way of breaking the deadlock. The mantra from the government is constantly to put the rejected offer to the members. On that basis it's refusing to talk further. It undoubtedly knows what the outcome would be, but it's a convenient excuse not to engage further with ASLEF. ASLEF should swallow its pride and put the offer to the members. When it's rejected that calls the government's bluff and they will no longer be able to say that the ,members haven't had a say. That unlocks the possibility of reopening talks.

Some might say why should ASLEF do that? I would say if it has a chance of reopening talks then surely its worth it after all this time. It seems clear than strikes every couple of months aren't going to work.

 

[Sly Old Fox]

Indeed, I look forward to watching the chaos unfold, and that'll be another government policy down the pan!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jan 2024 ==


On GwR there was a big uptick in cancellations due to staff shortages. Same on XC, I can't comment on other TOCs mind you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jan 2024 ==


And ironically that's what I see happening. If Gov are daft enough to force staff to come to work in a strike, Aslef will simply withdraw all overtime, and it'll be chaos permanently.

No it won’t, the train companies will just slash the timetables. Fewer trains = fewer passengers = fewer staff. That’s why the unions haven’t gone for an all out overtime ban, they can see how harmful it would be over time.

Aslef are in a position where they can’t win but can’t back down either so just do the odd day here and there so the members think they’re doing something, whereas in reality it’s achieved and will achieve precisely nothing.

 

[davews]

South Western Railway Mainline
Strike day: Tuesday 30 January 00:01 - 23:59.
No non-compulsory overtime from 00:01 Monday 29 January until 23:59 Tuesday 6February.

Just the SWR mainline? does that mean suburban and Windsor will be operating normally?

 

[dk1]

thanks strange how its not broadcast via news yet

Good that us members heard it first rather than through the media for a change.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jan 2024 ==

By contrast, GA seem to manage to run >95% of their usual service, with just a handful of cancellations.

Nothing on regional routes.