ASLEF calling for better pay and working conditions
SHARE:
Train drivers across the country have announced strikes in December to pressure the Government and train companies for a pay rise.
Passengers should expect disruption at the beginning of the month from Saturday 2 – Friday 8 December.
Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) will also ban overtime from Friday 1 – Saturday 9 December.
The trade union has been in dispute with train companies for 18 months, calling for fourteen one-day strikes during this period.
They offered drivers a further 4% pay rise for 2023 in April. But they haven’t received a pay increase since 2019.
General Secretary of ASLEF, Mick Whelan, joins demonstrators outside the Department for Transport, protesting against the government’s plan to close a thousand ticket offices across the rail network in London.
Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, told MPs there was a “perfectly fair and reasonable offer on the table” at a select committee hearing on Wednesday.
On their website, ASLEF state that their last meeting with the transport secretary was in December 2022.
Its members believe that the April offer “did not reflect negotiations held in the weeks leading up to the offer”.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said, “It is disappointing that ASLEF are targeting the public and hospitality businesses at the beginning of the festive period”.
16 operators will be affected by the mass walkout in the lead up to the Christmas period.
The RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) is also calling for better pay and working conditions.
Its members are voting on whether to accept a deal aimed at resolving these issues. The vote closes on 30 November, one day before ASLEF’s planned industrial action is expected to start.
Which train companies will the strikes affect?
Saturday 2 December – East Midlands Railway, LNER
Sunday 3 December – Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Great Northern Thameslink, West Midlands Trains
Tuesday 5 December – C2C, Greater Anglia
Wednesday 6 December – Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, SWR main line, SWR depot drivers, Island Line
Thursday 7 December – CrossCountry, GWR
Friday 8 December – Northern, TPT
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineASLEF announce a new set of train strikes for December
Short HeadlineNew train strikes announced in the lead up to Christmas
StandfirstCommuters are facing industrial action in December after train drivers announce more strikes.
Train drivers across the country have announced strikes in December to pressure the Government and train companies for a pay rise.
Passengers should expect disruption at the beginning of the month from Saturday 2 – Friday 8 December.
Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) will also ban overtime from Friday 1 – Saturday 9 December.
The trade union has been in dispute with train companies for 18 months, calling for fourteen one-day strikes during this period.
They offered drivers a further 4% pay rise for 2023 in April. But they haven’t received a pay increase since 2019.
General Secretary of ASLEF, Mick Whelan, joins demonstrators outside the Department for Transport, protesting against the government’s plan to close a thousand ticket offices across the rail network in London.
Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, told MPs there was a “perfectly fair and reasonable offer on the table” at a select committee hearing on Wednesday.
On their website, ASLEF state that their last meeting with the transport secretary was in December 2022.
Its members believe that the April offer “did not reflect negotiations held in the weeks leading up to the offer”.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said, “It is disappointing that ASLEF are targeting the public and hospitality businesses at the beginning of the festive period”.
16 operators will be affected by the mass walkout in the lead up to the Christmas period.
The RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) is also calling for better pay and working conditions.
Its members are voting on whether to accept a deal aimed at resolving these issues. The vote closes on 30 November, one day before ASLEF’s planned industrial action is expected to start.
Which train companies will the strikes affect?
Saturday 2 December – East Midlands Railway, LNER
Sunday 3 December – Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Great Northern Thameslink, West Midlands Trains
Tuesday 5 December – C2C, Greater Anglia
Wednesday 6 December – Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, SWR main line, SWR depot drivers, Island Line
A 2024 Freedom of Information request showed Bromley Council had £4.5 million invested in arms companies that year with £1.5 million reportedly linked to Israel.
Undercover officers raided three linked shops in Barking town centre, revealing how illicit tobacco is being hidden in walls, ceilings and nearby locations to evade detection.
More than 330,000 people across the UK sought support from the Stop It Now helpline in 2025 over concerns about their own or someone else’s online sexual behaviour towards children, according to new charity data. The anonymous service says contacts by phone, email and webchat rose significantly over the year.
