May train strikes: Dates and services affected

Train drivers have declared a strike due to an ongoing pay disagreement. As a result, several stations along highly-trafficked commuter lines will be shut down and trains will not be in operation on Tuesday.

Employees operating trains for 16 different rail organizations are initiating a new round of strikes that will cause travel disruptions throughout the week.

The Aslef union has been carrying out a series of strikes for almost two years. The walkouts that are happening now are just the latest in this ongoing dispute.

According to the union, they haven't conversed with either the employers or the Government in over a year. They also claimed that the ministers are no longer making an effort to settle the argument.

Discover all the important details about the National Rail strikes.

Where And When Are The Strikes?

Aslef union members are planning to go on strike from Tuesday, May 7 until Thursday, May 9. This strike action will affect various transport service providers. Additionally, they will not work overtime for six days starting from the bank holiday on Monday, May 6.

On May 7th, there will be a strike by drivers on several railway companies such as c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, and South Western Railway.

On May 8, several train companies including Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, and West Midlands Trains will experience disruptions due to strikes by their employees.

On May 9th, workers who are members of Aslef at LNER, Northern Trains, and TransPennine Express will participate in a strike.

Which Lines Will Be Hit By Train Disruption?

This past Tuesday, the 7th of May:

There will be no Southern train services except for a restricted shuttle that only stops between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.

There will only be a few Thameslink trains running, including a shuttle that will stop at Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, and London St Pancras. There will also be a limited service between London Kings Cross and Cambridge, but no other Thameslink trains will be operating.

There will be no trains operating on the Gatwick Express or Great Northern lines.

SWR recommends that travelers only embark on essential journeys. There will be a severely restricted transportation system available on a few of the routes.

According to the announcement by SWR, there will be closures of significant portions of their network and train services will only be available for specific routes.

Southeastern has announced that the majority of its stations and routes will be shut down. Only a few trains will run, resulting in an extremely limited service.

There will be no trains operating under c2c.

According to a statement from Greater Anglia, the train services running into London will be decreased on certain routes for some hours of the day. This will affect only a small number of areas.

What's Causing The Strikes?

According to Aslef, locomotive operators have not experienced a rise in their compensation for the past five years, following the end of their previous payment agreements in 2019.

The labor organization declared that following the majority vote of its associates to persist with strike efforts in February, it reached out to the train operating firms to negotiate.

Mick Whelan, who holds the position of General Secretary, stated that a whole year has passed since the train companies presented us with an offer which was intentionally made to be refused. They even acknowledged this privately, and it has been a year since we sat down with them to discuss it.

In June 2022, we held our first vote for industrial action because we had not received a pay increase in three whole years. The train operating companies (Tocs) only started to engage in talks with us after we had participated in eight one-day strikes.

Our team that was responsible for negotiating met with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) a total of eight times. The most recent meeting took place on Wednesday, April 26 of the previous year.

On April 27th, Thursday, the Tocs attempted to claim all our terms and conditions, but we rejected their proposal right away.

Ever since, locomotive operators have continuously cast their votes in favor of initiating moves to demand an increase in their salary.

This is why Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, is being deceitful by suggesting that the offer should have been presented to members. If the proposal was satisfactory, drivers wouldn't choose to go on strike.

According to Mr. Whelan, the proposal that offered a 4 percent raise followed by another 4 percent increment after a year has become unachievable.