Train Strikes Are Escalating

Rail strikes have cost rail organisations £25 million per day on weekdays and £15 million on the weekends, with them costing the UK over £1 billion already. Mr Huw Merriman (MP) suggested that the UK would have saved more money if the striking workers’ pay disputes were “just settled”.

The government largely funds the UK railway system, but it hasn’t met the workers’ increasing demands for higher wages due to the cost-ofliving crisis. In result of this, our nation has been affected by many train strikes. There has been an approximate 10% rise in the cost of living, heavily caused by inflation in the UK, the impact of COVID-19, and post-Brexit trade. So, rail workers in unions want new salary offers to mirror the 10% rise in the cost of living.

The average salary for five types of rail workers is £45,919. In 2022, The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) proposed an offer of a 4% rise in 2022, and a 4% rise in 2023. After the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) rejected it, Network Rail made a different offer of a 5% rise in 2022 instead and a 4% rise in 2023. However, Aslef rejected both offers because the union considered the deal to be inadequate. If Aslef had accepted the Rail Delivery Group’s offer, train drivers’ average salaries would have increased from £60,000 to £65,000 per year by the end of 2023.

We can only predict train strikes soon. Aslef has confirmed train strikes on February 1st and February 3rd.

Alongside this, Transpennine Express has been experiencing problems of escalating sickness rates and lack of driver training, so there have been many train cancellations for months. Despite their effort “to work flat-out to deliver higher levels of service delivery”, Mr Merriman is going to reconsider the Transpennine Express contract when it ends in May.