Members of the Aslef union have voted to continue strike action for the next six months over their ongoing pay dispute, it has announced.
Members of both Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) unions have carried out long-term strike action over the last 18 months which caused chaos for passengers.
While Aslef members have voted to continue striking, RMT train staff voted overwhelmingly to accept a deal to end their long-running dispute over pay and conditions on Thursday.
Mick Whelan, ASLEF’s general secretary, said: "We are in this for the long haul. Our members – who have not had a pay rise for nearly five years now – are determined that the train companies – and the Tory government that stands behind them – do the right thing.
"The cost of living has soared since the spring and summer of 2019, when these pay deals ran out.
"The bosses at the train companies – as well as Tory MPs and government ministers – have had increases in pay. It’s unrealistic – and unfair – to expect our members to work just as hard for what, in real terms, is considerably less.
"Train drivers are fed up and frustrated that their employers failed to negotiate in good faith, making a proposal through the Rail Delivery Group which they knew – because we had told them – would be turned down and then to blame drivers for the train companies’ inability to manage services and the rail industry effectively. Aslef members, key workers who kept our country moving through the pandemic, are simply asking for a fair and decent deal."
Members of Aslef also began an overtime ban on Friday which will run until December 9.
Services that are running will start later and finish much earlier than usual - typically running between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
The ban will coincide with a series of walkouts between December 2 and 8 meaning some operators will run no services at all on strike days.
Commenting on the strikes, Mr Whelan said: "We are going on strike again not to inconvenience passengers, but to express our disgust at the intransigence of this Government, and the bad faith shown by the private companies which employ us.
"It is clear that the Tory Government does not want to resolve this dispute. We haven't had a meeting with Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, since December 2022."
Unions involved in disputes have to reballot their members every six months to ask if they want to continue taking industrial action.
Aslef members at 12 train operators in England were reballoted, each returning huge votes in favour on high turnouts.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: "Following RMT members voting to overwhelmingly accept the train operators' pay offer, Aslef is now not just the only rail union still striking but the only union not to even put an offer to its members.
"They are instead choosing to cause more misery for passengers and the hospitality sector this festive period.
"The fair and reasonable offer that's long been on the table would bring the average train driver's salary up to £65,000 for a 35 hour, four day week.
"Aslef's leadership should follow in the footsteps of all the other rail unions by doing the right thing and giving their members a say on that offer."
