Rail passengers in Manchester and the North have been given a boost following a major announcement by the train drivers' union. Aslef has today (June 15) ended its ban on overtime working for members employed by TransPennine Express (TPE).
The union says it implemented the ban in response to proposed changes to drivers' terms and conditions, which it described as a 'land grab'. It also claimed TPE was previously attempting to blame workers for 'the company's failure to recruit a sufficient number of drivers'.
Today's announcement comes after the TPE franchise was handed over from FirstGroup to the Government's Operator of Last Resort. With the service now in public control, Aslef says talks have reopened between the new operator and the union, leading to the decision to restore overtime working.