LNER train drivers to strike for five extra days in February

The train drivers’ union Aslef has called an extra five days of strikes at LNER in response to the threatened imposition of minimum service levels at the state-run London-Scotland service.

The controversial legislation, brought in by the government in late 2023, is likely to be trialled for the first time in the latest round of rail strikes.

Aslef had announced a week of rolling 24-hour strikes around England from late January, one day at each operator, in the long-running pay dispute.

However, as it became clear that LNER, which is run by the Department for Transport’s own Operator of Last Resort, would attempt to impose rules forcing drivers to work, Aslef has significantly escalated its planned action.

The rules attempt to impose about 40% of normal timetables on a strike day. Unions have said they remove the right to strike and are unworkable, and senior rail sources had expressed deep misgivings.

While in public the industry has attempted to retain a united front and not discussed plans for minimum service levels, and ministers have said it is a decision for train operators, it is understood that the government has told all the contracted firms that it expects them to use the new legislation.

Four operators – LNER, Southeastern, Northern, and TransPennine Express – are directly in state ownership. Only LNER, which relies less on rest day working and has more driver-managers, has attempted to run a service on previous drivers’ strike days.

Drivers were due to strike at LNER on Friday 2 February and will now strike for another five days from Monday 5 until Friday 9 February, and extend an overtime ban until Saturday 10 February.

Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, commented: “We have given LNER management – and their government counterparts who hold the purse strings – every opportunity to come to the table and they have so far made no realistic offer to our members.

“We have not heard from the transport secretary since December 2022, or from the train operating companies since April 2023. It’s time for them to come to the table and work with us to resolve this dispute so we can all move forward and get our railway back on track.”

LNER did not respond to requests for comment on its plans to impose minimum service levels.

Aside from LNER, drivers will strike at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western Railway on Tuesday 30 January; at Northern Trains and TransPennine Express on Wednesday 31 January; at Greater Anglia and C2C on Friday 2 February; at West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway on Saturday 3 February; and at Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern on Monday 5 February.

Drivers will refuse to work overtime from Monday 29 January until Tuesday 6 February.