BREAKING NEWS: Southern train drivers' call three strike days in pay dispute

Southern and Gatwick Express train drivers' are set to hold three days of strikes in August as part of a dispute over pay.
Southern trainSouthern train
Southern train

ASLEF’s previous walkouts in December and January led to the complete shutdown of the rail network operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.

The union has already implemented a ban on overtime working in response to the introduction of driver-only operation on Southern routes.

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Today it announced strikes on Tuesday August 1, Wednesday August 2, and Friday August 4 in a dispute over pay.

Of the members who responded to the ballot 61.8 per cent voted in favour of a strike and 78.4 per cent voted in favour of industrial action short of a strike.

A spokesman for GTR said: “To call three days of strikes spread across a week is a deliberate move to cause maximum disruption for passengers.

“To do so in protest against an offer to increase pay by 24% is simply breathtaking. Commuters, the vast majority of whom are seeing pay rises many times less, will understandably be as shocked and frustrated as we are.

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“We absolutely need to modernise in order to increase capacity on this, the most congested part of the UK’s network, where passenger numbers have doubled in places in as little as 12 years. That requires modernisation of infrastructure, trains and working practices. The trade unions must join us in that endeavour.”

Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said: “Now is the time for Chris Grayling and the Department for Transport to step in and assist in finding a resolution to a problem they caused.”

More to follow.