Could there be more rail strikes in 2023? What train unions have said

Train strikes have become a common occurrence over the last year, as disputes continue over wages and planned changes to working conditions.

Recent strikes involving the ASLEF and RMT unions in May and June have fallen around big events in the UK, from Eurovision to the FA Cup final, causing travel disruption for thousands making their way to Liverpool and London.

Now Wimbledon tennis is set to be affected by an ASLEF overtime ban.

There have already been three strikes in June alone, with a total of eight strikes already having taken place in 2023.

Many people are left wondering if there could well be even more strikes on the way in 2023.

So, let’s take a look at the likelihood and what the unions have said on the matter…

Could there be more rail strikes in 2023?

Members of Aslef at Avanti West Coast will strike on Sunday, July 2 – anyone due to travel on the line that day can find updates and advice on Avanti’s strike page.

Action short of a strike – an overtime ban – has also been announced by Aslef – from 00:01 on Monday 3rd July until 23:59 on Saturday 8th July – at 15 rail companies- and this could have quite an impact. It is also during the first week of Wimbledon tennis.

It is highly likely that more strikes across rail companies will be announced this year, unless a breakthrough happens in negotiations.

Unions have to give at least two weeks’ notice before going on strike, so that is the latest unions can leave it when it comes to announcing further walkouts.

Currently, there looks to be no end in sight when it comes to rail strikes, with communication between the government and unions coming to a standstill.

What has the ASLEF union said?

On the overtime ban, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: ‘We don’t want to inconvenience the public. We just want to see our members paid fairly during a cost of living crisis when inflation is running at above 10%, and to not see our terms and conditions taken away.’

ASLEF announced its members had voted overwhelmingly to continue strike action on June 14, giving the union a mandate to call further strikes over the next six months.

Whelan added: ‘Train drivers are sick to the back teeth of their employers and the government failing to negotiate in good faith, and blaming drivers for their inability to manage services and the rail industry effectively.

‘ASLEF members, the key workers who kept our country moving through the pandemic, are simply asking for a fair deal on pay so that they can afford to keep up with their outgoings in this government-made cost of living crisis.

‘We have always said we are prepared to come to the table but the government and the train companies need to understand that this dispute won’t be resolved by trying to bully our members into accepting worse terms and conditions.’

He has prevously said that rail strikes could drag on for the next five years, but stressed the union is ‘determined to get a resolution’.

‘We would like a resolution tomorrow, we do not want to be on strike,’ he told Sky News.

‘We are in this if it takes us four years, five years, whatever it is, to get a resolution to this, we will do what it takes to get to that resolution.

‘We have gone four years without a pay rise, as have many other sectors and many other workers.

‘But to stop now after four years, what will happen, we will not get a pay rise next year, the year after, the year after that.’

What has the RMT union said?

Back in May, members of the RMT union – the biggest rail workers’ union in the country – voted to renew their mandate to continue taking industrial action for the next six months in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

Over 90% of votes cast backed continuing with strike action, the RMT said.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the overwhelming backing for further strike action across 14 train operating companies was a ‘de-facto referendum’ on the dispute.

‘It is clear from these results that members are not prepared to accept a pay offer based on mass job cuts and major attacks on their terms and conditions.

‘This sends a clear message to the employers that the huge anger amongst rail workers is very real and they need to recognise that fact, face reality and make improved proposals.

‘They need to get around the table with RMT and negotiate in good faith for a better deal for rail workers.’

So, until the unions and the government can come to an agreement, it looks as though strikes will continue to be a part of our daily lives for some time to come.

MORE : All strikes planned for July 2023 – from doctors to airport workers

MORE : Teachers across England set to go on strike in July

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