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Rail services disrupted by train driver overtime ban

By Rory Poulter   31st Jul 2023

An overtime ban by train drivers employed by South Western Railway (SWR) will disrupt services through to Saturday.
An overtime ban by train drivers employed by South Western Railway (SWR) will disrupt services through to Saturday.

An overtime ban by train drivers employed by South Western Railway (SWR) will disrupt services through to Saturday.

The action members of the ASLEF union means a reduced timetable will operate and some cancellations are possible.

A second week of disruption is planned to start on Monday of next week.

SWR said most routes will see normal services in and out of Waterloo and through south west London during the morning and evening peaks.

However, there will be reduced off-speak services with only one train per hour in each direction on most routes.

The ASLEF union overtime ban continues into Saturday. On top of that – due to engineering work in the Staines area - there will be no services between Barnes and Feltham via Hounslow.

The overtime ban is due to begin again on Monday next week, which will see a similar reduced level of service.

The Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, has not met the ASLEF union's leadership since December.

He said: "ASLEF, the train drivers' union, have been made an offer which would take their average salary up to £65,000.

"They refuse to let their members have a vote on this offer, which would make them even more well paid, instead pursuing more strikes."

Mick Whelan, ASLEF's general secretary, said: "We don't want to take this action – because we don't want people to be inconvenienced – but the train companies, and the government which stands behind them, have forced us into this place because they refuse to sit down and talk to us and have not made a fair and sensible pay offer to train drivers who have not had one for four years – since 2019 – while prices have soared in that time by more than 12%."

     

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