Train drivers talks to resume in bid to break two-year deadlock and put an end to rail strike misery

Aslef union says train drivers have not had a pay rise for five years

No deal: Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union, Aslef, at London Euston during one of the many strikes since July 2022 (Simon Calder )

Negotiators from the train drivers’ union, Aslef, are to meet the Department for Transport (DfT) on Tuesday 23 July in a bid to resolve their long-running pay dispute.

For the past two years Aslef has called national or “rolling” strikes at the 14 train operators that are controlled by the DfT, which include all the leading commuter and long-distance rail firms.

The train drivers are seeking a no-strings pay rise. Their union says many of them have not seen their wages increase since 2019.

Negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), representing train operators, stalled under the last government.

Ministers would not sign off on a deal unless it was contingent on modernising working practices in order to cut costs in a hugely subsidised industry.

Strikes have taken place intermittently, typically every month or two, since July 2022. In addition, a series of bans on rest-day working have led to thousands of train cancellations.

Before the last election, the Conservatives characterised them as “Labour’s strikes”.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: “We’re having an initial meeting with the DfT on Tuesday.

“We hope, with a new government in place, that we can have constructive talks to get a positive resolution that works for train drivers, who have not had an increase in salary for five years, since 2019, and will help get our railway back on track.”

He accused the former transport secretary, Mark Harper, and rail minister Huw Merriman of “putting the brakes on any deal”.

The new transport secretary is Louise Haigh, with Lord Peter Hendy as rail minister.

Labour’s commitment to nationalising the railway was affirmed in the King’s Speech. The government says it will “save the taxpayer millions of pounds currently paid out in fees to private operators each year” and lead to “a more efficient and reliable rail service”.

But some observers say that renationalising is a sideshow compared with the fundamental problems with the nation’s railway, including deteriorating infrastructure and labour agreements of astonishing complexity.

The Independent has asked the Rail Delivery Group and the DfT to comment on the resumption of talks.

Listen to Simon Calder’s podcast on the King’s Speech proposals on rail