Rail strikes in Britain disrupt services amid wage dispute standoff

There will be no running trains on networks including Avanti, Southeastern, Govia Thameslink, Northern, West Midlands, TransPennine Express and CrossCountry.

Rail services in Britain have been halted across most of the country after drivers began the first of the latest wave of planned strikes on May 12, following a long-standing dispute regarding wages.

Many members of the drivers’ union Aslef commenced a 24-hour strike on various virtual platforms, affecting all major passenger operators in England, leading to the complete stoppage of many major intercity and commuter services. Cross-border services to Wales and Scotland have also been affected, as reported by The Guardian.

“Talking to members in branches up and down the country, they are determined that strikes will go on as long as they need to. The government could sort this dispute out tomorrow if they made a sensible offer," stated Mick Whelan, General Secretary of Aslef.

Along with an expected train strike on Saturday, which may severely disrupt many services, Aslef has also called for strikes on Friday as well as on May 31 and June 3 after rejecting a pay offer of 4% per year for more than two years from the train operators’ body, the Rail Delivery Group.

Huw Merriam, the Rail Minister, repeated calls for both rail unions to put existing offers to a full vote. “The leadership has chosen not to put those offers to their members, and I feel if they did, there would be an opportunity for members to decide if they wish to take them,” he stated.

There will be no running trains on networks, including Avanti, Southeastern, Govia Thameslink, Northern, West Midlands, TransPennine Express, and CrossCountry.