Rail companies have suggested informal talks with the train drivers’ union in a bid to resolve the long-running pay dispute, it has been revealed.
The move by the Rail Delivery Group , which represents train operators, will not affect a series of fresh strikes and an overtime ban by members of Aslef next week which will again cripple services. No meetings have been held between the two sides for a year, while government ministers have not met Aslef since the start of 2023.An RDG spokesperson said: “We want to see an end to this dispute and in that spirit, we have written to the Aslef leadership to try and find areas of common ground that will allow us to move to formal negotiations.
He pointed out that Aslef had secured 17 pay deals over the past year with rail companies not involved in the ongoing dispute, adding it was proof the current row was driven by “political spite, not industrial necessity”. Aslef members at 16 train companies will launch a six-day ban on overtime on Bank Holiday Monday, followed by strikes at different operators on three separate days between May 7 and 9.Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly.