Furious football fans today voiced union leaders announcing a train drivers’ strike on the day of the FA Cup final as tens of thousands tried to get to London.
Members of Aslef walk out on May 12 and 31, as well as June 3, when Wembley hosts Manchester City and Manchester United – causing chaos for fans traveling across the country to get to the game.
The Epsom Derby will also be held on June 3, causing problems for racing fans wishing to travel to the event.
The union said it had turned down a “ridiculous” wage offer of 4 percent from the 16 train companies with which it has been in a long-standing wage dispute.
Many City and United fans took to Twitter on Thursday morning to express their anger at the timing, with one writing: ‘Train strikes take place on the day of an FA Cup final where 2 teams arrive from Manchester but for a trip to London must travel. a kick-off at 3 p.m. It all sounds a bit like a mess to me.’
General Secretary Mick Whelan said drivers have not had a pay rise at those companies since 2019, adding: ‘Our executive committee met this morning and rejected a risky proposal we received from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
“The proposal – of only 4 percent – was clearly not meant to be accepted, as inflation is still above 10 percent and our members at these companies have not had a raise in four years.
Train drivers will stage three new strikes in a long-running spat over wages, including on FA Cup final day. Members of Aslef will depart on May 12 and 31 – and when Wembley host Manchester City and Manchester United on June 3 (Wembley Stadium is pictured)
The union said it rejected a ‘ridiculous’ wage offer of 4 per cent from the 16 train companies it is in conflict with (pictured, trains stalled during a national strike in March, in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire)
The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernize Britain’s railways and help them operate more efficiently, for both passengers and businesses, in the 21st century.
“That is why today we have announced three more days of strike action on Friday, May 12, Wednesday, May 31 and Saturday, June 3 at the companies with which we are at stake and who are failing passengers and taxpayers so badly.
‘From Monday 15 May to Saturday 20 May, as well as on Saturday 13 May and Thursday 1 June, we will also withdraw non-contractual overtime.’
Another fan wrote on Twitter: ‘Train strikes on the day of the FA Cup final. Nightmare scenario for both sets of fans who rely on public transport.’
Another said: ‘Brilliant, target the people who need the trains most on that weekend.’
Another added: “Train strikes ahead of the FA Cup final, as if it wouldn’t get too bad, every petrol station is now becoming like the Royal Rumble.”
Many City and United fans took to Twitter on Thursday morning to express their anger at the timing, with one writing: ‘Everything sounds like a mess to me’
The train operators involved in the dispute are Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; Cross Country; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Great Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thames Link; London North Eastern Railway; Northern trains; Southeastern; South/Gatwick Express; Southwestern Railway; SWR depot drivers; SWR Island Line; TransPennin Express; and West Midlands trains.
Aslef said the negotiating team has met with representatives of the employers eight times in the past year to reach a solution.
The union said eight one-day strikes were needed to “bring train drivers and the government to their senses and persuade them to sit down and have a decent talk.”
Mr Whelan added: “We don’t want to go on strike, we don’t want to harass passengers, we have families and friends who also use the railway, and we believe in investing in rail for the future of this country, but the debt for this action is, fair and honest, at the feet of the employers who, by their intransigence, have compelled us to hand this over.
“It is now up to them to come up with a more sensible and realistic offer and we ask the government not to hinder this process.”
Secretary-General Mick Whelan (pictured) explained that drivers have not had a pay rise since 2019.
In the new year, sources told the Mail that government officials and heads of industry found Mr Whelan “deeply unpleasant” at recent meetings.
Ministers would be prepared to fight it out publicly for months on end with Aslef, who claims that average drivers’ salaries of £60,000 are not enough.
In contrast, they would find RMT railway union boss Mick Lynch more receptive and would like to avoid public name-calling to make a deal.
