LONDON (Reuters) – A British trade union representing train drivers said on Friday that its members had voted to continue strike action for the next six months in a long-running dispute over pay, signalling more disruption ahead for travellers.
ASLEF said its members had “voted overwhelmingly to continue strike action”. The announcement came a day after the country’s largest railway workers’ union, the RMT, accepted a pay offer from train companies and agreed to temporarily halt strikes.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents Britain’s train operators, said the outcome of the ASLEF ballot was disappointing.
“We have always been clear that we remain open to constructive dialogue with ASLEF to find a resolution, and that is still the case,” an RDG spokesperson said.
ASLEF drivers began a nine-day overtime ban on Friday and will hold a rolling programme of one-day strikes across 16 train companies between Dec. 2 and Dec. 8.
“Train drivers are fed up and frustrated that their employers failed to negotiate in good faith,” union leader Mick Whelan said in a statement.
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(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Farouq Suleiman, writing by Muvija M)
