Train drivers will strike again over pay

Train drivers at 12 rail companies will strike again as part a long-running dispute over pay, union bosses said.

Up to 9,500 members of the Aslef union will walk out on Saturday 26 November.

The latest industrial action follows four previous 24-hour strikes by drivers, which have led to train services being cancelled and delayed.

The union, which wants drivers' wages to keep pace with the rising cost of living, said talks with rail firms broke down due to no pay offer.

"We regret that passengers will be inconvenienced for another day. We don't want to be taking this action," said Aslef's general secretary Mick Whelan.

The rail industry has been hit by several strikes across the UK in recent months, with different unions representing different jobs staging walk-outs, largely due to issues around pay.

There are other issues around job cuts and working conditions, but union bosses have said with prices for food, fuel and energy rising at the fastest rate for 40 years, companies should be paying their members more.

Railway bosses have claimed they want to give workers pay rises but the firms and the government insist changes are needed to "modernise" the railway, to end some working practices and to save money.

In 2021, the median salary for train and tram drivers was £59,189 per year.

Mr Whelan said with inflation - which is the rate consumer prices rise - at 10.1%, drivers were getting pay cut in real terms.

"Train drivers who kept Britain moving through the pandemic are now being expected to work just as hard this year as last year but for less," he added.

"We want the companies - which are making huge profits - to make a proper pay offer so that our members can keep up with the cost of living."

The BBC has contacted the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, for comment.