Rail disputes threaten Christmas disruption

A series of rail disputes erupted today, threatening disruption to passengers over Christmas and leading to a fresh row over fare increases.

London Underground (LU) drivers voted overwhelmingly in favour of striking on Boxing Day in a row over pay, drivers on London Midland will walk out on December 23 in a separate clash over pay and conditions, while workers at Arriva Trains Wales also backed industrial action.

Meanwhile, First Capital Connect was accused of "daylight robbery" after a union said it had discovered some of its fares were going up by as much as 46% in the New Year.

Members of Aslef on LU backed industrial action by 9-1, threatening disruption to soccer fans and Christmas shoppers in the capital.

The union is claiming triple pay and a day off in lieu for its members working on December 26, saying LU is refusing to offer any extra pay.

Aslef general secretary Keith Norman said: "It is painfully obvious to any reasonable person that Boxing Day is not an ordinary working day and therefore it is no surprise that Aslef members have reacted in the way they have."

The vote was 1,025 in favour of striking, with 127 against, a 9-1 majority in favour of taking action on Boxing Day.

The Tube has been hit by a series of strikes in recent weeks by members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association in a separate row over jobs.

A Transport for London spokesman said: "It is disgraceful that Aslef should try to hold Londoners and London Underground to ransom in this way.

"London Underground has a long-standing agreement with all of its trade unions which cover staff working arrangements on bank holidays, and Boxing Day is included in that agreement.

"LU has made every effort to resolve this issue with the Aslef leadership, which has refused to attend talks at Acas to discuss its claim for triple time and a day in lieu for its members."

Aslef said the London Midland action would go ahead after its members backed a campaign of industrial action.

Aslef official Mick Whelan said: "London Midland is made up of two previous franchises, Silverlink and Central Trains.

"We have been negotiating for three years to harmonise the conditions of drivers from the two companies - over 600 in all - but our efforts have been resisted by management all the way.

"Some drivers are being paid £1,200 less than other drivers for doing exactly the same job. It is a ludicrous situation and we will be taking strike action to demonstrate the strength of feeling of our membership at London Midland."

Drivers on Arriva Trains Wales voted by 85% for strike action in another dispute over pay and conditions.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union said: "RMT has rejected a paltry offer from the company that would have left our members out of pocket and which was loaded with strings. Our members would have ended up with inferior working conditions for a de facto pay cut."

First Capital Connect (FCC) was branded the "greediest" rail operator in the UK because of its new fares from next month, as well as higher car parking charges at stations.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) accused the Government of giving rail firms a "licence to print money" and called on ministers to intervene.

The union said changes to the price of monthly season tickets from January on some FCC routes included:

:: Hornsey to Stevenage. Current flexitime ticket £194.40, rising to £284.20, an increase of 46.2%.

:: Hornsey to Welwyn Garden City, £135.20 to £188.20, a rise of 39.2%.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) announced last month that across the country fares would go up by an average 6.2%, although London commuters face higher rises.

Gerry Doherty, general secretary of the TSSA, said some fare rises on FCC would be 14 times more than the current 3.2% inflation rate.

"FCC is simply holding its customers to ransom on some of the busiest routes in the country," he said.

"This is daylight robbery, pure and simple, and this firm thinks it can get away with it because Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has given them the green light by lifting the old fares cap of inflation plus 1%.

"The Transport Secretary must now step in to stop this blatant profiteering. He has effectively given the private rail companies a licence to print money at the expense of the travelling public."

The union added that FCC has told all commuters using flexi season tickets travelling away from the capital to work that they will be scrapped from January 2.

Flexi season tickets are sold to commuters travelling away from London in the morning as long as they were used after mid-day for the return journey.

TSSA said that on top of higher season tickets, FCC commuters also faced an average 8% rise in car parking charges.

Mr Doherty added: "This firm could teach Fagin a few tricks when it comes to picking the pockets of its customers."

A First Capital Connect spokesman said: "The tickets quoted are used by less than 0.3% of our customers. The overwhelming vast majority of customers will see fares rise by an average of 5.5% which is less than the national average of 6.2%.

"All of our fares are set at levels to encourage growth and it is not in our interest to price people off the railway."