Hull Trains drivers plan eight-week strike over ‘victimisation’ of colleague

Drivers at Hull Trains, which links the Humberside city with London King's Cross, plan to strike for eight weeks from Monday 31 March to Saturday 24 May. The walk-out by members of the train drivers’ union, Aslef, follows two days of strikes last week.

The union says Hull Trains “unfairly sacked a train driver who did nothing more than raise a safety concern in a company meeting”. It is understood the issue was self-reporting fatigue.

Aslef claims 100 per cent membership of train drivers at Hull Trains and says the strikes “will cause serious disruption on the rail network” with most, if not all, services cancelled.

During the earlier strikes, Hull Trains says it ran 90 per cent of trains – with only the first departure from London King's Cross and the last from Hull cancelled. The intermediate stations include Selby, Doncaster, Retford and Grantham. Two trains a day are extended to/from Beverley.

In an extended strike, a significantly higher number of cancellations would be expected.

Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan said: “The company’s failure to act responsibly has an impact – and enormous implications – not just for rail workers and passengers at the company but for staff and passengers right across the wider rail industry.

“This is a moral issue because we have a culture on the railway designed to keep everyone safe.

"Anyone who works on the railway should be able to report a safety concern without fearing they will be penalised, punished, or lose their livelihood. The company has behaved deplorably.”

“Our member has been driving trains for more than 20 years with a completely clean safety record.

“The company is punishing and penalising him for something he said, not for anything he has done. And what he said was perfectly polite, proper, and reasonable in the context of a safety meeting.”

A spokesperson for Hull Trains said: “We’re disappointed to receive notice of further strike action from Aslef.

“Safety will always remain our number one priority. We are currently reviewing the impact of these latest proposed strike action dates and any changes to services will be communicated in due course.”

Passengers will be able to switch to a combination of LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express trains.