Drivers on London Tramlink are to go on another 48 hour strike next week as the pay dispute continues with the two parties seemingly no closer to reaching a resolution. The strike action had been temporarily suspended at the end of August but after further negotiations and a slightly revised offer the industrial action is back on.
The latest strike – which follows two previous periods of strikes in June and July – will take place on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th October. Although details of a strike timetable have now yet been announced by Tramlink its expected a similar service will be operated as in the previous strikes which will see limited trams between Wimbledon and Croydon and besides early morning trams to and from New Addington no trams on any other part of the network.
The pay dispute started earlier this year after no offer had been forthcoming to drivers following the conclusion of the previous two year deal. After negotiations a 3% offer was made which was rejected and led the initial strikes being called. An improved offer was then made and although this didn’t meet the expectations of ASLEF members, union leaders agreed to suspend September strike action to allow for further negotiations to take place.
These have now taken place and the latest offer has again been rejected as it is only a minor improvement and still does not meet expectations of ASLEF members.
Finn Brennan, ASLEF District Organiser for London, said: “The management offer of 4.75% is far below the current inflation rate and would mean our members face real terms pay cuts while their bills go through the roof. But what’s especially galling is that managers at Tramlink have been offered an additional 4.5% pay rise, backdated to November 2021 while drivers’ pay has been frozen since 2020. Quite rightly, this has made our members really angry. We urge management to return to the table with a fair offer.”
The latest offer made to drivers is believed to have encompassed:
- 0% in November 2021
- 4.75% in November 2022
- 4.75% in November 2023
This came after negotiations at ACAS and was rejected by union members as it was only a very small change from the previous (and rejected) offer.