Hull Trains drivers to strike over colleague's sacking, Aslef says
Drivers at Hull Trains will stage a series of strikes following a dispute over the sacking of a colleague, a union has said.Members of Aslef are due to walk out on every Friday between 7 March and 25 April, and every Saturday between 8 March and 26 April.The union said a driver was sacked after raising a safety concern about fatigue – a claim Hull Trains denies.A spokesperson for Hull Trains said they had not been "officially directly notified of any industrial action" and there was "no planned disruption" to services at present.
Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, said railway staff should be able to report a safety concern "without fearing they will be penalised, punished, or lose their livelihood"."The company's failure to act responsibly has impacts not just for rail workers and passengers at Hull Trains but right across the wider rail industry," he said."We have a culture on the railway designed to keep everyone safe."Nigel Roebuck, the union's regional organiser, called on the company to "have a sensible rethink and do the right thing".
'Safety first'
Hull Trains operates between Hull and London King's Cross, serving stations including Selby, Doncaster, Retford and Grantham.A spokesperson for the company said: "Our position remains unchanged. The safety concern claimed by Aslef relates to the individual involved in this dispute, but it would be inappropriate to comment further on this specific case."We always put safety first for both our customers and colleagues. The action taken in this matter is in line with upholding these standards."The spokesperson said updates would be provided on any changes to services.Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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