Latest news with #Aslef
Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Union boss slams rich 'parasites' who don't pay fair share as he backs wealth tax
Train drivers' union leader Mick Leader says inequality in Britain "has to be addressed. I don't care what colour government does it, but it can't be ignored" A union boss has backed calls for a wealth tax on 'parasites' who don't pay their fair share. Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers union Aslef, said: 'When people say, 'oh if you tax the rich and they will leave', let them bloody well go. Let them stop being a drain on our roads and street lights and our rubbish and our society and things they are not contributing to. We talk about freeloaders and people and spongers - we never talk about the real parasites.' His blunt comments come amid pressure on Labour to announce a wealth tax in the autumn Budget. Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock has suggested a 2% levy on assets of more than £10million to bring in up to £11billion. But it appears senior ministers are wary, with Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds recently branding the idea 'daft'. Mr Whelan said: 'I don't reject wealth creators, I don't object to those who share their wealth, but there are an awful lot of people in the UK who don't create any opportunity, who take advantage of the country and don't pay their fair share, and that has to be looked at. 'If we look at the increase in poverty while there has been an increase in wealth for the few, at some point it has to be addressed. I don't care what colour government does it, but it can't be ignored. It came as Mr Whelan hinted at his own support for ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn 's new left-wing political party. Mr Corbyn, who was ousted from Labour last year, said the party will 'take on the rich and powerful'. Mr Whelan said: 'It would be nice to have a voice on the left,' but added 'I'm not sure quite sure how dynamic it will be.' As Aslef is affiliated to Labour, it cannot campaign for any other party. Mr Whelan said he met Mr Corbyn at an event two weeks ago, but says the issue of the new party did not come up. He hailed Labour's first year in power, saying the party had achieved a 'massive amount'. Among its milestones is starting the process of nationalising huge swathes of the country's railway. However, Mr Whelan urged the government to go further by investing heavily in new signalling and electrifying the rail network - just 40% is currently - to boost capacity and hopefully drive down fares. Asked how much needs to be spent, Mr Whelan said: 'Whatever it takes.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
All you need to know about the Hull Trains strikes
Rail passengers using Hull Trains for trips between East Yorkshire and London will continue to see services impacted by strike have been taking place since February after the Aslef union claimed a driver had been unfairly sacked for raising a safety Trains has consistently denied the union's claim and said it had put forward solutions to end the dispute, but they had been latest round of industrial action could continue for the next six months, or until a resolution is found. Why is it happening?In January, Aslef union said a train driver had been sacked after raising a safety concern about fatigue during a briefing by the rail Whelan, the general secretary of the union, said the driver in question had a "totally perfect" record and had worked for "20 years without a single incident".Claims emerged in April that the driver at the centre of the dispute had fallen asleep at the controls, but Aslef denied that was the case and Hull Trains declined to the initial strike action, union members voted this month to continue their protests, which could see walkouts continue until February is Hull Trains saying?The operator said it would not comment on individual members of staff but all drivers and managers "adhere to stringent standards of assessment".Hull Trains added: "We informed both the union and [mediation body] Acas that we would be willing to take part in discussions on resolving this matter for all concerned; we have had discussions with Aslef where proposed solutions were put forward. These were rejected and not considered."It also said safety "remains and always will be paramount", and it would work to minimise the impact of the strikes and disruption on customers. What does Aslef say?In an interview with BBC Look North, Mr Whelan answered with a resounding "No" when he was asked if the driver should have been said: "We have to do the right thing and make sure [Hull Trains] operates safely within the agreements that we have."We have processes in place and we brought in a no-blame culture, so if people came forward with issues they wouldn't find themselves in the predicament."Mr Whelan added that he and the union remained open for talks, and he said he "wanted to work with the company" and move on from the issue as quickly as is it impacting services?Hull Trains is warning passengers there could be "short notice" cancellations, and it is encouraging them to check before Tuesday, for example, two of seven services from Hull to London King's Cross and one return journey were cancelled. 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. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Times
Ministers turning clock back to bad old days of British Rail
Bit by bit, Britain's rail network is falling back into public ownership. As the contracts of train operating companies expire, their operations are coming under the control of an interim Department for Transport (DfT) entity that will make way for Great British Railways some time in late 2026. All passenger operator contracts are expected to have been rolled into GBR from October 2027. From then on Britain will be served by a nationalised railway not dissimilar to British Rail, that specialist in shabby, second-class service that so epitomised shabby, postwar Britain. Only private freight operations will survive this return to locomotive socialism, together with rolling stock leasing firms and nimble 'open-access' private passenger companies operating on only a few routes with no subsidy in the gaps between GBR services. Everyone outside the Labour government can see what is coming down the line: a gigantic state monopoly run by civil servants (hundreds of DfT officials are being transferred to help run it) and those well-known champions of innovation and customer choice, the RMT and Aslef. As a report warns, the 'ghost of British Rail' is risen. Tony Lodge, a specialist in the rail industry at the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, is not alone in believing that it doesn't have to be this way. In his report, 'Rail's Last Chance', Mr Lodge describes GBR as a solution in search of a problem. He is right: while the privatisation of national infrastructure in the Thatcher-Major era produced winners (telecoms) and, ultimately, losers (water), the experience of the rail industry was more mixed. Before the pandemic rail privatisation was largely a success. Between 1998 and 2015 the number of passenger journeys more than doubled, outstripping state railways in France and Germany. New trains and services were introduced; passenger satisfaction was the highest in Europe. True, fares increased, and private operators sometimes overreached themselves with excessive franchise bids. But that record in no way makes the case for raising British Rail from the grave. It was not privatisation that resulted in the recent drop in rail income but Covid. The pandemic permanently altered the rail landscape. Working from home meant many fewer commutes and lucrative peak-time season tickets. Raw passenger numbers are almost at pre-pandemic levels but the tickets being bought are cheaper, off-peak ones: receipts are down £1.4 billion. Shipping fresh air around the country, as Rishi Sunak described operations during lockdown, killed the franchise model. Faced with rescuing insolvent passenger companies, the Tories chose consolidation under GBR, but with private firms running services on fixed contracts to foster innovation. In his report Mr Lodge pleads with the government not to throw the good out with the bad. The network is costing the taxpayer £12 billion a year while delivering only 2 per cent of passenger journeys. If this huge burden on the public finances is to be reduced ministers must, he says, prioritise customer and income growth. That means allowing more and more open-access operators to compete on price and service, making ticketing more user friendly with apps and points systems, monetising the network's vast land bank and making the Office of Rail and Road into a muscular regulator. His is a hybrid system marrying a unified network with competition. Everyone knows it's the best way forward. Except the unions and government.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Rail union votes for more strikes in Hull Trains driver dispute
Drivers at Hull Trains have voted to continue strike action in support of a colleague who was of the Aslef union have staged a series of walkouts over the last few union has claimed a driver was unfairly sacked for raising a safety concern, which the company has Trains said it was disappointed at the results of the latest ballot. The new vote means the industrial action will continue over the next six Roebuck, Aslef's organiser in the north-east of England, said: "Hull Trains has been telling our members that they wish to sort out this issue but it's nearly a month since their last meeting with Aslef and the silence is deafening."They also have a new managing director who, it appears, doesn't wish to get involved."In response, a spokesperson for the company said: "The company has made a number of proposals for a resolution of this matter with Aslef."We remain committed to open dialogue to resolve this situation and avoid further disruption to our customers."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. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Travel chaos in Britain as 2.7M drivers hit the roads on Frantic Friday
Britain's big summer getaway turned into chaos on 'Frantic Friday' today as an airport terminal was evacuated, a major motorway was blocked and trains were cancelled. Some 2.7million leisure journeys were being made on the roads today, according to RAC estimates - with motorists warned to avoid heading out before 7pm tonight. Many families were on the move after the schools broke up for summer, but there was disruption for those travelling to London Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. Areas of Heathrow's Terminal 3 were evacuated this morning while a fire alarm was investigated, which passengers said had caused huge queues at passport control. In Essex, drivers on the M11 were warned of seven-mile queues after it was blocked in both directions near Stansted after two crashes between junctions eight and nine. Those heading to Gatwick were hit by train chaos after a points failure at Haywards Heath impacted services operated by Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink. Other disrupted rail services included LNER between Retford and Newark after a train hit an obstruction on the track; and the Mildmay line in London due to defective track. Great Western Railway trains between Castle Cary and Westbury were affected by a points failure; while four Hull Trains services were cancelled due to Aslef strike action. At Heathrow today, passengers complained of queues after a fire alarm at Terminal 3 just after 11am led to a temporary evacuation being carried out for safety reasons. Arriving passenger Christina Warren tweeted: 'Landed at Heathrow an hour early but there was a fire alarm so the line for passport control is literally backed up literally the entire terminal because of a fire alarm going off.' Natalie Berg, who tweeted a photo of the queues, said on X: 'Nearly two hours and line has barely moved at Heathrow. Just been told immigration and baggage reclaim has now reopened so hopefully on the move soon.' And another passenger in the terminal wrote: 'Fire crews investigating incident in baggage hall at Heathrow T3 mean security birder is currently closed. Very long queue already.' A Heathrow spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'Following an earlier fire alarm evacuation in parts of Terminal 3, the incident has now been stood down. We apologise for any disruption caused to journeys.' Passengers were later allowed into the baggage reclaim hall to collect their bags and get on their way. Meanwhile drivers in Kent were at a standstill as they queued to use the Port of Dover after holidaymakers and freight lorries descended in large numbers. The vehicles were moving very slowly through Dover from the A20, and down Jubilee Way towards the port. An update from Port of Dover said the traffic into the port was causing delays of around an hour. A traffic control system was in place, and one traffic warden told an eyewitness that they had received a lot of verbal abuse from drivers. Doug Bannister, chief executive at the Port of Dover said his organisation has been 'preparing for a busy summer' and have brought in measures to 'minimise disruption'. He said: 'We know how vital it is to keep things moving, not just for holidaymakers but for our local community too. 'That's why we've boosted staff levels, strengthened traffic management, added welfare facilities and introduced AI-powered forecasting - all to minimise disruption and ensure both residents and travellers have the best possible experience during this busy season.' The Port of Dover said it was expecting nearly 40,000 cars this weekend and more than 270,000 in the next six weeks. The RAC revealed on Monday that a larger number of drivers than ever before were expected to head off on holiday at some point this week, rather than wait until the weekend to get away. But the first getaway weekend will also be busy with 2.7million journeys planned on 'Frantic Friday' today. Following this there will be a 'Saturday Scramble' tomorrow as the largest number of journeys on a single day - 3million - is set to take place. An extra 2.7million trips are expected on Sunday, and 4.6million more at some point over the weekend, bringing the total number of journeys this week to 26.9million. The M40 northbound between J12 for Gaydon in Warwickshire and the M42 exit at J3A in the West Midlands could see major delays. Queues are also likely on the M1 northbound from J12 to J16 in Northamptonshire; and on the M4 westbound from J22 for the Pilning Interchange near Severn Beach across the Prince of Wales Bridge to J26 for Newport. The M1 northbound from J22 near Leicester to J26 for Nottingham, near the Peak District, could face 40-minute delays. Queues of 50 minutes along the M25 anticlockwise from J4 for Sevenoaks to the Dartford Crossing are also likely. The RAC and Inrix are jointly urging those setting off at the weekend to travel as early or late as possible – with traffic set to be at its worst through the middle of the day.
