Latest news with #MickWhelan
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Aslef boss Mick Whelan to retire
Mick Whelan, leader of the Aslef train drivers' trade union, has announced his retirement. Mr Whelan, 65, was a key figure in the two-year strike campaign that secured his members a 15 per cent pay rise from the Labour Government when it was elected in 2024. Coming at the same time as the railways were trying to recover from the pandemic, the 2022-2024 strike campaign cost the taxpayer £850 million in lost ticket revenue, according to government estimates. First elected as general secretary of Aslef in 2011, Mr Whelan was re-elected unopposed in 2016 and in 2021. He has been a regular feature on picket lines and in making media appearances to defend his striking members against public opinion. Train drivers' average salaries have increased by about £25,000 since the year he was first elected, reflecting the outsized leverage exercised by Aslef's 22,000 members over every train company in the UK. The timing of Mr Whelan's decision to step down was picked to coincide with a union executive committee meeting being held this week, an Aslef source said. A career railwayman who joined state-owned British Rail in 1984 as a guard, later retraining as a train driver, Mr Whelan is now one of the most powerful people in the Labour Party-aligned trade union movement. He chairs the Labour Unions group and sits on the party's national executive committee. Mr Whelan expects to stand down next year following elections held before the end of 2025 to decide his successor, The Telegraph understands. It is likely that his deputy, Simon Weller, the assistant general secretary, will wish to succeed his boss. Aslef's readiness to announce strikes has won it few friends, even among those who would be expected to hold trade unions in high regard. Even the Labour-backing Guardian newspaper branded Mr Whelan 'Britain's most-hated union leader' in 2017, at a time when he had called a series of damaging strikes that ground large parts of the Southern train company's network to a halt. Last year, he told The Telegraph of how a child died after touching an electrified rail in front of the passenger train he was driving through north London. Rail passenger numbers currently languish some three per cent below their end-of-2019 level, with the recovery from Covid having taken years longer than rail bosses hoped. The Telegraph understands that there is no foul play behind Mr Whelan's departure, in contrast to how his fellow trade unionist Manuel Cortes quit the TSSA amid an investigation into claims of sexual harassment and bullying.
The Independent
14-07-2025
- The Independent
Hull Trains strikes could continue over sacked driver accused of sleeping at the controls
Strikes affecting Hull Train services could continue until next year as staff fight to get a driver reinstated who was accused of falling asleep at the controls. Hull Trains drivers who are members of Aslef could continue to take action over a driver they believe was unfairly sacked, with members currently going through a ballot process to decide whether to strike again. Mick Whelan, the general secretary of trade union Aslef, said it would 'keep going' until the driver was reinstated. The train drivers already carried out strikes earlier this year, during busy periods including Easter, amid the ongoing dispute over what they believe is an unfair dismissal. The strike days caused serious disruption on the rail network, with services such as Hull to London King's Cross experiencing cancellations. Aslef says it has a 100 per cent membership at Hull Trains, with drivers voting 'overwhelmingly' to take strike action back in March. The union claims that the train operator sacked the driver who 'did nothing more than raise a safety concern in a company meeting'. Reports have claimed that the driver told his manager he had experienced 'fatigue matters' at the controls while driving at nearly 125mph on more than one occasion. However, Nigel Roebuck, Aslef's full-time organiser in the northeast of England, said that the stories in the papers in which it states the driver fell asleep are 'completely untrue'. 'There are safety provisions in place, in case a driver has a health incident, and the train automatically stops. 'But nothing happened and that is why neither newspaper has been able to produce a shred of evidence to support its claim,' he said. 'It's a lie-sabre-rattling without any foundation whatsoever.' Mr Roebuck added back in May that the company is 'clearly in the wrong' over sacking the driver who has a clean safety record and had been driving trains for more than 20 years. 'The company is saying that the situation is unique and difficult, and that they have decided that the individual can no longer drive trains based on a comment made during a safety briefing and a collective view of being unsafe, with little evidence other than a remark made. 'The company is punishing and penalising him for something he said, in the context of a safety meeting, not for anything he has done on the track.' Mr Whelan also added in May that the company's decision, which led to the strikes, also had implications for not just rail workers but also passengers. He added that this was a 'moral issue' because there is 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,' he added. When asked about the prospect of a new round of strikes, a Hull Trains spokesperson told The Independent: "Customers can check the Hull Trains website and social channels for the latest travel information about our services.' 'The safety of our customers and colleagues remains our number one priority,' they added. "The company has made a number of proposals for a resolution. We remain committed to open dialogue with Aslef in order to resolve this situation.'
Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Telegraph
Train strike over ‘sleeping driver' to continue beyond Christmas
Train drivers who have been striking in support of a sacked colleague who fell asleep at the controls may continue until next year. Strikers at Hull Trains have been walking out for the past six months to demand the reinstatement of a colleague who nodded off while at the controls of a 125mph service. Union representatives have since claimed there is 'no evidence' of this happening, although a letter sent to Hull Trains staff by its bosses said the driver had experienced 'fatigue matters' more than once. Unions involved in long-running disputes must by law reballot their members every six months to see if they want to continue walking out. 'This is a moral issue' Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, said the union would 'keep going' until the driver was reinstated. Mr Whelan said that Hull Trains had 'behaved deplorably', adding: 'The company's failure to act responsibly has enormous implications not just for rail workers and passengers at Hull Trains but for staff and passengers right across the wider rail network. '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.'
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Hull Trains: Strike impacts services for second consecutive day
An East Yorkshire rail operator's train services are set to be disrupted on Saturday due to strike of the Aslef union at Hull Trains have walked out for a second consecutive day in a long-running dispute over the sacking of a union has claimed a driver was unfairly dismissed for raising a safety concern, which the company denies.A spokesperson from Hull Trains apologised for the disruption, adding: "On this occasion, the union has not served their usual notice of suspension for the following day. "While the majority of our services will continue to run, a number have been cancelled."The firm said impacted customers could use alternative Hull Trains services or claim refunds on tickets purchased with other operators via their customer service Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: "The company's failure to act responsibly has enormous implications not just for rail workers and passengers at Hull Trains but for staff and passengers right across the wider rail network."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."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.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
Further Hull Trains rail strike over sacked driver dispute
Train services to and from Hull on Friday have been been disrupted because of a strike by drivers in a long-running dispute over the sacking of a of Aslef at Hull Trains have walked out again, leading to several services being cancelled, including between Hull and London Kings union has claimed a driver was unfairly sacked for raising a safety concern, which the company denied.A Hull Trains spokesperson said the firm was "sorry for the short-notice disruption to Hull Trains services". "While the majority of our services will continue to run, a number have been cancelled," the spokesperson added."This follows a pattern of suspended strike notices from the union, with no suspension notice issued on this occasion."Customers with affected tickets can use alternative Hull Trains services or buy tickets with other operators and claim a refund via our customer service team." 'Moral issue' Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said that Hull Trains had "behaved deplorably"."The company's failure to act responsibly has enormous implications not just for rail workers and passengers at Hull Trains but for staff and passengers right across the wider rail network," he said."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. 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.
