Latest news with #NigelRoebuck
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Warning for Challenge Cup fans as trains to Wembley hit by strikes
Rugby league fans heading to Wembley for Saturday's Challenge Cup final are bracing for travel disruptions as Hull Trains drivers strike over the dismissal of a colleague. Members of Aslef have been engaged in industrial action for months, protesting what they claim was the unfair sacking of a driver who raised safety concerns. Hull Trains denies the claim. The union has warned that the 24-hour walkout will disrupt services on the East Coast main line, affecting supporters travelling to the Hull Kingston Rovers versus Warrington Wolves match. Train services have already been impacted throughout the week due to the ongoing industrial action. Nigel Roebuck, Aslef's organiser in the north east of England, said Aslef members 'fully understand the anger' of passengers travelling to the cup final. 'But angry fans should understand that this is a dispute entirely engineered by the company, not by us. Hull Trains unlawfully sacked a driver who had done nothing wrong, but the company refuses to give him back his job. 'Our dispute with Hull Trains has rumbled on since January and throughout this process Aslef has been willing to meet to find a solution. 'We have had little contact with the company since a meeting in late January when we offered a solution that was ignored and a further meeting in early March when, again, they simply ignored all the salient points. 'Since then, all we have had are just emails, usually late at night, or on Friday afternoons, when they know we have no time to respond. Nothing serious is ever forthcoming.' Hull Trains previously said it followed highly regulated industry standard agreements and procedures for safety. 'Aslef have declined two recent offers that we have made for constructive talks and Hull Trains remains open to dialogue,' it said in April. A Hull Trains spokesperson said on Friday that 90 per cent of the timetabled Saturday services were planned to operate as normal. 'This includes our additional 0857 direct service to London and the 2027 direct service back to Hull. 'Customers can find the latest travel information on our website and social media channels. 'We'd like to wish Hull KR the best of luck in the Challenge Cup final.'
BBC News
01-04-2025
- BBC News
'No evidence' Hull Trains driver fell asleep, Aslef rep says
A union representative has said there is "no evidence" to support an accusation that a Hull Trains driver fell asleep at the Aslef union is locked in an industrial dispute with the rail operator after claiming the driver raised a safety concern and was "unfairly dismissed", which Hull Trains to comment on a report in the Telegraph newspaper, which said the driver had fallen asleep and failed to officially report it, Nigel Roebuck, a district organiser for the union, said: "Let's see the evidence of him falling asleep. He reported a fatigue-related incident."Hull Trains previously said: "The safety of our customers and colleagues is always our number one priority." Strike action due to last eight weeks was launched on Monday, though the union said a walkout on Tuesday had been postponed. The Telegraph said it had seen a letter from the managing director of Hull Trains to Mr Roebuck and a union colleague, which stated that the driver had experienced "fatigue matters" while at the controls of trains on more than one Roebuck said safety systems on the train would have activated if the driver had been asleep."He reported he felt fatigued during the week he was driving trains. He didn't say he fell asleep," he said."If people want to make statements then they need to back it up because there is no evidence." Hull Trains operates services between Hull and London King's Cross, with stops at stations including Selby, Doncaster, Retford and latest round of industrial action is due to run until 24 May, the union Roebuck added: "We've been very clear, the people that drive Hull Trains believe their colleague has been unjustly sacked. Our position is that he should be reinstated."The seriousness of the situation needs Hull Trains to come to the table."Asked about the strikes, Hull Trains said 80% of its services were still operating as planned and it had made "minor alterations" to its firm declined to comment about the driver. 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
12-02-2025
- BBC News
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 of Aslef are due to walk out on every Friday between 7 March and 25 April, and every Saturday between 8 March and 26 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 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.
