Britain’s train drivers will strike again next month in a move that pubs, bars and restaurants fear will cost them another £800 million ($991 million) in lost revenue.
The Aslef union said Thursday that its members would walk out on various rail lines on a rolling basis from Dec. 2 and also refuse overtime for the first nine days of the month.
The industrial action comes at the most crucial time of year for consumer-facing businesses in city and town centers.
“The ongoing rail dispute has already cost the sector £3.5 billion over the past year,” said Kate Nicholls, chief executive officer of the UKHospitality lobby group, which produced the latest estimate of the cost of the strikes.
The head of the Royal Opera House recently told Bloomberg News that last year’s rail strikes forced it to cancel a performance of the Nutcracker, at a cost of £200,000.
Britain’s Conservative government faced a wave of strikes after inflation soared in 2022, with workers battling to avoid real-terms pay cuts. Settlements were made with many employees including nurses, ambulance staff and teachers, yet train drivers and doctors remain in dispute.
Union Fury
Ministers have infuriated unions by bringing in new legislation to ensure minimum levels of public service provision during strikes. On Thursday the Department for Business and Trade published guidance on how employers and unions should follow the rules.
Aslef said that by spreading its industrial action over a week, the “ramifications for the rail industry will be greater.”
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, said it has offered drivers a base salary of nearly £65,000 a year for a four-day week and urged Aslef “to put it to its members, give Christmas back to our passengers, and end this damaging industrial dispute.”
The RMT, another union that represents rail workers, said last week that it would not strike in the run up to Christmas, pending a vote by its members.
Read More: UK Rail Strikes May End as RMT Union Puts Deal to Member Vote
--With assistance from Alex Morales.
(Updates with response from UKHospitality from first paragraph, and government guidance on new strike laws.)
