Drivers vote to strike in dispute

24 hour strikes will be held on three consecutive Saturdays

Hundreds of train drivers have voted to take strike action in a dispute with Central Trains.

Aslef said its 700 members at the Midlands-based train company would walk out for 24 hours on three consecutive Saturdays starting on 12 February.

It follows disciplinary action taken against two drivers at the firm's depot in Cambridge whose grades were reduced over safety issues.

Central Trains say services will be "severely hit" on those days.

Deputy Managing Director Steve Banaghan said: "The strikes will hit passengers hard on Saturdays when our trains are full of people going shopping, going to the football or going on day trips.

"The strikes also coincide with half term holidays for many families in our area which will disrupt the first holidays this year for thousands of people."

Unhappy with treatment

Union spokesperson Mick Whelan said members were unhappy with the way their colleagues had been treated and further strikes could be planned if the dispute is not resolved.

"We have left it until 12 February to allow further time for dialogue with Central Trains," he said.

"The two colleagues have never been disciplined in their careers, one for 30 years and the other for 14, until now.

"They were disciplined following two separate incidents last year and have now been demoted to conductor status."

Aslef said it had selected Saturdays to minimise disruption to passengers.

Central Trains' Mr Banaghan said: "Our only concern throughout has always been the safety of the railway and of the passengers using Central Trains services.

"Safety is not something we can compromise on and we believe that the decisions we have made in relation to the two drivers are the right ones in the interests of safety."

Central Trains operate local services throughout the Midlands and local and long distance services from the Midlands to South Wales, the North West, East Anglia and the East Coast.

It is the second dispute that has arisen between the company and Aslef in recent weeks.

A special timetable was introduced on 1 January after the union withdrew its agreement with Central Trains for members to work overtime.

This resulted in a 10% cut in services and replacement buses used in emergency timetable changes.