Sir Sadiq Khan has urged Elizabeth line bosses and a union threatening strikes to “get round the table”, as he insisted there was still “some time” for them to “resolve their differences”.
Aslef, which represents train drivers on the cross-London line, announced on Thursday that its members will stage four days of strikes in a dispute over pay.
According to the line’s managers, the strike was called after drivers belonging to the union rejected a 4.5 per cent pay increase.
Aslef, which represents train drivers on the cross-London line, announced on Thursday that its members will stage four days of strikes in a dispute over pay.
According to the line’s managers, the strike was called after drivers belonging to the union rejected a 4.5 per cent pay increase.
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NewsTranscript
00:00I think what's really important is for MTR, who run the Elizabeth line, and Aslef to resolve
00:04these differences amicably rather than going on strike. I think strikes ultimately is a
00:08sign of failure. The first one scheduled to take place at the end of this month, that
00:12means there is some time for Aslef and MTR to resolve these differences. What's not right
00:17is for me to keep running commentary on any negotiation that takes place, but I encourage
00:20Aslef and MTR to get around the table and solve any differences they've got. These strikes
00:26will mean the Elizabeth line loses passengers, passengers are inconvenienced, the drivers
00:32lose a wage and so nobody wins. It's not the case that you'd simply encourage them to take
00:36the payoff for them. No, I'd encourage MTR and Aslef to talk about the differences they've
00:41got and resolve them amicably, which is really important.