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.”
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