Train drivers to be balloted on strikes as walkout looms over pay dispute with Avanti West Coast
The West Coast Main Line would likely see days of disruption should Aslef members vote to strike
Avanti West Coast train drivers are set to be polled over strike action related to a dispute over pay.
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Members of the Aslef union will vote within weeks on whether to walk out.
The company runs services on the West Coast Mainline between London Euston and Glasgow Central, connecting the cities with Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham.
The train providers' services are among the most overcrowded in the UK - and are set to be thrust into the spotlight given frontrunner for Prime Minister Andy Burnham's desire to run Britain from Manchester partially.
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Aslef general secretary Dave Calfe said: “The company’s failure to make a suitable pay offer for 2026 is not acceptable. That’s why we are balloting our members for strike action and for action short of a strike.”
Kevin Lindsay, Aslef’s organiser in Scotland, said: “We believed we had reached agreement with the company but they told us they had to get approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) and that has not been forthcoming.
“Interference by the DfT in collective bargaining between the company and the union is damaging industrial relations and will make life difficult for passengers.
“There is still time for the company to make an appropriate pay offer for us to put to members.”
An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with the decision by the Aslef union to ballot their members for industrial action over a pay offer.
“We remain open to working with Aslef colleagues to resolve this dispute and will continue to try to reach an agreement.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Avanti West Coast have the authority required to reach a deal on 2026/27 pay talks – as other operators have been able to agree. The Department has not been sighted on any proposed pay agreement.
“The news of a ballot being called is deeply disappointing, as we know how frustrating disruption can be for passengers. We expect Avanti West Coast and the union to engage constructively to reach a solution and ensure services can run.”
As part of ongoing plans to renationalise railways, Avanti's franchise will come to an end in the spring of 2027 - with the running of services to revert back to the Department for Transport.