Members of ASLEF and other unions are staging a rally outside Hull station today, as ASLEF steps up its dispute with Hull Trains.
ASLEF has accused the operator of sacking a driver who raised ‘genuine health and safety concerns’ at an internal meeting. The union says the driver has a ‘completely clean safety record’, and ‘has done nothing wrong’.
Unconfirmed reports later claimed that the driver had fallen asleep in the cab, which ASLEF has denied, while Hull Trains declined to comment.
The dispute has caused train cancellations on strike days and has also sparked protests from the wider trade union movement, and 30 union general secretaries are reported to have written to Hull Trains expressing their concerns.
ASLEF has been in dispute with Hull Trains since the start of this year, and today is the 74th strike day since January. The union pointed out that it has a mandate from its members to continue the walkouts until February 2026.
General secretary Mick Whelan said: ‘I am enormously grateful to the members of other trade unions who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us to show the world that we are right and the company is wrong.
‘Hull Trains sacked a driver – without proper due process – for doing nothing wrong. He has a completely clean safety record. He raised fears of fatigue at a safety meeting. But when the company downloaded the black box it discovered that the driver had driven perfectly and correctly throughout his journeys.
‘That didn’t stop the company from sacking him, without rhyme or reason, justification or cause. It is a witch hunt which has serious ramifications for every driver and the whole rail industry. Because if drivers cannot bring safety concerns to the attention of the company, for fear of being punished, then the entire safety culture on which our industry depends will have been undermined.
‘This is no longer just about Hull Trains, ASLEF and safety. This strike is important to our entire movement. Trade unions will not sit by and allow employers to jeopardise health and safety at work.’
Hull Trains said it adhered to ‘stringent standards of assessment’, and that ‘safety remains and always will be paramount.’
It continued: ‘We informed both the union and Acas that we would be willing to take part in discussions on resolving this matter for all concerned. We have had discussions with ASLEF where proposed solutions were put forward. These were rejected and not considered.’
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