First Capital Connect has halved the Thameslink service, as drivers continue to refuse overtime and rest day working in protest at the company's pay offer. ASLEF has announced a strike ballot, while FCC has warned that the emergency timetable will continue until further notice. FCC managing director Jim Morgan has been replaced by the head of the FirstGroup Rail Division, Mary Grant.
Drivers are angry that they have been offered a two year deal which would mean no increase at all from April 2009, and say that they have done their best to keep the service going over the summer in the face of staff shortages.
Railnews has been told that the number of Thameslink drivers is down by 30, or almost 10 per cent, and that normal services were only being maintained by a large amount of overtime and rest day working. The drivers started to refuse extra hours almost three weeks ago, and FCC services have been increasingly affected. There were almost no trains at all on the Great Northern routes from Peterborough and King's Lynn on Remembrance Sunday, triggering criticism of the drivers' stance from disappointed passengers.
First Capital Connect introduced an emergency timetable on Wednesday which effectively halves the Thameslink service. There are only two off-peak trains each hour from Bedford, and three from Luton. FCC has warned that even this timetable may not be maintained throughout.
In a statement, the company said: "We are disappointed that ASLEF has now decided to ballot its members for strike action and apologise to customers for the continued disruption. We have made what we believe to be a fair offer given the current economic climate and unprecedented duration of the recession. The offer is a two-year package and includes no increase for the first year from April 2009, a minimum increase of 3% for the second year starting April 2010 and a lump sum payment of £200 in April and other benefits.
"We are working to provide the best possible timetable each day and limit the disruption. Talks will continue and we hope for a speedy resolution."
Meanwhile, FCC managing director Jim Morgan has stepped down, to be replaced for the time being by the head of First Group Rail Division, Mary Grant. As Mary Dickson she launched the First ScotRail franchise in October 2004, which succeeded the National Express contract. She later moved to become head of the First Rail Division, and now has the task of negotiating a settlement and restoring full services on one of London's busiest commuter routes as soon as possible.