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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Avanti West Coast unofficial strike action claims rejected by union | Avanti West Coast unofficial strike action claims rejected by union |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Avanti West Coast operates services on the West Coast mainline | Avanti West Coast operates services on the West Coast mainline |
| A train operator has been criticised by a union for blaming "unofficial strike action" for disruption to its services. | A train operator has been criticised by a union for blaming "unofficial strike action" for disruption to its services. |
| Avanti West Coast said its services were subject to last-minute cancellations until further notice and said it condemned the drivers' actions. | Avanti West Coast said its services were subject to last-minute cancellations until further notice and said it condemned the drivers' actions. |
| Union Aslef said there was "no strike action - official or unofficial - by train drivers" and said the firm had simply not employed enough drivers. | Union Aslef said there was "no strike action - official or unofficial - by train drivers" and said the firm had simply not employed enough drivers. |
| Some 5,000 union members took planned strike action for 24 hours on Saturday. | Some 5,000 union members took planned strike action for 24 hours on Saturday. |
| There was a planned strike on Saturday but Aslef has denied allegations of unofficial action | There was a planned strike on Saturday but Aslef has denied allegations of unofficial action |
| More strikes are planned in August by Aslef and the RMT union in the row over pay, jobs and conditions, however Aslef train drivers' union said it was "categorically untrue" to suggest there was ongoing unofficial industrial action. | More strikes are planned in August by Aslef and the RMT union in the row over pay, jobs and conditions, however Aslef train drivers' union said it was "categorically untrue" to suggest there was ongoing unofficial industrial action. |
| "The truth is the company [Avanti West Coast] does not employ enough drivers to deliver the services it has promised," a spokesperson said. | "The truth is the company [Avanti West Coast] does not employ enough drivers to deliver the services it has promised," a spokesperson said. |
| Disruption as train strike hits weekend travel | Disruption as train strike hits weekend travel |
| When and where are the train strikes? | When and where are the train strikes? |
| Train strikes: 'I cycled 33 miles to get to a gig' | Train strikes: 'I cycled 33 miles to get to a gig' |
| When asked by the BBC, Avanti was unable to provide any evidence to support its claims of unofficial strike action. | When asked by the BBC, Avanti was unable to provide any evidence to support its claims of unofficial strike action. |
| Drivers at a number of train companies often work rest days which Aslef said operators depend on. | Drivers at a number of train companies often work rest days which Aslef said operators depend on. |
| However staff are not obliged to work more than their contracted hours. | |
| The BBC understands drivers working overtime normally cover 250 train journeys a week for Avanti. | |
| Next week that arrangement is expected to cover fewer than 10 journeys. | |
| Transport secretary Grant Shapps has waded into the row, posting on Twitter that "archaic rules... mean working on rest days is voluntary" and called for modernisation. | |
| 📢 UNOFFICIAL STRIKES: Passengers using Avanti West services should expect disruption today. Archaic rules from 1919 mean working on rest days is voluntary. Unions now stopping drivers volunteering - causing misery for public & staff who won't get paid. We MUST modernise rail. | |
| Operators such as West Midlands Trains have previously spoken about pressures on staffing, particularly after the pandemic delayed new drivers' training, which typically takes more than a year. | |
| A spokesperson for Avanti said starting from Monday, last-minute cancellations were likely to continue until the industrial dispute had been settled and it urged customers to check their journeys in advance. | A spokesperson for Avanti said starting from Monday, last-minute cancellations were likely to continue until the industrial dispute had been settled and it urged customers to check their journeys in advance. |
| The company runs services from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh, with routes to Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales and Birmingham. | The company runs services from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh, with routes to Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales and Birmingham. |
| "We are sorry for the enormous frustration and inconvenience this will cause our customers and condemn the drivers' actions." | "We are sorry for the enormous frustration and inconvenience this will cause our customers and condemn the drivers' actions." |
| Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk | Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk |