Train drivers are set to strike and have an overtime ban on two separate dates in England in early September, the Aslef union has announced.

Members will walk out on Friday, September 1 and will ban overtime on Saturday, September 2.

Aslef said its strike will force train companies across England to cancel all services, while the ban on overtime will “seriously disrupt” the network.

The overtime ban on September 2 will coincide with a strike from the RMT Union, who are also taking industrial action on August 26.

The Argus: The Aslef overtime ban date will coincide with a strike date from the RMT unionThe Aslef overtime ban date will coincide with a strike date from the RMT union (Image: PA)

Which rail operators will be affected by the Aslef strike?

The operators that will be affected by the Aslef strike are:

  • Avanti West Coast
  • Chiltern Railways
  • c2c
  • CrossCountry
  • East Midlands Railway
  • Greater Anglia
  • GTR Great Northern Thameslink
  • Great Western Railway
  • Island Line
  • LNER
  • Northern Trains
  • Southeastern
  • Southern/Gatwick Express
  • South Western Railway
  • TransPennine Express
  • West Midlands Trains

Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: “We don’t want to take this action but the train companies, and the Government which stands behind them, have forced us into this place because they refuse to sit down and talk to us and have not made a fair and sensible pay offer to train drivers who have not had one for four years – since 2019 – while prices have soared in that time by more than 12%.

“The Government appears happy to let passengers – and businesses – suffer in the mistaken belief that they can bully us into submission.

“They don’t care about passengers, or Britain’s railway, but they will not break us."

Mr Whelan went on to say that the lack of contact they had had with rail operators and the Government for most of the year showed the "contempt" they had for passengers.

He added: "They are happy to let this drift on and on, but we are determined to get a fair pay rise for men and women who haven’t had one for four years while inflation has reached double figures.

“Our members, perfectly reasonably, want to be able to buy now what they could buy back in 2019."

It will be the 12th one-day strike by Aslef members since the dispute started over a year ago.