From Monday this week until Friday 7th July, there will be a planned closure of the Island Line on the Isle of Wight.
The closure of the line is so that staff can complete refresher training in preparation for the reopening of the rail line on Ryde Pier on Monday 10th July.
Mandatory training
That part of the line has been closed since October 2022, meaning it’s now mandatory for staff to refresh that part of the route, as more than six months have passed.
A bus replacement service is in place between now and Friday 7th July.
Overtime ban
At the same time this week, ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, announced that members at 16 companies (including Island Line) will refuse to work overtime from 3rd to 8th July in the union’s ongoing national dispute over pay.
ASLEF say this action, short of a strike, is following yet another round of decisive ballots of members in an ongoing national dispute over pay.
Whelan: Come to the negotiating table in good faith, seeking to resolve the dispute
General secretary Mick Whelan said,
“Once again we find ourselves with no alternative but to take this action. We have continually come to the negotiating table in good faith, seeking to resolve the dispute. Sadly, it is clear from the actions of both the train operating companies and the government that they do not want an end to the dispute. Their goals appear to be to continue industrial strife and to do down our industry.
“We don’t want to inconvenience the public. We just want to see our members paid fairly during a cost of living crisis when inflation is running at above 10 per cent, and to not see our terms and conditions taken away.
“It’s time for the government and the companies to think again and look for a resolution.”
