Isle of Wight train drivers strike over long-running pay dispute

Between January 3 – 8, strike action will reduce services between 7.15am and 6.30pm on several Southern Western Railway (SWR) routes.

Island Line’s only walk-out will be Thursday, January 5, with no train services running between Ryde and Shanklin.

Only members of the The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), aka the train drivers' union, will be on strike.

Despite Island Line only having one day scheduled for the walk-out, the service may still be affected by mainland strike action across the period – which will also include RMT strikes, not directly affecting Island staff.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said: “We don’t want to go on strike, but the companies have pushed us into this place.

“They have not offered our members at these companies a penny – and these are people who have not had an increase since April 2019.

“That means they expect train drivers at these companies to take a real-terms pay cut – to work just as hard for considerably less – when inflation is running at north of 14 per cent.

“We are always happy to negotiate – we never refuse to sit down at the table and talk – but these companies have offered us nothing. And that is unacceptable.”

ASLEF represents 96 per cent of the train drivers in England, Scotland, and Wales (Image: Victoria Jones/PA Wire)

Claire Mann, SWR’s managing director, said: "We share our customers’ frustration over this nationwide strike action and the impact it has on our network and services.

“We are grateful to our customers for their continued cooperation, patience, and understanding as the rail industry works to bring this damaging strike action to an end."

Due to the impact of the strike days, customers are advised to only travel if ‘absolutely necessary’ and to check the live timetable on SWR’s website before travelling.