LONDON: Around 5,000 train drivers across almost a quarter of Britain’s rail network went on strike on Saturday, as part of a campaign for higher pay after the country’s inflation rate hit its highest in 40 years.

The 24-hour strike organised by train drivers’ union ASLEF is the second significant industrial action this week on Britain’s rail network, after 40,000 members of the RMT and TSSA unions — which represent other rail staff — held a major strike on Wednesday.

Soaring inflation — consumer price inflation is currently 9.4pc — and patchy wage rises have exacerbated labour tensions across sectors including postal services, health, schools, airports and the judiciary.

The rail strike was expected to cause “significant disruption” all day and on Sunday morning, according to Network Rail, which runs Britain’s rail infrastructure.

Almost all services on seven of the country’s 34 train operators were cancelled, including regional networks for southeast and eastern England as well as long-distance lines linking London with southwest England, northeast England and Edinburgh.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2022