All you need to know about the Hull Trains strikes
Why is it happening?In January, Aslef union said a train driver had been sacked after raising a safety concern about fatigue during a briefing by the rail operator.Mick Whelan, the general secretary of the union, said the driver in question had a "totally perfect" record and had worked for "20 years without a single incident".Claims emerged in April that the driver at the centre of the dispute had fallen asleep at the controls, but Aslef denied that was the case and Hull Trains declined to comment.Following the initial strike action, union members voted this month to continue their protests, which could see walkouts continue until February 2026.What is Hull Trains saying?The operator said it would not comment on individual members of staff but all drivers and managers "adhere to stringent standards of assessment".Hull Trains added: "We informed both the union and [mediation body] Acas that we would be willing to take part in discussions on resolving this matter for all concerned; we have had discussions with Aslef where proposed solutions were put forward. These were rejected and not considered."It also said safety "remains and always will be paramount", and it would work to minimise the impact of the strikes and disruption on customers.
What does Aslef say?In an interview with BBC Look North, Mr Whelan answered with a resounding "No" when he was asked if the driver should have been sacked.He said: "We have to do the right thing and make sure [Hull Trains] operates safely within the agreements that we have."We have processes in place and we brought in a no-blame culture, so if people came forward with issues they wouldn't find themselves in the predicament."Mr Whelan added that he and the union remained open for talks, and he said he "wanted to work with the company" and move on from the issue as quickly as possible.How is it impacting services?Hull Trains is warning passengers there could be "short notice" cancellations, and it is encouraging them to check before travelling.On Tuesday, for example, two of seven services from Hull to London King's Cross and one return journey were cancelled.
Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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