No more money to avert strike

Arriva Trains Wales says it will not make an improved pay offer to its staff to avoid a strike later this month.

Aslef union members will walk out for 24 hours on Monday 28 February.

The rail company said it would meet the union for talks next week but it had already improved its offer several times and it could not go any further.

Aslef said the strike was not just over pay but also working conditions and it hoped "common sense" would prevail and the company would negotiate.

Arriva said it had offered a 12% pay rise over two years but the figure has been disputed.

The train operator said the offer would take a train driver's basic salary to £39,117.

The company's operations and safety director Peter Leppard told BBC Radio's Good Morning Wales: "They are going down a blind alley.

"We have been negotiating this matter now for nine months - we have improved the offer several times.

"It cannot go any further - they know that - they've been told very clearly that."

He said as part of the deal drivers would no longer be able to choose whether or not to work Sundays.

"We are not changing the number of Sundays that drivers work - we are saying if it is your Sunday you must work it," he added.

"No-one in the current climate is going to get a 12% pay rise without something attached to it."

Arriva Trains Wales launched legal proceedings to avert a planned strike by the RMT union on the day of the Six Nations rugby clash between Wales and England earlier this month.

Mr Leppard said it was action they may try to take again.

"We always, if faced with an industrial action threat, look to see if that might be a possibility but we only had the documentation from Aslef yesterday [Thursday] afternoon."

Aslef district organiser Stan Moran said 70% of its members working for Arriva Trains Wales voted in favour of strikes on an 80% turnout.

"These drivers have overwhelmingly voted against any offer that the company has made," he said.

"We are meeting with Arriva on Tuesday next week. We always have to think positive. Our members have voted so we have to try and please the membership.

"You never know what we can to do resolve the issue. We'll talk, we're always willing to talk and hopefully we'll resolve it."

Mr Moran said it was not all about getting a better deal than the current pay rise offer.

"It's all about conditions, it's not the money, and there's other things as well involved."

Mr Moran defended the train driver salary of £39,000 and said it was far behind pay in England.

"A loaf of bread is the same price anywhere in the country," he added.

He said he was "very optimistic" about the outcome of the talks and he said that previous disputes had always been resolved through "common sense".

*This story has been taken from BBC News Wales. Read it here *

Arrivatrainsnails says...... "We think it's wrong of the members of staff at Arriva Trains Wales to constantly threaten to strike over pay when a lot of people this year will be lucky to get a 1% payrise. Many more will be taking a pay cut in 2011 and many will lose their jobs, so why do these members of staff believe that a 12% payrise over 2 years is a bad offer? If you hate your jobs so much, give them up and give other people a chance to do your jobs better! Keeping up this strike action will only lead to you alienating more of your passengers!" 

Let us passengers join together and show the drivers that we won't be beaten and find an alternative method of travel on the strike days.
Here are some alternative options to the trains:

• Why not car share? Split the cost and use one of the three Park and Ride facilities dotted around Cardiff City Centre (Cost is only £3 per car and buses are every 15 minutes)
  
  Click here for more info 
• Use a bus? For example, Newport Bus offer a unlimited day ticket for only £2.75 - You can travel all around Newport and to Cardiff and back as many times as you like - Great Value.
  
  Click here for Newport Bus or here to search for other bus companies
   
• Take a taxi? Might sound expensive, but sharing one with other people you are travelling with will reduce the cost and you can book it for the time you like - No waiting in the cold!
  
  Click here for taxi companies