Hull Trains drivers back on strike over colleague's sacking
The company denies it unfairly dismissed a staff member for raising a safety issue
Last updated 1st Jun 2025
Train drivers went on strike again today (Sunday 1st June 2025) in a long-running dispute over the sacking of a colleague.
Members of Aslef on Hull Trains have been taking industrial action since March, claiming their colleague was unfairly dismissed for raising a safety issue, which the company denies.
Hull Trains serves the following stations: London King's Cross, Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough, Beverley, Cottingham and Hull.
Previous strikes led to services being cancelled or disrupted.
Mick Whelan, Aslef's general secretary, said: "The company seems to think that we're going to give up and go away, but it is wrong.
"It sacked a driver, over what it claimed was a safety issue, who has a clean safety record.
"The driver did nothing wrong.
"The company has behaved not just badly but vindictively, in persecuting a driver for doing nothing more than raising a safety concern.
"The company appears to think this is just 'a little local difficulty'. It isn't.
"There is a very important principle here that involves everyone in the railway industry.
"The company's failure to act responsibly has enormous implications not just for rail workers and passengers at Hull Trains but for staff and passengers right across the wider rail network.
"This is a moral issue because we have a culture on the railway designed to keep everyone safe.
"Anyone who works on the railway should be able to report a safety concern without fearing that they will be penalised, punished, or lose their livelihood.
"The company has behaved deplorably."
A spokesperson for Hull Trains said:
“Most services will continue to operate as normal, however there will be a temporary alteration affecting early morning and late evening services on Sunday 1st June. Any changes are communicated to our customers in advance and this is not expected to cause significant disruption to their journeys.
“We have been operating under the threat of 66 days of continuous industrial action by ASLEF since the 31st March, of which only eight days of actual action have taken place to date, with most action suspended by notice from the Union at 23:00 the night before. Most trains have still operated on those days.
“The company put forward an offer to resolve this situation, but this was rejected. We remain committed to open dialogue with ASLEF.”