Elizabeth line strikes: chaos looms as train drivers plan February and March walkouts

According to the line’s managers, the strike was called after drivers belonging to the union rejected a 4.5 per cent pay increase | amandabhslater/Flickr

Sir Sadiq Khan has urged Elizabeth line bosses and a union threatening strikes to “get round the table”, as he insisted there was still “some time” for them to “resolve their differences”.

Aslef, which represents train drivers on the cross-London line, announced on Thursday that its members will stage four days of strikes in a dispute over pay.

According to the line’s managers, the strike was called after drivers belonging to the union rejected a 4.5 per cent pay increase.

The mayor declined to say whether drivers should accept the increase, while City Hall Conservatives called the situation “an indictment of Labour’s negotiating strategy”.

It is understood that a typical train driver’s salary on the line is £72,465 for a 34-hour, four-day week – which would have risen by £3,261 to £75,726 under the proposed 4.5 per cent uplift.