Gatwick Express trains are set for disruption as drivers’ union ASLEF introduces an overtime ban for its members.
Drivers are set to take part in this overtime ban from 00.01 on Thursday (June 29) and the union said this would continue “until further notice”.
Gatwick Express said: “Unfortunately this means there will be no off-peak Gatwick Express service to/from Brighton on Thursday, June 29, and Friday, June 30. From Saturday, July 1, onwards we plan to run a full service.”
Southern Trains said it would “run as full a timetable as possible” although it warned that “some services will be amended or cancelled”. More details are available on the operator’s website.
The overtime ban is the latest industrial action in a long-running dispute between unions and train operator Govia Thameslink (GTR), which runs both Gatwick Express and Southern, over the role of guards and safety on trains.
Thameslink and Great Northern trains will be unaffected by this overtime ban.
In a separate move, the RMT union has announced a 24-hour strike involving train drivers and guards for Monday, July 10, although details of how this will affect train journeys have yet to be published.
Southern said: “We are working around the clock to evaluate the impact and develop our contingency plans. We will publish information here as it becomes available.”
But Mick Cash, general secretary of the RMT, called for “serious talks” to be held with the train operator over the dispute.
“RMT members on Southern Rail have been fighting for safety and access for well over a year now,” he added. “It is now down to Southern/GTR, and the contract holders in the minority government, to face up to their responsibilities and engage in genuine and serious talks that address our issues.”