Christmas travel hell warning as Labour’s huge pay rise for train drivers means FEWER will work over the holidays
PASSENGERS face Christmas travel hell as Labour’s bumper pay deal for train drivers looks set to ramp up staff shortages.
Rail minister Lord Hendy admitted concerns over looming disruption as train operators scramble to fill shifts.
He told MPs the transport department will “keep a close watch on staffing” throughout the holidays.
Services are heavily reliant on volunteers to work Sundays, but many are refusing after a huge pay rise from former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.
The deal, signed off this summer, was backdated to 2022 and paid in a lump sum.
It pushed some drivers’ salaries past £69,000 — leaving little incentive to take extra work.
A rail industry insider told The Sun: “Louise Haigh’s deal gave train drivers a massive above-inflation pay rise and now they can spend Christmas with families instead of picking up extra shifts.”
Asked if the bumper settlement was the right decision, the PM’s spokesman said: “Any disruption is something we would hope could be avoided, but as we have said many times, economic stability is a precursor to growth, and without public services being reformed, we cannot achieve that…
“We can’t simply spend our way to better public services, and that’s why reform is an essential pillar of this government’s agenda.”
Disruption will be worsened by Avanti West Coast train managers voting to walk out on December 22, 23 and 29.