Posted: Thu 31st Dec 2015

Strike action on Arriva Trains Wales services set to make Monday’s return to work just that bit more miserable!

News and Info from Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales
This article is old - Published: Thursday, Dec 31st, 2015

Arriva Trains Wales services which include those through Shotton are expected to be cancelled on Monday due to threatened industrial action by train driver unions.

Some early morning services on Tuesday January 5th could also be affected.

Arriva say the will be unable to provide replacement bus services as there are insufficient numbers of buses available to cover the 1000+ services they run each day and are advising rail users to make alternative travel arrangements for Monday 4 January and to check their train travel plans for Tuesday morning, 5 January.

Arriva Trains Wales staff who are members of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union voted overwhelmingly for strike action after the union say management reneged on an agreement which had been reached in earlier negotiations.

ASLEF members voted in favour of strike action by 81.7% – 18.3% voted against, there was a turnout of just over 80%.

Arriva Trains Wales say they deeply regret the disruption the strike will cause which is due to ASLEF’s failure to accept a generous offer from the company to improve Pay and Conditions for all their train driver employees.

An ‘indefinite duration’ train driver overtime ban is currently in force which has seen services through Shotton cancelled over the last few days due to a shortage of crew.

 

Arriva have published a ‘Train Drivers Industrial Action FAQ’s’

1. Why is the Industrial Action happening?

Driver union members have notified us of their intention to hold Industrial action in dispute over pay and working conditions. We continue to do all we can to avert strike action however we are advising customers to make alternative travel arrangements for the affected day (Monday 4 January 2016).

We deeply regret this disruption and are very disappointed that the drivers’ union has not accepted our improved pay offers and that they have opted to take industrial action even though negotiations are ongoing and progress continues to be made.

2. How are services affected?

Industrial action will begin at 00:01 on Monday 4 January and last for 24 hours until 23:59. This may also cause some early morning service start up disruption on Tuesday 5 January.

We are hopeful that an agreement can be reached to avoid the planned industrial action but in the event that it goes ahead, we would advise our customers to make alternative transport arrangements. During the period of industrial action no Arriva Trains Wales services will operate and no replacement road transport will be provided due the large number of train services impacted (around 1000 a day).

3. Why are you not providing alternative transport such as buses?

Due to the number of services and routes that would be affected if the industrial action goes ahead we would not be able to source enough buses to provide the same level of capacity as our trains (we would need at least 4,000 buses to provide the same level of capacity).

We do not want to put any of our customers in any situation where they could be left stranded if they start their journey and there are not enough rail replacement services for them to reach their destination.

We have therefore put a number of arrangements in place with other Train Operators as outlined below.

4. What do I do if I can’t travel on a different day?

We fully appreciate that many of our regular customers, particularly commuters, will still need to travel on these dates. We would therefore recommend that you visit the Traveline website to see if there are other forms of public transport to help you reach your destination http://www.traveline.info/

The latest information on train ticket acceptance with other transport operators will be published at

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Ia2016

5. Can I use my ticket to travel on a different day or with another Train Company?

A number Train Companies have agreed to accept rail tickets dated for Monday 4 January so that customers can amend their journeys if necessary. Full details of ticket acceptance and refund arrangements can be viewed at http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/ia2016

Customers with Advance tickets travelling on alternate days must travel at the same time shown on the ticket wherever possible. Where there is no train running at the same time on the alternative day, the customer should travel at the closest possible time to that which is stated on the ticket.

6. Can I get a refund on my ticket if I can’t travel on another day?

Any customer who has purchased a ticket for travel on Monday 4 January who cannot travel is entitled to a full refund from the original retailer. The normal administration fee will not be charged by Arriva Trains Wales booking offices. Holders of Advance purchase tickets will also be entitled to claim a full refund of their ticket if they cannot travel.

Tickets bought from the Arriva Trains Wales website

If you bought your ticket from the Arriva Trains Wales website please return your ticket to:

Arriva Trains Wales Refunds PO Box 23972
Edinburgh
EH3 5DA

If you have opted to collect your tickets from a self-service ticket machine but have not yet collected them, you can request a refund by logging into My Account click on ‘Order Status and Refund Applications’ and follow the simple instruction provided. If you have already collected the ticket(s) they will need to be returned to the postal address provided above.

If you have not collected the ticket(s), requesting the refund online is all we require to initiate the process.

Tickets bought from the Arriva Trains Wales telesales team

If you bought your ticket from the Arriva Trains Wales telesales team, these tickets are not stored in your online account so please phone our call centre on 0370 333 4870, 7 days a week, 8am to 10pm to request your refund. Upon confirming your request, you will send your tickets to the same refund address listed above.

Tickets bought from an Arriva Trains Wales ticket office

If you bought your ticket from one of our station ticket offices please return your unused ticket to any station and complete a refund application form.

Customers may also exchange their tickets for an alternative date or ticket, subject to paying the difference in price if appropriate. Exchanges must take place prior to the date of travel on the purchased ticket. Again, no administration fee will be charged by Arriva Trains Wales booking offices in this circumstance.

7. I have a season ticket can I get a refund on my lost days?

If you hold a monthly or longer season ticket we will automatically add additional days onto your season ticket when you renew it as follows:

Normally a customer requires the renewal to start the day after the previous ticket expires. However, the renewal ticket may be dated for any weekday (Monday to Friday) up to 28 days after the previous ticket expired, provided the expired ticket is surrendered when the renewal ticket is issued.

If you hold a monthly or longer season ticket for journeys priced and managed by another TOC (e.g. Great Western, Northern or Merseyrail) you will be entitled to compensation for the lost days and will need to complete a refund form at an ATW station in order to claim once your ticket has expired.

If you hold a weekly season ticket you will be entitled to a refund of any lost days and will need to complete a refund form at an ATW station in order to claim once your ticket has expired.

 

 

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