Eurostar drivers strike after last-minute pay talks collapse

Eurostar drivers went on strike after last-minute pay talks collapsed
12 April 2012

Eurostar drivers today started a 48-hour strike in a row over pay after last minute hopes of a deal collapsed.

The train firm pledged that services will continue as normal despite the walkout.

Around 70 members of the drivers' union Aslef are thought to have walked out, with further stoppages threatened for December 26 and 27.

A group of Eurostar managers belonging to the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), who were due to join the strike, called off the action yesterday after accepting a new offer on allowances.

A Eurostar spokesman said: "We are please that the TSSA has accepted this offer which we believe to be reasonable. We have informed Aslef that this offer remains on the table. We hope our UK train drivers see that this is a fair resolution to the dispute and abandon their proposed strike."

A message to customers on the firm's website today said: "Eurostar will operate normally over this weekend and the Christmas period.

"Threatened industrial action by one UK rail union will not affect Eurostar services."

The row centred on a claim by union members that the falling pound meant their expenses were lower than their French counterparts who are paid in higher value euros.

As part of the TSSA settlement it is understood the managers have accepted a one-off payment of more than £600 to compensate for lost earnings caused by the weak pound.

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