London train strikes 2023: Aslef announces suspension of July industrial action

The train drivers union has announced the suspension of strike action due to take place in July.

Aslef members on Avanti West Coast were due to walk out on Sunday July 2 over changes to sick pay.

The union announced on Wednesday afternoon, at shortly before 5pm, that the action was suspended.

The decision followed talks with management, with Aslef saying it will remove the sick note policy which was in dispute. The union says its executive committee will consider the matter in its next formal session.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “As we have always said, we want to maintain a culture of positive industrial relations. This outcome shows that when management come to the table and understand our members’ perspective we are able to resolve issues effectively.”

Avanti West Coast and LNER, which both run services from London to Scotland and the east coast of England, were due to be affected by the strikes.