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RISHI SUNAK was accused today of playing games rather than trying to help resolve the long-running train drivers’ dispute as workers continued to take strike action in England.
Members of Aslef on some of the busiest commuter routes, including many into London, walked out on Tuesday, crippling services on multiple operators and lines.
Some areas had no trains all day, forcing many people onto the roads and leading to huge traffic jams in parts of the country.
Train drivers at Northern Trains and the TransPennine Express joined the strikes today as part of a rolling programme of action until early next week in a bitter row over pay and conditions.
None of the operators hit by strikes used new regulations aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during industrial action.
Downing Street said it will consider if it can “strengthen” minimum service level legislation after train operators backed away from the new law after Aslef threatened to raise the number of strike days if it was deployed.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “This is a desperate attempt to distract from the government’s failings.
“Employers from rail to health warned months ago that these new laws are unworkable and would escalate industrial tensions.
“The PM should stop playing games and help resolve this dispute.”
Meanwhile, rail union RMT has announced a strike by London Overground workers in a separate dispute over pay.
More than 300 union members are set to walk out for 48 hours on February 19 and again on March 4.
Security, station, revenue and control staff are among those taking industrial action.
Rail services are already being affected by a nine-day ban on overtime by Aslef members, which started on Monday.
On Tuesday, drivers went on strike at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western Railway; this was followed by walkouts at Northern Trains and TPE today.
Drivers at LNER, Greater Anglia and C2C are set to strike on Friday; at West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway on February 3; and at Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern on February 5.
Aslef says it has not met with Transport Secretary Mark Harper for more than a year, despite a series of strikes in response to years without a pay rise.
