London, September 30 (.).- Train drivers in England supported a 24-hour strike this Saturday, ahead of the ruling Conservative Party’s annual congress, as part of their protest against their working conditions.

According to the British drivers’ union Aslef, the 16 train operators they support today support the strike, which will be followed by another strike next Wednesday, the same day as the annual “Tory” congress in the English city of Manchester closes. .

For unions, this action would force train operators to cancel all their services, which would likely create chaos for passengers during the day.

The British Transport Minister, Mark Harper, today considered, in statements to the British channel Sky News, that train drivers participated in a “political strike” aimed at disrupting the congress, organized by Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, who is part of the opposition executive committee Labor Party.

According to the minister, a “fair and reasonable” wage offer has been made to the union along with “important” railway reforms during negotiations with the union.

“The average salary of a train driver is currently 60,000 pounds (69,136 euros, at today’s exchange rate) for 35 hours a day, four days a week. The existing job offer, if accepted, would increase that amount to 65,000 pounds (74,884 euros) per year for a four-day week and 35 hours a week,” the politician said.

“My message to the union is: present this offer to your members and see whether they accept it or not and stop causing disruption to citizens and preventing people from using the trains, which is not in the union’s long-term interest. or its members,” he added.

Additionally, as part of the coercive measures, Aslef members have banned overtime between Friday, October 29, and 6, which will “seriously change” the national rail network, according to the union.

Whelan recently recalled that his members “haven’t had a pay rise in four years, since 2019, and this is not right when prices have risen over this period.”