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British trade union

The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) is a British trade union representing drivers of trains including services such as the London Underground (Tube). It is part of the International Transport Workers' Federation and the European Transport Workers' Federation. At the end of 2019 ASLEF had 24,479 members. Mick Whelan became its General Secretary in 2011.

In the 1880s ASLEF's foundation as a craft union exclusively for one defined part of the railway workforce went against the industrial unionist trend of the New Unionism movement. In 1880, the ASRS denounced the enginemen's decision as "very selfish" and "an act of folly" and declared "the sooner our friends the enginemen give up the idea of forming a separate Association the better". ASLEF succeeded in getting more locomotive drivers and firemen to join a trade union, but it has never succeeded in recruiting all drivers or firemen. In 1900, the ASRS wanted amalgamation, but ASLEF proposed federation with the drivers and firemen of the ASRS. A Scheme of Federation was drafted and ASLEF's triennial conference adopted it in 1903. In 1907, David Lloyd George, President of the Board of Trade, brought about a conciliation board for the railway industry with representatives of both the companies and their workforces. ASLEF initially welcomed the new board, but later grew dissatisfied with its slow operation and dubbed it a "confiscation" board. In August 1911, the ASRS, ASLEF, the United Pointsmen's and Signalmen's Society (founded 1880) and the General Railway Workers' Union (founded 1889) jointly called the United Kingdom's first national rail strike. In only two days it succeeded in forcing the Liberal Government to set up a Royal Commission to examine the workings of the 1907 conciliation board. ASLEF's then General Secretary, Albert E. Fox, claimed that the 1911 victory showed there was no need to amalgamate with the ASRS and that Federation should be restored. Fox drafted a new federation scheme, but in October 1911, the ASRS rejected "the further extension of sectionalism contained therein" and expressed the opinion that the success of the national strike indicated "that one railway union will prove to be most beneficial for all railwaymen". In 1913, the ASRS, GRWU and UPSS duly merged to form the National Union of Railwaymen. ASLEF stayed out of the new industrial union and held to the slogan "organise your trade, federate your industry" For the duration of the war, the government was in control of the railways. Wages were increased, but at a slower rate than the rise in the cost of living. NUR and ASLEF responded jointly, and forced the Board of Trade to award wage increases in September 1916 and April 1917. In March 1919, the coalition government indicated that it intended to review the War Wage, with a view to reducing it at the end of the year. The NUR and ASLEF started a second national railway strike in September 1919, which in nine days won both a change in pay policy and the reduction of the working day to eight hours. After 1919, control of the railways was returned to the companies, and in 1923, the Railways Act 1921 merged about 120 of Great Britain's railways into four large regional companies. In December 1923, the new companies presented proposals that included some reductions in locomotive men's pay and conditions. Negotiations broke down and ASLEF ordered its members to strike, but the NUR instructed its members – including locomotivemen – to stay at work. After another nine day strike, ASLEF was victorious, but the disagreement between ASLEF and the NUR left deep division. Eventually ASLEF and the NUR agreed a new Railway Union Federation in 1982, but this failed to end mutual suspicion. About the time that the NUR and National Union of Seamen merged in 1990 to form the RMT the federation broke down, and neither federation nor merger has been negotiated since.

ASLEF has taken part in several national rail strikes. The 1911 joint strike with the ASRS, 1919 joint strike with the NUR and 1924 strike of ASLEF without the NUR are described above. ASLEF and the NUR were prominent participants in the 1926 general strike that unsuccessfully sought to prevent British coal companies from reducing mineworkers' pay and conditions. In 1955, ASLEF struck against British Railways for seventeen days in a pay dispute. In 1982, both ASLEF and the NUR opposed BR proposals for flexible rostering but they failed to co ordinate strike action. First the NUR struck against BR and ASLEF instructed its members to cross NUR picket lines. There have also been local disputes with individual railway operators such as those with London Underground in 1982, 1989 and 1996.

In the latter years of British Rail, train drivers were on a basic salary of around £12,000 per annum, supplemented by a set of enhancements for unsocial hours and overtime approximately £4,000–£5,000. Sunday had never formed part of the basic working week for train drivers in the UK, and was instead worked as overtime. Thus many drivers chose to work Sundays in order to make a better income. British Rail was run in all departments on an overtime culture to reduce overall wage bills resulting from having to employ extra staff to fill what would be uncovered vacancies. This approach had implications for fatigue and excessive hours, which partly contributed to the Clapham Junction rail crash in 1988. From 1995 onwards, the Railways Act 1993 was implemented to privatise British Rail. In the first few years thereafter, ASLEF negotiated improved pay and conditions of service for its members from the new train operating companies. Train drivers are now amongst the highest paid associate professional (as defined by UK government) workers in the UK. ASLEF aims to increase basic pay so the "overtime culture" is reduced or eliminated, in the hope that more jobs will be created to cover the work that is not covered by overtime. The health and safety issues related to overtime and fatigue would also be minimised.

ASLEF is affiliated to the Labour Party. Labour was founded in 1900 as the Labour Representation Committee, and in 1903, ASLEF voted to affiliate to it. In the 1906 general election, ASLEF General Secretary Albert Fox was the LRC candidate for Leeds South, where he polled 4,030 votes. Fox lost to the Liberal incumbent John Lawson Walton, but Lawson Walton died in January 1908 causing a by election. Fox contested Leeds South a second time, but lost to the new Liberal candidate William Middlebrook. In June 2015, ASLEF endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election. Aslef said Corbyn has the "character, vision and policies" needed to win back power for the party. General secretary Mick Whelan said: "Jeremy understands what Labour has to do to win back the hearts, the minds and the votes of ordinary working people in Britain."