Editing ASLEF (section)

===Since railway privatisation===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2011}}
In the latter years of [[British Rail]], train drivers were on a basic salary of around £12,000 per annum,{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} 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 [[privatisation of British Rail|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 company|train operating companies]].

Train drivers are now amongst the highest-paid associate professional (as defined by UK government) workers in the UK.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} 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<ref>{{cite web |title=Overtime and Fatigue |url=http://www.rssb.co.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/pdf/fatigue.pdf |access-date=18 June 2012}} {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> would also be minimised.