Keyring created by the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) with the slogan 'not to be moved'

Keyring created by the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) with the slogan 'not to be moved'

The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) was founded in 1881 in response to changes in pay scales and working hours imposed by the Great Western Railway (GWR). ASLEF is a craft union representing train drivers only but shows solidarity with other workers such miners during the 1984-1985 strike. ALSEF’s first strike was held on the Midland Railway in 1887, they worked for the ten-hour day in the early 20th century and more recently campaigned for the quality of driving cabs, equality and diversity in the industry, climate action and public transport investment.

In 2022-2024 there were a series of industrial disputes in the United Kingdom between rail workers and companies supported by the UK government. The industrial action was the largest in the sector since 1989, the first national railway strike since 1994 and involved 40,000 workers nationwide. Workers walked out over wages, planned changes to working practices, the proposed closure of ticket offices and the treat of redundancies.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board stipulates that “If a train or vehicle has a NOT TO BE MOVED board attached, you must not allow:

• It to start a journey

• It to be moved

• Another vehicle to make contact with it

• The controls on a traction unit to be interfered with

ASLEF has used this familiar image as a campaign tool that reflects solidarity, neither workers nor trains “being moved” on strike days

.