UK rail passengers are set to be affected by ongoing industrial action into the autumn after new strike dates were announced by the RMT union.
The RMT said that 20,000 of its members working for 14 train operating companies would be walking out on 26 August and 2 September in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
It is the latest action by RMT which has brought much of the UK rail network to a standstill on strike days since summer 2022.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “We have had to call further strike action as we have received no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group.
“The reason for this is the government has not allowed them a fresh mandate on which discussions could be held. Our members and our union will continue fighting until we can reach a negotiated and just settlement."
The latest RMT strikes will affect the following lines: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, said the latest strikes would disrupt people’s travel plans and “force more cars on to the road”.
“We have now made three offers, the latest of which would have given staff pay rises of up to 13 per cent as well as job security guarantees and the RMT executive have blocked this without a convincing explanation,” said the spokesperson.
“We remain open to talks and we have said repeatedly that we want to give our people a pay rise. But until the union leadership and executive is united in what it wants and engages in good faith with the 30 per cent shortfall in revenue the industry is continuing to grapple with post-Covid, it is difficult to move forward. “
Train drivers’ union Aslef, which is locked into its own long-running pay dispute with rail companies, has also secured a new mandate from members for continued strike action at several train operators.
Aslef members at Chiltern, East Midlands, Northern and TransPennine have also voted to continue with strikes by renewing the mandate for industrial action for another six months. Drivers on the c2c network have also voted in favour of strikes for the first time.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: “The results of these new ballots show the determination of our members to win this dispute. That’s why I am calling on the train companies, and the government that stands behind them, to do the right thing and return to the negotiating table with a new offer and prevent more disruption to passengers and businesses.”
The union imposed an overtime ban for its members at 16 rail operators between 31 July and 12 August, which forced rail companies to operate reduced services on these days.