Millions of rail passengers face train cancellations across England as the RMT announced two more days of strikes, stretching into September.
The main rail union blames a lack of progress in negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the organisation representing train operators .
The walk-outs at 14 train operators – including all the leading intercity and commuter services in England – will take place on the two key Saturdays at the end of the summer holidays, 26 August and 2 September.
The main impact will be on leisure travellers, particularly hitting families returning from holidays at home or abroad.
Transport for Wales and ScotRail are unaffected.
Announcing the strike, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The mood among our members remains solid and determined in our national dispute over pay job security and working conditions.
“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 forthcoming industrial action is part of a long and bitter dispute over pay and working arrangements that began 14 months ago.
The train drivers’ union, Aslef, is involved in a similar dispute. Drivers are currently taking part in an overtime ban, which continues until midnight on Saturday 12 August.
The RDG has been contacted for a response. Earlier in the summer, it said: “We have now made three offers that the RMT executive have blocked without a convincing explanation.
“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.”
The Independent has asked the Department for Transport to respond.
The first national rail walk-outs since the 1980s began on 21 June 2022. The latest action to be announced will take to 35 the number of RMT strike days since then. No talks have taken place since April 2023.
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