Staff at 14 train companies to stage new strikes next month

Action on November 3 and 5 will coincide with strikes by RMT members

(Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA)

Railway workers at 14 train operating companies are to stage fresh strikes next month in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on 3 and 5 November.

The action will coincide with strikes on the same days by RMT members on Network Rail, London Underground and London Overground.

The strikes will cause widespread disruption to services across the country after a summer of strikes in the deadlocked row.

The union said that despite repeated negotiations, the Rail Delivery Group has failed to make an offer.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Throughout this whole dispute, the Rail Delivery Group has been completely unreasonable by not offering our members any deal on pay, conditions and job security.

“Some of our members on the train operating companies are some of the lowest paid on the railways.

“This stands in stark contrast to rail operating company bosses making millions of pounds in profit.

“We remain open to meaningful talks, but we are steadfast in our industrial campaign to see a negotiated settlement for all our members in this dispute.”

The 14 train operating companies involved in the fresh strikes are:

• 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
• GTR (including Gatwick Express)

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “We are frustrated that the RMT leadership has decided to take further strike action. Given their recent call for ‘intense negotiations’ we had hoped they would give our staff and customers a much-needed break from the disruption and lost pay of the last five months.

“Instead of inflicting more unnecessary long-term damage to the industry we all want to see thrive, we ask the RMT to recognise the very real financial challenge the railway faces, and work with us towards a fair deal that both offers a pay rise and includes the long overdue changes we need to make to improve services for our customers.”