By Noor Nanji & Lora Jones
Business reporters, BBC News
More rail strikes over pay and conditions will take place on 26 August and 2 September, the RMT union has announced.
About 20,000 members working for 14 train operating companies are expected to take part.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that its members would “continue fighting”.
But the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said the union was “once again targeting customers” on the railways.
The announcement means rail passengers can expect disruption on the last Bank Holiday weekend of the summer in August.
It marks the latest step in a long-running dispute which has caused months of disruption on the railways for passengers.
The union said it had been left with “little choice but to take further action”, insisting it had seen no improved offer from the RDG, which represents train operating companies.
The 14 train firms affected are:
- Avanti West Coast
- c2c
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia
- LNER
- Northern Trains
- South Eastern
- South Western Railway
- Transpennine Express
- West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express)
Mr Lynch said the mood among RMT members “remains solid and determined” in the national dispute, which is over pay, job security and working conditions.
But a spokesperson for the RDG, said: “With further strike action, the RMT are once again targeting customers looking to enjoy various sporting events, festivals and the end of the summer holidays, disrupting their plans and forcing more cars onto the road.
The RDG said it had made three offers to the union, including job security guarantees. However, it claimed that the RMT had blocked potential deals “without a convincing explanation”.
The RDG said it remained “open to talks” and urged the union leadership to “engage in good faith”.
The RMT rejected the latest proposals by the RDG in April, leaving the dispute at a standstill.
Plans to close hundreds of ticket offices in England have also angered its members, the union said.
