More railway workers are to be balloted for strikes amid growing disputes across the industry, increasing the threat of disruption to services over the summer.
The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) has served notice to ballot its members at Greater Anglia for strike action and action short of strike over pay, conditions and job security.
The TSSA is also balloting its members in Network Rail, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, Northern, LNER, C2C, Great Western Railway (GWR) and TransPennine Express.
The union is demanding a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies for 2022, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions, and a pay increase which reflects the rising cost of living.
Voting starts on June 29, with the result due in mid-July, so the earliest date strike action could take place is July 27.
Train services were crippled on Tuesday and Thursday by the RMT strike against Network Rail and 13 train operators, with another walkout due on Saturday (June 25). One expert has warned the train strikes could lead to a shortage of products on shelves and even some to be rationed.
TSSA members are found in a number of roles, including station staff and managers, conductors, driver managers, train crew managers and platform team leaders.
The union’s general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Rail workers were hailed as heroes in the pandemic and now they deserve a real terms pay rise which keeps pace with inflation, rather than shouldering the burden of the Tories’ economic meltdown.
“Our demands are simple – pay which reflects the times we live in, a deal which delivers job security, and no race to the bottom on terms and conditions."
Mr Cortes said it was time the Government "changed course" - and instead of making cuts, the Department for Transport should "come to the negotiating table". He added: "The alternative is a long-running summer of discontent across our rail network. Make no mistake, we are preparing for all options, including coordinated strike action which would bring trains to a halt," he added.
