The dates of three new train strikes have been announced, including one the day before the Eurovision Song Contest.
Drivers working for operators including Avanti West Coast will stage fresh industrial action in a long-running row over pay. Dates affected include May 12 and 31 and June 3. Members of Aslef will walk out on May 12, the day before Liverpool is set to stage the Eurovision Song Contest.
The fresh action comes as the Union said it rejected a "risible" 4% pay offer from the 16 train companies it remains in dispute with. General secretary Mick Whelan said drivers have not had a pay rise at those companies since 2019.
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He said: "Our executive committee met this morning and rejected a risible proposal we received from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
"The proposal - of just 4% - was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10% and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.
"The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernise Britain's railways and help them run more efficiently, for passengers and for businesses, in the 21st century
"Consequently, we have today announced three more days of strike action on Friday May 12, Wednesday May 31 and Saturday June 3 at the companies with which we are in dispute, and which are letting down passengers, and taxpayers, so badly.
"We are also withdrawing non-contractual overtime from Monday May 15 to Saturday 20 inclusive, as well as on Saturday May 13 and Thursday June 1."
The train operating companies involved in the dispute are: Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; London North Eastern Railway; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway; SWR depot drivers; SWR Island Line; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.
Aslef said its negotiating team has met representatives of the employers on eight occasions over the past year to try to find a resolution to the long-running dispute.
The union said it took eight one-day strikes to bring the train operators and the government "to their senses and persuade them to sit down and talk properly".
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