The general secretary of a rail union has claimed that the Government "do not want a resolution" to rail workers' long running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Members of the drivers' union ASLEF took industrial action on Wednesday, meaning several operators including CrossCountry and Northern are running no trains. The union's general secretary Mick Whelan said negotiations to resolve the bitter row are not taking place, though the Department for Transport (DfT) insisted it has "facilitated a fair and reasonable pay offer".
Today's walkout is the first of three this week, with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) due to stage action on Friday and a further ASLEF strike will take place on Saturday. Passengers are being advised to plan ahead and check the times of first and last trains.
Read more: How this week's rail strikes will affect each North East operator
Mr Whelan said from the picket line at Newcastle Central Station: "There are no negotiations since they came out with yet another deal that contained all our ‘red lines’. If you spend months in a room, tell people things aren’t acceptable to you, then they produce a deal that contains those things then they are setting the deal up to fail.
"That is a deliberate act on behalf of both the Government and the people that we’re dealing with. They do not apparently want a resolution."
He added: "They seem to want (a) thousands of percent productivity (increase) for a 20% pay cut."
The strikes affect 15 train companies, including LNER and TransPennine Express. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said around 40% of trains are running on ASLEF strike days but there will be wide regional variations.
On the RMT strike day on Friday, around 50% of normal services will run. Evening services on some lines are being affected on the days before each strike and ASLEF also starts an overtime ban on Thursday that could cause disruption, especially in and out of London.
Upcoming industrial action will affect a wide range of events across the country, including the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Saturday; the annual Epsom Derby; Beyonce's Renaissance world tour concert at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and cricket fans travelling to the England vs Ireland test match at Lord's.
An RDG spokesperson said: "The upcoming rail strikes called by the Aslef and RMT leadership will not only affect our passengers’ daily commute, but will also impact those travelling to and from the FA Cup final and other events across the country, causing disappointment and frustration for tens of thousands of people. It will also inconvenience families who have been looking forward and have planned their half-term holidays.
"It will also further burden our people who have already lost thousands of pounds at a time of financial strain. We understand the impact of these strikes on individuals and businesses alike, and we can only apologise for this unnecessary and damaging disruption.
"While we are doing all we can to keep trains running, unfortunately there will be reduced train services between Wednesday May 31 and Saturday June 3, so our advice is to check before you travel. Passengers with advance tickets can be refunded fee-free if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled."
The unions say that they have not been given a pay offer it can recommend to their members. Official say support for industrial action remains strong among workers as well as the public, while ASLEF say train drivers have not had a pay rise for four years.
Both unions claim the Government is preventing the train companies making an acceptable offer, which ministers deny. A DfT spokesperson said: "These strikes have been co-ordinated by union leaders to disrupt passengers in a week which will see major events such as the first ever all Manchester FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby and a number of concerts and festivals across the UK.
"Not content with impacting the hundreds of thousands of people who have looked forward to these events all year round, unions are also targeting their own members’ pockets by forcing them to miss out on pay every time they strike. The Government has facilitated a fair and reasonable pay offer, now union leaders must do the right thing and put this to their members."
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