National Rail workers will strike on 3, 5 and 7 November, affecting services in all areas of the country, as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
Due to the walkout by members of the Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT), only 20% of trains are expected to run on the strike dates, rising to 75% the following days, meaning commuters face nearly a week of continuous disruption.
In a press release, RMT accused National Rail of undermining negotiations by writing directly to staff offering a previously rejected deal, which caused talks to collapse.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “The dishonesty of Network Rail bosses has reached a new low in this national rail dispute.
“On the one hand they were telling our negotiators that they were prepared to do a deal while planning to torpedo negotiations by imposing unacceptable changes to our members' terms and conditions.”
Network Rail’s chief negotiator, Tim Shoveller said: “A two-year 8% deal, with discounted travel and a new extended job guarantee to January 2025, is on the table ready to be put to our staff. Unfortunately, the leadership of the RMT seem intent on more damaging strikes rather than giving their members a vote on our offer."
In a separate dispute, Transport for London workers will also strike on 3 November, which is expected to interrupt both underground and overground services.
Industrial action has become a recurring feature of 2022, with multiple strikes taking place, including in early October during the Conservative Party Conference, and in June, which followed a similar format of having one day between each walkout to maximise disruption.
Strikes could well continue into next year too, with RMT currently balloting members to give its executive another sixth-month mandate to keep announcing strikes.
In the meantime, the government has suggested plans to introduce minimum service levels to rail operators, in a move that has been ridiculed by the drivers union, Aslef.
Aslef said: “The train companies don’t want to run minimum service levels because they know it’s a stupid idea.
"What happens when 100% of passengers try to get on 40% minimum service level trains? It will look like Japan where they cram people in like cattle. And the rolling stock will, next day, be in the wrong place. Which will mess up the normal timetable.”