Cumbria is set to face four weeks of train strikes before and after Christmas.
Up to 40,000 RMT members working for Network Rail and 14 train operating companies, including Northern Rail, TransPennine Express, and Avanti West Coast, are putting on a series of 48 hour strikes over the festive period.
The strike action will take place over December 13-14 and 16-17 as well as January 3-4 and 6-7. There will also be an overtime ban across the railways from December 18 until January 2 – meaning rail users are set to face severe disruption across a four-week period.
The Christmas action is part of the ongoing dispute over pay and conditions between rail bosses and the RMT union, which started in June. Last week, union members voted to continue striking for another six months.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said there had been no improved offer on job security, pay and working conditions, so more walkouts would go ahead.
He added that the latest round of industrial action would send a clear message that workers want a better deal.
