There is even more woe on the way for Scottish train users.

Rail union RMT said yesterday it is to launch three days of national strike action this month across the railway network.

This comes in addition to the ongoing pay row between the Aslef union and ScotRail which has led to services being slashed north of the border.

RMT said tens of thousands of railway workers will walk out on June 21, 23 and 25 in the biggest dispute on the network since 1989.

The union added the move was due to the inability of the rail employers to come to a negotiated settlement with it.

RMT went on: “Network Rail and the train-operating companies have subjected their staff to multiyear pay freezes and plan to cut thousands of jobs which will make the railways unsafe.

“Despite intense talks with the rail bosses, RMT has not been able to secure a pay proposal nor a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.

In a separate dispute over pensions and job losses, London Underground RMT members will take strike action on June 21.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Railway workers have been treated appallingly and, despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry with the support of the government has failed to take their concerns seriously.

"We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze.”

Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, said it was doing everything it can to avoid strike action.

He added: “We know that the cost of living has increased and we want to give our people a pay rise, but the RMT must recognise we are a public body and any pay increase has to be affordable for taxpayers and passengers.

“Travel habits have changed forever and the railway must change as well. We cannot expect to take more than our fair share of public funds, and so we must modernise our industry to put it on a sound financial footing for the future. Failure to modernise will only lead to industry decline and more job losses in the long run.

“There are a few weeks until the first strike is planned. We will use this time to keep talking to our unions and, through compromise and common sense on both sides, we hope to find a solution and avoid the damage that strike action would cause all involved.”

Meanwhile, talks aimed at ending the dispute between ScotRail and train drivers will resume tomorrow.

Hundreds of services have been cut from the ScotRail timetable as the pay row rumbles on, with members of the Aslef union refusing to work on rest days.

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