Four trade unions have joined forces in a strike which is set to bring trains throughout the East of England to a halt.

Unite the union and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association members are set to join the early-October strikes announced by the RMT and Aslef trade unions.

Train drivers who are members of the Aslef trade union have already announced strike action on Saturday, October 1 and Wednesday, October 5. The RMT announced strike action for October 1 and an additional date on Saturday, October 8.

Unite and TSSA members will now join striking workers on all three dates as staff demand greater job security and increased pay in the face of consumer price index inflation which has so far peaked at 10.1 per cent in July 2022.

Harish Patel, Unite national rail officer, suggested Network Rail had left the "bargaining table".

He said: "Network Rail need to urgently return to the bargaining table and make an offer that meets workers’ expectations and tackles the cost of living crisis."

Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: "We do not take this action lightly.

"We would much rather find a fair negotiated solution to this now long-running dispute, but we simply have no choice.

"A huge number of rail workers in our union, many of whom are longstanding members, had never been directly involved in an industrial dispute before this year.

"Across our railways, our members recently stepped up to the plate yet again and went above and beyond to meet unprecedented demand during the period of public mourning to provide additional services and keep the public safe, much like they did during the pandemic.

"They prove their worth time and time again and yet they are still undervalued."

The affected firms in the East of England are:

  • Network Rail - RMT, TSSA and Unite the union (October 1, October 5 and October 8)
  • Avanti West Coast - Aslef, RMT, TSSA (October 1, October 5, October 8)
  • C2c - RMT, TSSA (October 1, October 8)
  • Chiltern Railways - Aslef, RMT (October 1, October 5, October 8)
  • CrossCountry - Aslef, RMT, TSSA (October 1, October 5)
  • East Midlands Railway - Aslef, RMT, TSSA (October 1, October 5, October 8)
  • Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express) - Aslef, RMT (October 1, October 5)
  • Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink - RMT (October 1, October 8)
  • Hull Trains - Aslef, RMT (October 1, October 5, October 8)
  • LNER - Aslef, RMT, TSSA (October 1, October 5, October 8)
  • London Overground - Aslef, RMT (October 1, October 5)
  • West Midlands Trains (including London Northwestern Railway) - Aslef, RMT, TSSA (October 1, October 5, October 8)