FOUR MORE DAYS of railway strikes have been announced by trade unions.
There is set to be significant disruption to the railways in Cornwall on Friday, May 12, Saturday, May 13, Wednesday, May 31 and Saturday, June 3. +
There will also be further disruption from Monday, May 15 to Saturday, May 20, and on Saturday, May 13, and Thursday, June 1 as railway unions take 'action short of a strike' - such as working to rule and not taking additional overtime, which means there is an increased likelihood of cancellations.
Nationally, the disruption is expected to impact transport options for people aiming to attend the Eurovision Song Contest final and the FA Cup Final, in addition to the Epsom Derby.
Like previous strikes, it is likely to leave Cornwall with little or no railway service on those days, although railway operators are yet to confirm what level of service will be available.
A spokesperson for the RMT trade union said: "Following further discussions between the union and RDG (Railway Delivery Group, the body which represents railway operators), the employer issued a clarification on the offer RMT has been considering.
"The RDG is now saying they would only implement the first-year payment of 5% if the union terminated its industrial mandate, meaning no further strike action could take place.
"Stage two discussions which are part of the offer made by the employer would then have to begin without the union having any industrial leverage at the negotiating table."
A spokesperson for GWR said: "The Aslef union has announced strike action that will affect rail services on Friday 12 May, Wednesday 31 May and Saturday 3 June, and the RMT has announced strike action that will affect services on Saturday 13 May.
"In addition, there will be further disruption from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 May and on Saturday 13 May and Thursday 1 June due to industrial action short of a strike.
"On the strike days a reduced, revised timetable will operate across several train operators, including GWR. Many parts of the GWR network will have no service at all. Services will start later and only operate for a limited period during the day.
"During action short of a strike and the days after strikes, services could also be affected by a limited number of short-notice cancellations and alterations.
"Online journey planners will be updated with the latest timetable information as soon as possible.
"During the industrial action periods, passengers are advised to check before travelling where trains are running. Other train operators are also affected by this action, so onward travel could also be affected.
"Where we are able to run services, these can extremely busy and we are not able to provide bus replacement services.
"Customers who have already purchased tickets for strike days can claim a full refund or amend their ticket; those who travel and are delayed may be entitled to Delay Repay compensation if they are delayed by 15 minutes or more."