On Friday, a meeting with Rail Minister Huw Merriman said the government would put an offer on the table after the meeting between RMT, Network Rail and the Rail Delivery Group. Mr Merriman said that the parties should work towards creating a modern and financially sustainable railway that provides value for all passengers and taxpayers.
On Thursday, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he was trying to get a deal between employers and trade unions on reforming the rail industry and bringing an end to the strikes.
A number of unions have announced strikes and other forms of industrial action across the rail network in December, which could cause crippling periods of disruption in the run up to Christmas.
The RMT union is planning to take industrial action over four 48 hour periods on 13 -- 14 and 16 -- 17 December, 3 -- 4 and 6 -- 7 January, which will hit Network Rail and 14 train operators. There will be an overtime ban between December 18 and January 2nd of January by the RMT members.
The Unite union said its members employed by Network Rail in electric control rooms would join the strikes, adding that the workers had not received a pay increase for three years.
It is totally unforgivable that the government thinks it is acceptable to put a three-year pay freeze on members who play a critical role in keeping the rail network operating, said Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite.
We know that our members' action could inconvenience travellers who plan to visit relatives over the festive period, but our members have been put in a situation by a government that won't listen to its own workforce, said Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of the PCS.