TALKS between National Express East Anglia and rail unions are resuming today (Monday) to try and avert further strikes across the network.Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) and ASLEF trade unions are striking over conditions and this year

TALKS between National Express East Anglia and rail unions are resuming today (Monday) to try and avert further strikes across the network.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) and ASLEF trade unions are striking over conditions and this year's pay award.

The RMT and ASLEF unions have already staged two 48-hour strikes with members of the Transport Salaried Staff Association expected to join the next strike, starting at midnight on Thursday.

Andrew Chivers, managing director of National Express East Anglia said: "We remain thoroughly committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement for this year's pay award. The unions' demands have so far been unrealistic despite an improved offer. Therefore, we are calling for the unions to join us at the planned meeting at ACAS today with a clear view of solving this dispute once and for all.

"As part of this we are asking the unions again to suspend the strike action. It is in everybody's interests to give certainty to our customers, the travelling public, that they will have a full train service at the end of the week, and the suspension of the planned strike action would be a sign of good faith from the unions that they are as determined as we are to resolve this issue."

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, said last week: "National express have provoked this action and have alienated their entire workforce across all three unions. Those workers have shown that they are not prepared to take a hit to prop up the profits of a company whose management have shown that they are not fit to run rail services."

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