Train strikes: When are they and why are they taking place?

The latest set of train strikes is taking place, in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.

Members of the RMT and Aslef unions are taking industrial action.

Strikes have been announced on a series of days in May and June:

According to National Rail, the following rail operators will see services disrupted on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 May.

Network Rail said passengers may see significant disruption "across large areas of the network".

It also said: "Services are also likely to be disrupted and start later on the day immediately following a strike day."

Unions say any pay offer should reflect the rising cost of living - with the inflation rate currently above 10%.

But the rail industry is under pressure to save money, after the pandemic left a hole in its finances.

Bosses say reforms need to be agreed to afford pay increases and modernise the railway.

The average salary of rail workers in 2022 was £45,919, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

If drivers are excluded, its estimate is £39,518. However, the RMT union said that figure was too high because it does not include rail cleaning staff.

The ONS says median pay for "train and tram drivers" is just under £59,000.

Although they tend to be better paid than other rail workers, Mick Whelan, general secretary of the Aslef union, told BBC News on 12 May, that train drivers "haven't had a pay rise for four years". He was just referring to the ones who are taking industrial action.

That's because a new pay deal hasn't been reached since their last agreement ended in 2019.

However, Transport Minister Huw Merriman said the pay of train drivers "has gone up by 39% since 2011... the highest increase of any employment group."

He's right about the 39% increase, but we haven't been able to establish whether it's the highest increase for any employment group. That's because of changes to the way the figures have been released over the last decade.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents the 14 train companies, made an offer which would have seen rail workers receive a backdated pay rise of 5% for 2022. It would then negotiate reforms ahead of a second year's pay rise with individual operators.

On 5 May, RMT members voted to extend the strike mandate for another six months.

The Aslef union, meanwhile, has rejected a two-year offer which would see drivers get a backdated pay rise of 4% for 2022 and a 4% increase this year.

Separately, a revised offer from Network Rail was accepted by RMT members on 20 March, ending that dispute.

The union said the offer amounted to an uplift on salaries of between 14.4% for the lowest paid grades to 9.2% for the highest paid.

How will the rail strikes affect your journey? What alternative forms of transport are you using? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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