Strike action set to affect North East railway passengers
Saturday the 13th will see RMT and ASLEF members walking out in a dispute over fair pay
Rail workers tell us they don't want to take industrial action - but they've been left with no choice
Tomorrow sees strikes taking place across the network - with LNER, Northern, Cross Country and Transpennine express services all affected - as staff call for fair pay to survive the cost of living crisis.
It means there could be some disruption on routes through Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and more, and more people are expected on the roads this weekend instead.
Nigel Roebuck is the North East Representative for the ASLEF union;
"These people worked in a pandemic, on the front line - moving key workers around the country
"Applauded and lauded for their actions - and now it's almost like they're forgotten!
"Took the risk working on the front line, took the risk back home to their families, clearly morale is as low as it can go.
"The majority of members haven't seen strike action for over twenty years, and it's not something we want to do
"Nobody wants to damage the railway or cause inconvenience for the travelling public, but we've got to a point where we've got nowhere else to go except to take strike action."
We have contacted the Department for Transport for a response.