Train drivers to strike on day of FA Cup final and Epsom Derby
The day of the FA Cup final and the Epsom Derby is due to be hit by rail strikes.
Members of Aslef will walk out on the 12th and 31st of May, as well as the 3rd of June, in a long-running dispute over pay.
The union said it has rejected a "risible" 4% pay offer from the 16 train companies it remains in dispute with.
General secretary Mick Whelan said drivers have not had a pay rise at those companies since 2019.
He said: "Our executive committee met this morning and rejected a risible proposal we received from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
"The proposal - of just 4% - was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10% and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.
"The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernise Britain's railways and help them run more efficiently, for passengers and for businesses, in the 21st century.
"Consequently, we have today announced three more days of strike action on Friday May 12, Wednesday May 31 and Saturday June 3 at the companies with which we are in dispute, and which are letting down passengers, and taxpayers, so badly.
"We are also withdrawing non-contractual overtime from Monday May 15 to Saturday 20 inclusive, as well as on Saturday May 13 and Thursday June 1."
The train operating companies involved in the dispute are:
Avanti West Coast
Chiltern Railways
CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
Great Western Railway
Greater Anglia
GTR Great Northern Thameslink
London North Eastern Railway
Northern Trains
Southeastern
Southern/Gatwick Express
South Western Railway
SWR depot drivers
SWR Island Line
TransPennine Express
West Midlands Trains
Aslef said its negotiating team has met representatives of the employers on eight occasions over the past year to try to find a resolution to the long-running dispute.
The union said it took eight one-day strikes to bring the train operators and the government "to their senses and persuade them to sit down and talk properly".
Mr Whelan added: "We do not want to go on strike, we do not want to inconvenience passengers, we have families and friends who use the railway, too, and we believe in investing in rail for the future of this country but the blame for this action lies, fairly and squarely, at the feet of the employers who have forced our hand over this by their intransigence.
"It is now up to them to come up with a more sensible, and realistic, offer and we ask the government not to hinder this process."