Rail travellers facing disruption

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Rail passengers are facing delays and cancellations as industrial action by workers continues.

Some Arriva Cross Country services, which run from Aberdeen to Penzance, Bournemouth to Manchester and Stansted to Cardiff will be affected.

No staff will work on Sunday, unless placed on the roster before the action was announced. Overtime and working on rest days is also banned during August.

The RMT union said the row was over pay and conditions.

The month of action, which is action short of a strike, began on Monday and Arriva said so far its impact on services had been limited.

But according to its website a number of major routes will face cancellations on Sunday.

So far all Nottingham to Cardiff services are cancelled as are the majority of Leicester to Birmingham New Street trains.

Most services between Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport are also cancelled. Rail replacement bus services will be in operation.

RMT members on both franchises have shown that they will not line up to take a kicking Bob Crow, RMT general secretary

A spokesman said: "We're doing what we can to manage the service. It's important for us to keep the trains running through, from one end of the country to the other.

"We're fairly close to what we need in staff numbers so we're not too reliant on overtime."

He said the franchise operator hoped for a resolution to the dispute this week.

The action also involves workers refusing to clear litter from trains.

48-hour strikes

Even if a resolution is agreed with Arriva, travellers elsewhere in the country are set to face further disruption over the next fortnight due to strikes by workers on National Express East Anglia.

The RMT and train drivers' union Aslef are currently in dispute with the franchise over pay and conditions.

The National Express East Anglia strike is by the RMT and Aslef unions

They say that unless there is progress in the negotiations strikes will take place on 13 and 14, and 20 and 21 August.

Tens of thousands of passengers have already faced major disruption due to two 48-hour walkouts over the row.

Keith Norman, general secretary of Aslef, said: "We can frankly see no solution to this dispute in sight, and it looks as if we'll have to dig in for the long term."

General secretary of the RMT Bob Crow said: "Both Arriva Cross Country and National Express East Anglia think they can force their workers to pay the price for both the recession and mistakes that have been made by the companies at the most senior level.

"RMT members on both franchises have shown that they will not line up to take a kicking from the companies on pay and conditions and that they are prepared to fight back and both disputes will go on for as long as it takes to secure a meaningful, negotiated settlement."