Two more days of strike action has been called by train workers.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union will walk out of Northern services on Thursday May 24 and Saturday May 26.

It’s in response to Northern’s plan to remove guards from trains and to operate for driver-only train services.

It will be the 18th walk out by RMT members since 2017 and workers say Northern’s plan is in the name of profit only and say safety will be at risk.

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The latest strike action will affect train services on the following days:

• 00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Thursday 24th May 2018

• 00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Saturday 26th May 2018

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “It is a tribute to the determination and professionalism of RMT members on Arriva Rail North (which owns Northern) that they have remained rock solid for over a year now in what is a battle to put public safety before private profit.

“German-owned Northern Rail want to run half a million trains a year without a safety critical guard on board in a move that would wreck both safety and access to services and they should listen to their front-line staff and pull back from that plan immediately.

Mick Cash, general secretary of the RMT

“RMT has agreed arrangements in Wales and Scotland that enshrine the guard guarantee. If it’s good enough for Wales and Scotland to have safe rail services it should be good enough for the rest of Britain.

“The union remains ready for talks.”

Northern say: “On strike days Northern is only able to operate a limited service. For example, on weekday strikes, the majority of available trains typically operate between 7am and 7pm, with many last trains leaving before 7pm.

“We are unable to predict how long RMT’s dispute will last. We have again proposed to RMT that they set aside what appears to be a co-ordinated campaign in return for assurances over jobs and pay, and exploring with us what future roles will look like.

“We have a commitment to introduce Driver Controlled Operation (DCO) on parts of the Northern network. This is why we want to have meaningful talks with RMT to explore future staffing options on trains and stations.

“Safety is a top priority. On Driver Controlled Operation in particular, Britain’s most senior railway safety inspector says it is a safe way of working, and this way of running trains is in regular use across the network in the UK and abroad.”