Staff reporter(wp/es):
Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers are set to face chaos over Christmas after Southern Rail workers announced fresh plans for strike action.
The RMT union said its members would stage a three-day walkout over the festive period from December 22.
A further three-day strike is planned from New Year’s Eve.
The union made the announcement ahead of a 48-hour walkout from midnight tonight which will bring more travel misery for passengers.
Southern Rail has already been hit by a series of strikes and staff shortages this year in a long-running and bitter row over its plans to change the role of conductors.
The rail operator and the union have held hours of talk but the dispute remains deadlocked.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said Southern's owners, Govia Thameslink Railway, and the Government had made it clear they have no interest in resolving the long-running row.
"Yet again, the sheer pig-headedness of the company and the Government means that our members are being forced to take further industrial action in a bid to maintain a safe and secure service on Southern Rail," he said.
Mr Cash repeated his call to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to "get out of his bunker" and try to help resolve the row.
He said: "He continues to ignore us. If Government ministers can meet with our colleagues from the Prison Officers Association over safety in prisons then there is no reason whatsoever why they can't meet with RMT over safety on our railways."
A spokesman for Southern Rail said: "“Not content with causing months of misery, the RMT has now hit a new low and is determined to cancel Christmas for the travelling public.
"These latest strikes will not just hit families wanting to get home for Christmas but also the shops and businesses for whom Christmas is their busiest time.
"These strikes are spiteful, vindictive and pointless given the majority of conductors have now signed up to the new on-board role.
"This is has never been about safety; it’s purely about the RMT hanging on to outdated working practices and union power."
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