A strike ballot of 40,000 members of the RMT union closes on Tuesday.
Dates are unlikely to be confirmed on the day, although it's possible action could begin as soon as late June.
But the unusual factor in this situation is the involvement of Network Rail. Its workers have not taken part in a national strike since 1994. Potential problems could include disruption to supplies of material to a small number of power stations, and containers piling up at some ports which have rail links.Not all products could be transported by road instead, so a system of prioritisation would be needed.It says members working for train companies have been subject to "pay freezes, threats to jobs and attacks on their terms and conditions".
The government poured in £16bn of taxpayers' money to keep services running as passenger numbers plummeted, at one point reaching a 150-year low. An RDG spokesman said all operators wanted to offer their staff a pay rise and were "acutely aware of the cost of living pressures being felt by workers and families across the UK".
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