Rail unions have announced a new series of regional strikes, beginning on Friday in the north west and west of the country.

On Tuesday September 13 trains will not be running in the east, south and north, to be followed by the middle of the country on Thursday September 15.

Talks between rail operator NS and unions FNV, CNV and VVMC over pay and conditions continue to be deadlocked, despite five days of rolling strikes taking place over the last two weeks.

The unions said the strikes had been widely supported and ‘a huge success’, but they had not resulted in a new pay deal.

Unions are demanding a €100 across-the-board pay rise and a minimum wage of €14 an hour. NS is not prepared to offer more than a staggered 8% pay increase over two and a half years. It says it is still feeling the after-effects of the coronavirus lockdowns, when passenger numbers fell sharply, and higher costs.

The upcoming strikes have not yet been officially announced to NS, a spokesman told broadcaster NOS, and the consequences for passengers are ‘unclear’.

Regional operators Arriva, Breng and Blauwnet will not be affected by the strikes.

Th unions have said that national strikes will follow if no agreement can be reached with NS next week.