A UNION representing rail workers has told the Argus that any potential strikes over job cuts would be predominantly in England.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said it was too early to say where and what services would be affected if strikes go ahead but hinted, they would be mostly England focussed.

The rail and transport union wants rail bosses to extend the no compulsory redundancy agreement to safeguard employment for those wishing to stay in the rail industry.

It’s warned that "a national rail strike in 2022 is very much on the cards".

TSSA leader Manuel Cortes said: "Our union has been crystal clear that any threat to use compulsory redundancies will be met with industrial action ballots. We wrote to rail bosses in November 2021 seeking assurances that the industry-wide no compulsory redundancy policy would continue to remain in place throughout 2022. Sadly, a new year has arrived, and we are still waiting for the bosses to meet our union's job security ask.

"We have been told that although thousands of people will be leaving employment within our rail industry during 2022 through voluntary severance, that this won't be enough to deliver the £2 billion worth of cuts the Tory government is seeking. Make no mistake, trains will be coming to a halt if any of our members is pushed out of our rail industry against their will.

"Frankly, our members are not just facing a cost-of-living crisis but also one of fractured industrial relations on our railways as the twin threats of compulsory redundancies and falling living standards loom large.

"We will of course seek to coordinate any industrial action with our sister rail unions and any other workers fighting the Tories cost of living standards crisis and other attacks which Johnson and his cohorts unleash. A national rail strike in 2022 is very much on the cards.”

Transport for Wales declined to comment at this stage.