MORE strikes are set to go ahead at the West of Scotland signalling centre, after talks aiming to end a dispute about the right of general purpose reliefs to claim 'residential' jobs broke down.

The dispute concerns what the RMT claims is the right of staff working as reliefs, who have to work where they are needed, to claim jobs which become vacant at a single location. The union maintains the understanding has evolved as a part of custom and practice over the past three decades or more.

But Network Rail does not agree, and the first strikes were staged over the Christmas holiday.

More walkouts had been arranged in January, but these were suspended while negotations restarted.

However, these talks have failed to reach an agreement and the union, which described its members as 'furious', said two more 24-hour walkouts had now been called, starting at 06.00 on 14 February and 2 March.

The union's general secretary Bob Crow said he was still available for fresh talks, but added: "RMT has tried to reach a negotiated settlement to this unilateral ripping-up of a local arrangement but unfortunately the management have refused to see sense and have failed to engage with us at all since the strike action over Christmas. RMT members will not stand by while management unilaterally rip-up agreements and practices that have been in place at local level for decades.

"As a consequence we have no option but to go ahead with this further wave of strike action."

Network Rail said the latest strike call was 'difficult to understand', because more talks had been planned. It also said it was confident that it would maintain a 'comprehensive' service if the strikes went ahead.