MEMBERS of a rail union have voted to hold a 24-hour strike next month in a growing dispute over the axing of guards on trains.

Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) staff who work for Northern, Merseyrail and Arriva Rail North, have called the strike for Monday, March 13.

RMT staff at Southern Rail have also voted to strike on the same day.

Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: "The union's position on Driver Only Operation (DOO) is perfectly clear.

"We will not agree to any introduction of DOO and will fight to retain the safety-critical role of the guard and to keep a guard on the train."

Mr Cash also claimed bosses from both Northern and Merseyrail had failed to guarantee that guards would be kept on trains.

In response, a Northern spokesman said: "As our modernisation proposals are still in the early stages, it is a shame that RMT has announced strike action.

"Our aim is to reach a constructive resolution and we urge RMT to continue the talks we have already started.

"We want to protect jobs and pay, and during our recent discussions we offered to consult fully with our people, customers and key stakeholders.

"If strike action goes ahead, our customers can be reassured that we have plans in place to keep them moving.

"During any strike action, we plan to run a revised service and will shortly release further information."