Fresh train strikes have been announced by unions for November as employees across the country continue mass industrial action in search of better pay.

The RMT union says 'coordinated' strike action will take place on three separate dates next month involving more than 40,000 people who work across the UK's railways.

Strikes involving Network Rail staff will now take place on Thursday, November 3, Saturday, November 5 and Monday, November 7 - with staff at 14 train operating companies joining the action on November 3 and 5.

It currently remains unclear how services will be affected by the three strikes, that will each last 24 hours, but previous action by both Network Rail employees and staff at train companies has forced the cancellation of the majority of services.

The 14 train operating companies involved in the fresh strikes are: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).

In a separate dispute RMT members working on London Underground and Overground networks also plan industrial action on November 3, which could further add to disruption on that date, particularly in and around the capital.

Railway workers are the latest employees to announce fresh strike dates - as they continue their quest for better pay in the face of an ongoing cost of living crisis - but the country is facing a wave of industrial action this winter with further threats this week from teachers, head teachers and Environment Agency staff.

Thousands of Royal Mail workers have also returned to the picket lines this week - with fears that any unresolved dispute could spiral into December and impact Christmas shopping and delivery services.

On Monday (October 24) 15,000 ambulance workers will begin voting over possible strike action that could take place before Christmas, says union GMB, while the Royal College of Nursing is currently collecting votes from its members as it urges nurses to walk out in protest over the latest pay deal.

They will be followed on November 11 by the Royal College of Midwives that is then set to open ballots over possible action.

The Fire Brigades Union is also expected to launch a vote among its firefighters over strike action as it too rejects a government pay offer while it also emerged this week that beer supplies could be affected during the World Cup as a result of a strike later this month by 1,000 GXO delivery drivers who plan to walk out between October 31 and November 4.