More railway workers in Kent are to vote on strike action threatening further disruption to train services this summer.

The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union says it is now getting ready to ballot hundreds of its members, employed by the county's train operator Southeastern, in a dispute over pay, conditions and job security.

The proposed strike is separate from next week's three-day national rail strike, which includes more than 30,000 rail workers and train operating staff from across the country who are members of union RMT, and is likely to see stations closed and only a small minority of the UK's train services running.

TSSA is demanding for its members a guarantee from the rail operator, which is now owned by the Department for Transport, of no compulsory redundancies for 2022, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions and a pay increase which it says will 'reflect the rising cost of living'.

The ballot will open on June 23 and closes on July 11 - with the earliest date for the possible strike action listed as July 25.

Southeastern, which runs train services between London and Kent, and through parts of East Sussex, operates 1,600 trains a day serving 180 stations and covering over 500 miles of track.

TSSA says it has almost 350 members in a range of roles at the firm. The ballot is one of a number the union is conducting with its members at train operating companies across the country.

TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, said: "Our members at Southeastern are seeking basic fair treatment in the teeth of a crippling cost of living crisis.

"Rail workers were hailed as heroes in the pandemic and now they deserve a real terms pay rise which keeps pace with inflation, rather than shouldering the burden of the Tories’ economic meltdown.

"Our demands are simple – pay which reflects the times we live in, a deal which delivers job security, and no race to the bottom on terms and conditions.

"It’s time the government changed course. Instead of making cuts across our railway the DfT should either give Southeastern and other companies the signal to make us a reasonable offer, or Ministers should come to the negotiating table and speak to us directly.

"The alternative is a fast-approaching summer of discontent across our rail network. Make no mistake, we are preparing for all options, including coordinated strike action which would bring trains to a halt.”