POTENTIAL rail gridlock across Essex could begin next week after a major union revived its plans for strike action.

The RMT union has announced it will hold a 24-hour strike from 5pm next Thursday, followed by a 48-hour strike from 5pm on June 9.

A one-day strike, scheduled to take place on Monday, had been called off by the RMT after Network Rail tabled an improved pay offer to the union’s 16,000 staff.

Essex operator Greater Anglia had announced a complete shutdown of its network if this week’s strike had gone ahead, while c2c had warned of “severe” disruption to services.

Strike action is likely to bring all services to a standstill because signal workers are members of the RMT.

It is likely to mean thousands of Essex residents working in London will be unable to commute by train.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “This dispute could be settled for a fraction of the money being handed out in senior manager bonuses and to the train operators for not running services.

“That is a ludicrous situation which should never have been allowed to have arisen.

“With no shortage of cash in the bonus pot and to compensate the private train companies it is no wonder that our members take the view that one per cent is wholly inadequate.

“Our rail staff deserve a fair reward for the high-pressure, safety-critical work that they undertake.”

Strike action was originally called when the RMT rejected Network Rail’s offer of a £500 lump sum for staff this year, followed by a pay rise in line with inflation in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Monday’s strike was called off when Network Rail made an improved offer of a one per cent rise this year, but the union believes it is short of what is needed to maintain living standards.

Essex’s rail operators have not yet announced their plans for the proposed strike dates.