TRAIN services across Lancashire face major disruption after it was announced workers with Northern Rail are to be balloted for strike action.

More than 2,200 members with the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union are being asked to back a walk-out over a “comprehensive breakdown” in industrial relations.

RMT, which is Britain’s biggest rail union, said it had called the vote as a means of challenging “the company’s aggression” which had resulted in relations “plummeting to a new low”.

Northern Rail, which operates local rail services across Lancashire, said that it would be meeting with union representatives tomorrow and was confident the dispute could be resolved.

Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, said that the vote had been called as a result of “continued attacks on payments to staff assaulted on duty, victimisation of union reps and breaches of disciplinary procedures”.

He said: “Industrial relations at Northern have plummeted to a new low, and our members are telling us that the company’s aggression must be challenged.”

He added that Northern Rail’s actions added up to “a massive attack” on its staff and they were “urging members to return a decisive mandate for action.”

A spokesman for Northern Rail said they will meet with the union tomorrow adding: “We are hopeful those issues can be resolved.”

Northern Rail won an eight-and-three-quarter year contract to run rail services in the north of England in 2004.

Its services include the Clitheroe-Manchester, Blackpool-York and Blackpool-Colne lines.