Rail workers prepare to ballot on fresh strike action that could disrupt election

The rail workers' union is preparing to announce a fresh ballot that could lead to a strike in the days leading up to the general election of 6 May. The executive of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is drawing up plans for another vote of more than 5,000 signal workers and 12,000 maintenance staff. The workers this week were due to stage four days of industrial action beginning on the day Gordon Brown announced the date of the general election. But Network Rail made a successful legal challenge in the high court , leading to the strikes being called off. The RMT has said it will hold fresh ballots, raising the prospect that the new government will have to deal with a spate of strikes early next month. The timetable has not been revealed, but as well as inconveniencing thousands of passengers the strikes could disrupt campaigning since all the main parties have promised to use rail travel. The RMT general secretary, Bob Crow, said: "Our dispute with Network Rail remains alive ... this dispute is about safety on Britain's railways, and despite the barrage of abuse, lies and distortions that have been thrown at this union and its members over the past few days we will not sit back and allow our industry to be dragged back to the dark days of Railtrack, Hatfield and Potters Bar." He promised to make "the jobs massacre" on the UK's railways a high-profile political issue throughout the election. Network Rail has argued that its plan to cut 1,500 jobs will not compromise safety and says it needs to schedule more maintenance and other work in the evenings and at weekends.