TRAIN operator Arriva Trains Northern claims most of its services ran normally at the weekend during a one-day strike by conductors.

The company said it was able to operate trains on 80 per cent of the network on Saturday despite the action over a pay dispute.

But North-East commuters could face festive chaos as conductors consider a series of 24-hour strikes over Christmas and the New Year.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has scheduled strikes for Saturday, December 21, Monday, December 23, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and on Saturday, February 1, 2003.

Saturday's action was taken following the collapse of union-management talks at arbitration group Acas.

RMT assistant general secretary Pat Sikorski said: "Arriva has wasted an opportunity to find a settlement to this dispute.

"Instead it has simply used the occasion to attack its conductors once more and to reduce their pay offer for a second time.

"We attended those talks in good faith but Arriva merely told us that even its existing pay offer would no longer be backdated.

"That means its four per cent offer is now effectively worth only two per cent - an insult to the lowest-paid conductors in the industry.

"We have always been ready to enter into meaningful talks to secure an honourable and just settlement."

A spokesperson for Arriva said: "The company is very disappointed that the RMT is refusing to engage in realistic discussions or to seriously negotiate on productivity to resolve this dispute."

The company said about 130 conductors had not taken part in the strike action so, along with other train services operating, 93 per cent of the network was covered.