NORTHERN Rail has invited representatives from the RMT union for “meaningful talks” in a fresh attempt to break the deadlock between the two sides.

The union, which is yet to respond to the offer, said it was considering its next step in a dispute over the "safety critical" role of guards.

Northern said it wanted to sit round the table again with the RMT, but without lots of pre-conditions.

The firm has rejected claims it is cutting jobs and pay, stating that in the last year it has recruited more than 500 staff, while all grades, including guards, have had a 2.6 per cent pay increase.

There has been a series of strikes on the Northern network by RMT members, although the last planned strike was postponed following the Manchester terror attacks.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT is demanding that the axing of the guards is reversed and the union will ?challenge Theresa May and the transport ministers in her minority government every step of the way as we jack up the fight to put safety and access to services before private profit and greed.”

Northern wants to introduce driver controlled trains, where the driver opens and closes the doors automatically.

It says this would reduce the amount of time trains spend standing at stations, which would benefit congested routes.

But the RMT says this threatens guards' jobs and it wants a guarantee of a second person on every train, in addition to the driver.

Northern's modernisation plans foresee a more flexible approach to deploying on-board staff who would focus on duties such as customer service and revenue protection, rather than operational duties, meaning they are more visible to customers.

Richard Allan, Northern’s deputy managing director, said: “Northern’s plans for customers include new trains, refurbished trains and better stations in the biggest investment in local rail for a generation.

“This includes customer service improvements, which will make our people more visible and available than ever before.

“There remains lots to discuss and we want the RMT to come back to the table for meaningful talks.”