RMT union bosses today ordered a strike ballot among staff at First Great Western - which runs local and long distance services into Paddington - in a row over Olympic bonus payments.
It is the third major rail company to be targeted for strike action - following similar ballot announcements for South West Trains and Greater Anglia.
A ballot date has not yet been set.
General Secretary Bob Crow said: “ RMT members rightly expect that their extra commitment and work over the Olympic games period will be rewarded in line with other Olympics payments that have been negotiated elsewhere in the industry.
“First Great Western are another train operator who have deliberately dragged their feet over this crucial issue knowing that the clock is ticking down and they have now confronted us at the eleventh hour with an offer which they knew full well would be totally unacceptable.
“As a consequence we now have no option but to move to an urgent ballot for both strike action and action short of a strike to reinforce our case for a fair and unified settlement."
