Rail services in Scotland will be heavily disrupted due to mass strike action taking place across the UK.
Members of the RMT at Network Rail and 13 train operating companies will strike on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday next week amid a row over pay and job losses.
Union officials say that their members are seeking for defence of their jobs and a pay rise that ‘deals with the cost of living crisis’.
More than 50,000 workers are expected to walk out across the UK - making it the biggest dispute on the rail network since 1989.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Railway workers have been treated appallingly and despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry with the support of the government has failed to take their concerns seriously.
"We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze when inflation is at 11.1pc and rising.
"Our union will now embark on a sustained campaign of industrial action which will shut down the railway system."
While the strike action will not directly involve staff at ScotRail, it will have an effect on the firm’s ability to provide services.
The industrial action will involve Network Rail staff who occupy ‘safety critical’ roles, according to ScotRail.
This means that there will be a very limited number of services in operation across Scotland on the days of strike action.
People have been urged only to travel on those days if “they really need to”.
How will the strike action affect ScotRail services?
ScotRail say that it will operate on just five ScotRail routes in the central belt on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday next week.
The train operator, which is now owned by the Scottish Government, say that there will be no service on other routes.
Routes in operation include:
- Edinburgh - Glasgow via Falkirk High: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh - Bathgate: two trains per hour
- Glasgow - Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
- Glasgow - Lanark: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh - Glasgow via Shotts: one train per hour
The final service on these routes will depart ‘well before 6.30pm’, ScotRail have said.
David Simpson, ScotRail’s Service Delivery Director, said: “It is very unfortunate to see such widespread disruption across the whole of the Great Britain rail network and we know this will be frustrating for ScotRail customers.
“Regrettably, this strike action by RMT members of Network Rail means that we will not be able to operate the vast majority of our services during the period of strike action. Customers should expect significant disruption to services next week, including on the days between strike action.
“On the five routes where we are able to operate a very limited service on strike days, we’re advising customers to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel if they really need to.”
Other train operators involved in the strikes
Workers at 13 train operating companies across the UK will also be taking part in the strike action over the three days.
These are:
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- Greater Anglia
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- c2c
- Great Western Railway
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
- Transpennine Express
- Avanti West Coast
- West Midlands Trains
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