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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Edel Kenealy

Renfrewshire rail services halted as RMT members strike in pay dispute

Rail services across Renfrewshire will halt entirely today as rail workers strike for a second day.

The RMT union confirmed the 24-hour walk out of hundreds of staff from train stations in Paisley, Johnstone, Howwood, Bishopton and Barrhead.

It means ScotRail will not be able to offer a train service to any Renfrewshire station.

The strike comes two days after union chiefs rejected an improved offer from ScotRail which would have seen the lowest-paid employees receive a pay uplift of £7.5 per cent.

The business offered to consolidate a £500 technology payment into annual wages to top up the previous five per cent offer.

But the deal had been conditional on the strike being called off, and has now been withdrawn.

The RMT’s general grades staff are also currently taking part in an overtime and rest day working ban as part of action short of a strike.

This has seen some daily cancellations across the Renfrewshire network since Friday, October 14, as the train operator requires rest day working and overtime while recruitment continues.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail head of customer operations, said: “Regrettably, we won’t be able to operate the vast majority of our services on Saturday, October 29, and customers should expect significant disruption to services due to the large proportion of ScotRail staff who are members of the RMT trade union.

“We’re advising customers, including rugby fans intending to travel to Scotland’s first autumn international at Murrayfield, to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel by train if they really need to.”

He added: “It’s really disappointing that the RMT has refused to put this improved offer to its members so they can have a say.

“Further strike action has a damaging effect on railway’s recovery at a time when we should be encouraging more people to travel.

“Instead, our customers are being severely impacted and our staff losing out through lost wages.

“We remain open to resolving this dispute.”

The RMT has previously said it would “seriously consider” an offer of about 8.2 per cent.

The union’s Scottish organiser, Mick Hogg, said it was fighting to protect living standards and working conditions and described the latest pay offer as “nowhere near acceptable” as it was well below the inflation rate.

He told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme that members of other rail unions who had already accepted lower pay offers should join the RMT instead as it would “fight for a better deal”.

More than 2,000 ScotRail employees are members of the RMT, including in roles such as conductors, ticket examiners, hospitality, station staff (including train dispatch), engineering depot staff, train presentation, supervisors, resource coordinators, and CCTV operators.

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