ScotRail have warned of further travel disruption as fresh strikes have been announced.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union have voted for strike action after a dispute over pay that will pull a number of trains services to a halt around the country. ScotRail officials told the PA news agency they are “still assessing” the impact of strikes by RMT members in Network Rail, but it is “likely” services will face the same level of disruption seen when Network Rail workers staged a three-day walk out across July, forcing the majority of trains in Scotland to come to a complete stand still.
This comes just days after Aslef members working for ScotRail accepted a five per cent pay rise with the Scottish travel operator, adding that they will work towards reintroducing a full timetable again, but warns it will take some time. On Wednesday, ScotRail confirmed the timetable would still be in place when Gerry Cinnamon plays at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Saturday and Sunday.
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While specific routes affected in Scotland have not yet been confirmed, it is likely a number of popular train operators will be impacted that travel to and from Glasgow. Here is everything you need to know so far.
When is the train strike happening?
RMT members at a number of train companies and Network Rail will walk out for 24 hours on July 27. It is expected 40,000 workers - roughly 20,000 from Network Rail, will walk out, including signalling and track maintenance workers, and the remainder from 14 train operating companies.
Will ScotRail staff be striking?
ScotRail have agreed on a pay deal with members from the Aslef union but the strike action from RMT members is expected to have a knock-on-effect. In June, union members for Network Rail called for industrial action that included signallers, which brought trains across the UK to a grinding halt and disruption for the days that followed.
This is due to Scottish Network Rail staff, who provide vital safety roles, taking part in the strike and this is expected to happen again on July 27.
What train companies will be affected?
Train companies likely to be affected include:
- Network Rail
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- c2c
- Greater Anglia
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- South Eastern
- South Western Railway
- Avanti West Coast
- West Midlands trains
- Govia Thameslink Railway
What is the dispute about?
The unions are in a dispute over pay, job cuts and terms and conditions with the UK Government. Members have rejected the recent pay offer that included a four per cent pay rise backdated to January, another two per cent next year and a further two per cent conditional on achieving “modernisation milestones”.
The RMT called it a "paltry sum" that represents "a real terms pay cut". The union added it has yet to receive a pay offer or guarantees over job losses from the train operating companies (TOCs).
The RMT said it will be consulting with other unions that have delivered mandates for strike action in the coming days, as talk of co-ordinated walkouts continue. Members of the drivers’ union Aslef and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) at train companies have backed industrial action in recent days.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The offer from Network Rail represents a real-terms pay cut for our members and the paltry sum is conditional on RMT members agreeing to drastic changes in their working lives. We have made progress on compulsory redundancies, but Network Rail are still seeking to make our members poorer when we have won in some cases double what they are offering, with other rail operators.
“The train operating companies remain stubborn and are refusing to make any new offer which deals with job security and pay. Strike action is the only course open to us to make both the rail industry and Government understand that this dispute will continue for as long as it takes, until we get a negotiated settlement.
“The public who will be inconvenienced by our strike action need to understand that it is the Government’s shackling of Network Rail and the TOCs that means the rail network will be shut down for 24 hours.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “While this particular dispute is a matter for the RMT union and the relevant employers, clearly we would all like to see all the current industrial disputes settled for the benefit of passengers, staff and communities alike. This is particularly important given the current cost-of-living crisis.
“There should be no conflation of this GB-wide dispute with the pay negotiations for ScotRail staff, which are a separate matter. Indeed, the approach taken here in Scotland has resulted in Aslef members already voting to accept the fair and affordable pay offer negotiated with ScotRail.
"The Transport Minister wrote to Grant Shapps making this clear and also that we will be very clear with the public where the responsibility for this issue rests. It is not a matter in which the Scottish Government has any locus and we expect the UK Government to prioritise an urgent resolution.
“The Scottish Government adheres to a policy that no compulsory redundancy agreements should be negotiated for public sector workers wherever possible. The Transport Minister has made clear to Network Rail that we will not support any position which leads Network Rail to enforce any redundancies of their staff in Scotland, as this is not consistent with Scottish Government policy.”
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