Glasgow Subway workers will be taking industrial action next month, Unite has announced. Each of the 24-hour strikes on August 6, 9, 13, 27 will fall on Rangers home matches.
Unite, which represents over 200 workers at SPT, says nearly all workers (99 percent) voted in favour of walk-outs over a dispute centred on duty schedules. Members cited 'significant work-life' pressures from being called in to work shifts at short notice.
The first strike is scheduled for Saturday, August 6 - the Rangers' first home match of the season. A Unite spokesman called the industrial action a "last resort for a hardworking and loyal workforce".
What days are Glasgow Subway workers striking?
The strike action is set for the following days:
- Saturday, August 6
- Tuesday, August 9
- Saturday, August 13
- Saturday, August 27
Three of the four walkouts fall on weekends, whilst all four days clash with Rangers home matches. The team is set to take on Kilmarnock at Ibrox on August 6, while other dates fall during matches against Union Saint-Gilloise, St Johnstone and Ross County.
Why are Glasgow Subway workers striking?
The dispute is between Unite the Union, also known as Unite, and the subway system operator Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) over changes to duty schedules.
The union's 200 members at SPT include train drivers and station staff. There was an 83 percent turnout for the vote, with 99 percent voting in favour of the strikes. Unite says discussions with SPT have "failed to give members assurances over family responsibilities, and that personal time away from work will be respected".
Willie Thomson, Unite Industrial Officer, said Glasgow Subway workers kept the system operating during Covid amid "significant" staff pressures.
He said: "The strike ballot is a last resort for a hardworking and loyal workforce. Time and again the workers have gone above and beyond by keeping the subway running during Covid, and through a time of significant staff pressures.
"Our members are angry about the unfair duty rosters which have resulted in imposed shift changes at short notice. This is detrimental to our members' work life balance. SPT should be in no doubt as to our members' determination to have these rosters changed."
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