Rail workers heading to strike action

Philip Stott

Rail unions are heading towards strike action over pay, working conditions and cuts to jobs. 

Both the RMT transport union and the train drivers’ union Aslef are to ballot for strikes after a derisory below inflation pay rise for 2022/23 from ScotRail.

This comes just weeks after ScotRail was brought into public ownership by the Scottish government. 

ScotRail offered workers a paltry 2.2% pay increase and no compulsory redundancies for two years but the RMT wants a higher wage rise, no compulsory redundancies for five years, no booking office or station closures for two years and hundreds of new apprentices.

As Michael Hogg, RMT Scotland’s organiser said: “If the Government and Scotrail can raise fairs by 3.8 per cent and give nurses 4 per cent [last year] for being key, essential workers, then where does that sit with rail workers who have also been called key and essential workers and are being offered a 2.2 per cent increase? We’ve been kicked in the teeth, as far as the RMT is concerned. It’s not good enough.”

Aslef Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay said: “There is a cost-of-living crisis and there is no way Aslef members are going to sit back and take derisory offers, either from ScotRail or their bosses in the Scottish government.” The problem we have just now is ScotRail are trying to run a service on overtime.”

ScotRail bosses have announced plans to cut up to 30% of services for a “temporary period”, due to staff shortages.

The Scottish government transport minister Jenny Gilruth, speaking in parliament, put the blame on the train drivers and the union: “Due to some drivers not taking up the option of overtime Sunday and rest day working, ScotRail has announced plans to run a reduced timetable from May 23” 

The truth is the dispute with Aslef has only happened because of the 2.2% pay offer as well as a chronic shortage of trained drivers. Why should workers be forced to work their rest days to keep the service running?

In the last eleven days alone 900 trains were cancelled due to drivers refusing to work their rest days which has highlighted the chronic lack of staff.

All this is directly linked to a failure to recruit, train and employ enough staff to run vital rail services. 

In addition to these disputes on ScotRail, thousands of RMT members on Network Rail across Britain are also being balloted for strike action over plans to cut thousands of safety-critical maintenance jobs. 

As we wrote on April 1, the day ScotRail was brought into public ownership: “This form of capitalist nationalisation will be bereft of any control by the workforce and the unions. Indeed ScotRail, now owned by the Scottish government through Scottish Rail Holdings Limited, will continue to be run on the same business model as it was in the private sector.

“Socialist Party Scotland has long warned that capitalist nationalisation will not deliver for passengers or rail workers. In contrast, socialist nationalisation would involve the running of the industry under genuine workers’ control and management.

“Elected committees of trade unions, rail workers, the users of rail services and government would democratically run the industry, including reducing rail fares and a programme of massive investment into transport services.”