Scottish rail workers’ action exposes SNP anti-worker agenda

RMT members in Scotland, who work for ScotRail, have been striking every Sunday for the last six months in one of Scotland’s longest-running industrial disputes.

Staff involved in the action include guards, ticket examiners, gate line staff and train presentation workers. 

The action is over a rest day working agreement and pay for 2020/2021. RMT members are also being balloted with a view to taking strike action during COP26.

The union, quite rightly, is piling on the political and industrial pressure on the SNP-Green coalition government at Holyrood.

The ScotRail franchise is due to be taken into public control by the Scottish government in 2022.

This week the RMT, as well as other rail unions including TSSA, Aslef and Unite, organised a major protest outside Bute House in Edinburgh – the official residence of SNP first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Plans to slash Scotland’s rail services have been announced by ScotRail – currently in emergency measures and being run effectively by Transport Scotland and the Scottish government. 

An estimated 100,000 ScotRail services would be cut annually with a loss of more than 1000 jobs.

Michael Hogg, RMT regional organiser, told Socialist Party Scotland that the ScotRail plans “condemns Scotland’s railway – with closures of booking offices and stations, massive job losses and less support for the most vulnerable people within society.” 

Michael went on: “The four rail unions in Scotland have come together to condemn ScotRail for their reckless approach to Scotland’s railway. We will produce a counter report that will highlight the need for more jobs, more investment, a greener railway, an affordable railway, a safer railway and an accessible railway for all. This will be launched outside the Scottish parliament before COP26. 

“Meantime it’s full steam ahead. We already have guards in dispute, ticket examiners in dispute, gate line in dispute and train presentation staff in dispute. We also plan to now ballot all RMT members in Scotland in run up to cop26. ScotRail put forward a proposal for COP26 that included a no strike clause – this was rejected. We will take action during the summit with an all-out strike if necessary. 30,000 delegates better be booking there taxi’s as there will be no trains unless these issues are resolved. 

“Rail workers are being expected to pay for the pandemic – this will be resisted at every level by RMT and if that means taking action action to bring services to a halt during COP26 then so be it.”

anti-union SNP

The possibility of strike action during COP26 by rail unions has lifted the lid on the visceral anti-union bias from a number of SNP MSPs. Five of them released a statement earlier in September that could have been drafted by any Tory or right wing Labour politician. 

The SNP MSPs statement included: “We support the right of every worker and union to engage with their employers to seek a pay deal but, in this instance, this is an unhelpful way for the union’s London bosses to go about kick-starting those negotiations.

“The people of Scotland – and the watching world – may not look kindly on a rail union prepared to disrupt this vital summit.

“We urge the RMT’s London leadership to recognise that COP26 is too important to be targeted in this manner, suspend their referendum, and come to the table for negotiations on a potential pay settlement in good faith.”

The Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, which the RMT and Socialist Party Scotland are supporting organisations of, released a statement immediately following the SNP’s intervention. 

“This statement, from right wing nationalists, says all that needs to be said about the SNP and their inherent anti-worker bias.

“For months they have stood aside while RMT members have been striking every Sunday, refusing to intervene to force Transport Scotland and ScotRail to meet the union’s demands. 

“Perhaps it’s beyond the understanding of these MSPs to recognise that the railways could play a key role in helping to reduce emissions and their impact on the environment. 

“The RMT, and indeed other unions, would be quite right to use COP26 to apply pressure on cuts-making politicians to resolve vital industrial issues. 

“The fact that the Scottish government plan to take over the ScotRail contract in April next year will not inspire confidence among the workforce.” 

Socialist Party Scotland and Scottish TUSC will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the RMT and all rail unions against the planned cuts to services and for decent pay and working conditions for all workers.

We say bring Scotrail into public ownership but under workers’ control and not that of anti-trade union politicians or their appointees. For a massive investment programme in rail and transport services that are publicly owners and workers controlled to help tackle the climate emergency.