As Scotland braces itself for more disruption on our rail network, the SNP has urged the UK Government to resolve the Network Rail pay dispute and avoid further strike action.
In December, Scotland’s Transport Minister, Jenny Gilruth MSP met with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ (RMT) General Secretary, Mick Lynch, at Scotland House in London, where they discussed their shared desire for a resolution to the pay dispute between the RMT, Network Rail and the UK Government controlled train companies.
David Simpson, ScotRail’s Operations Director subsequently warned that ScotRail is currently operating at 80% of pre-pandemic levels and UK Government strikes were hampering efforts to make services more reliable.
Kenneth Gibson MSP said
“I am fully aware of the disruption these ongoing strikes are causing to many of my constituents in North, especially commuters who rely on trains to get to and from work.
“RMT’s ScotRail members voted to accept a negotiated fair pay offer, but Scotland still faces severe disruption as a result of the ongoing UK-wide dispute.
“Train drivers union ASLEF settled months ago in Scotland.
“It is vital that the UK Government allows the operators and RMT to negotiate. Network Rail employees and employees of the UK Government controlled rail companies in Scotland deserve a fair pay deal too.
“Unfortunately, the UK Tory Government seems to be more interested in undermining trade unions with their recently proposed attack on their right to strike than in offering a fair pay rise to workers and a reliable train service to travellers.”
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