RMT members standing firm again today

RAIL UNION RMT said that members are standing firm in strike action again today as the union called on the First Minister to end her silence and put pressure on Transport Scotland to demand that Abellio and Transport Scotland negotiate a settlement to the long-running disputes involving Scotrail conductors and ticket examiners. The union warned today that it's the absence of political leadership that has left Scotland's railways facing a long hot summer of strike action in a series of fights for workplace justice‎.

With RMT members committed to an ongoing programme of action on both Scotrail and the Caledonian Sleeper run by SERCO the union says that it is wholly unacceptable that leading political figures in Scotland, including the First Minister, have made no comment or intervention whatsoever, making a nonsense of their claims to support fairness and justice for the Scottish people.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said:

'RMT ScotRail Conductor and Ticket Examiner members are standing firm yet again today in their fight for workplace justice and parity between grades. I want to pay tribute to each and every one of them.

'The political leadership in Scotland, including the First Minister herself, needs to end its silence, intervene as a matter of urgency, and put pressure on Abellio ScotRail to resolve these disputes and the action involving our engineer members at Perth and the workforce on the SERCO Caledonian Sleeper that starts this week.

'RMT remains available for talks in this growing barrage of disputes and it's about time the political leadership in Scotland put pressure on Abellio and SERCO to get round the negotiating table with the trade union.'