ScotRail warns of disruption ahead of latest rail strikes

ScotRail has warned passengers to expect massive disruption during the latest round of RMT strikes.

While the dispute does not involve ScotRail staff directly, it will have an impact on the ability of the operator to run its trains on the network.

Members of the union at Network Rail rejected the latest pay offer on Monday.

Action is scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday across the British network.

Many of the Network Rail staff that are due to take part in the planned industrial action occupy safety-critical roles, meaning the vast majority of ScotRail services will be affected.

Because of the walkouts, a limited number of services on the publicly-owned rail operator will be running, with disruption still felt on Thursday due to issues with signal boxes created by the strikes.

The train operator will run services on 12 routes across the central belt, Fife and the Borders between the hours of 07.30 and 18.30.

Travellers have been asked to check before setting off.

ScotRail service delivery director David Simpson said: “It’s really disappointing to see more widespread disruption across the whole Great Britain rail network as a result of the dispute between Network Rail and the RMT at a time when we need to be encouraging more people back to the railway.

“For ScotRail, it’s going to mean that we won’t be able to operate the vast majority of our services between December 13 and 17, which we know will be really frustrating for our customers.

“We’re advising customers to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel if they really need to on the days of strike action.

“Customers should check their journey in advance to make sure your train is running.”

The RMT has also announced plans for strike action between December 24 to 27, as well as four dates in the first week of January.

Gordon Martin, RMT organiser for Scotland, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme that members at Network Rail found the latest pay offer “totally unacceptable”.

He said: “There is a whole package of cuts involved in this pay offer. So, 9% over two years when we currently have inflation running at over 14%, but, as well as that, what Network Rail are proposing is a whole package of cuts to terms and conditions, and to jobs and to the maintenance regime.

“They’re talking about cutting the maintenance regime by at least 43%, and our concern is if they get away with that it could put trains down embankments and kill people because you cannot cut maintenance so savagely and there not be consequences, so that’s – looking at the whole package of cuts – it’s totally unacceptable to our members.”

Asked if they are anywhere close to resolving the issue, Mr Martin said: “I suppose we are closer than we were in the summer when the UK Government refused to even get involved despite being a back-seat driver, so to speak.

“At least now the UK Government at Transport Secretary-level have got involved, but he doesn’t seem to have the gravitas to go to the Treasury and Number 10 and say you can’t run a railway with a package of cuts so it needs proper investment in people, proper investment in infrastructure to get this resolved.”

Later in the programme Nick King, of Network Rail Scotland, said the union was “disappointed” at the rejection.

In response to Mr Martin’s concerns to maintenance cuts, he said the plan was to “modernise the industry”.

He added: “What we want to do is make our maintenance regime more responsive and more reactive and make us better able to react and anticipate problems.

“We’re certainly not going to do anything that would compromise safety.”

On Monday, Scottish transport minister Jenny Gilruth urged the UK Government to step in and avert the strikes.

“While this is not a matter in which the Scottish Government has any locus – I urge the Secretary of State for Transport to take a different approach and work with the Trade Unions to secure a railway that benefits users, staff and taxpayers,” she said.

“In Scotland, we have maintained constructive discussions between ScotRail and the Scottish representatives of the RMT members. By doing so, we have settled our pay negotiations.”