More talks in Scotland after ASLEF rejects 4.2% pay offer

ScotRail and the Scottish Government have held fresh talks with rail unions - after drivers rejected a 4.2% pay increase.

The publicly owned rail operator has slashed services by a third, saying fewer drivers were volunteering to work overtime on their rest days and blaming COVID19 for a training backlog.

Transport Scotland, the Holyrood government agency responsible for the railways north of the border, described the 4.2% offer as “very good”.

It also included a three-year commitment to no compulsory redundancies, an improvement in maternity and adoption leave payments, and an “excess revenue share premium”. The latter would reward all workers when ScotRail exceeds revenue budget targets.

However, it was rejected by drivers’ union ASLEF’s executive council. As this issue of RAIL went to press, drivers’ representatives were due to meet with ScotRail and Transport Scotland officials on Thursday June 9 in the hope of securing a better offer. This followed a meeting on Monday June 6, at which company representatives confirmed they were in a position to negotiate.

ASLEF Scotland organiser Kevin Lindsay said: “If there’s a failure to table a suitable offer, then we’ll ballot for industrial action.”

RMT is a party to the drivers’ dispute, but is also in dispute with ScotRail across all grades over pay. The union’s Scotland organiser Mick Hogg told RAIL: “Our position is that whatever the company offers the drivers, then they’re going to have to replicate that by offering the same to the general grades.”

ScotRail Service Delivery Director David Simpson said: “It’s positive that ASLEF has recognised that the negotiations need compromise and have been willing to explore further the significantly improved offer that has been made.

“We’re hopeful we can resolve the current dispute and work together to encourage people back to the railway.”