Call for deal to be brokered in rail strike

LABOUR have urged the Transport Minister to intervene and broker a deal between unions and ScotRail to head off planned industrial action. Rail union RMT is planning two days of strike action in an ongoing dispute with ScotRail over driver-only trains. The RMT said it had “no option” but to stage further 24-hour strikes on July 24 and 31 amid the failure of talks through the conciliation service Acas.

Labour’s transport spokesman Neil Bibby urged Transport Minister Humza Yousaf to meet with the parties to end the stalemate.

He said: “The SNP Government and Transport Minister should publicly intervene in order to reach an end to this industrial stalemate, to the satisfaction of all parties.”

SNP MSP James Dornan accused Labour of “grandstanding”.