Roused to anger: Now train staff on troubled sleeper threaten to strike as rail bosses accused of slur
Union vows to step up dispute amid claims staff called lazy
Beleaguered Caledonian Sleeper staff were branded “lazy and ineffective” by their bosses, unions claim.
Workers on the Scotland to London route voted for industrial action in July and unions said strike action would go ahead unless staff received a “heartfelt apology”.
The Sleeper service’s £150 million fleet has been beset by problems since operators Serco introduced the new carriages in April.
Trains have been delayed and cancelled, and one service overshot the platform at Edinburgh Waverley by 650 metres. Rail accident investigators blamed a brake fault.
Customers also complained of overpriced tickets, noisy carriages and dirty sheets.
Sleeper staff claimed they faced “intolerable” and “appalling” working conditions. The RMT union said morale had sunk to an “all-time low”.
Serco set up a working group with union reps known as the Operational Excellence Review after 91% of RMT members voted to strike. And at a recent meeting, staff were insulted by Serco bosses, according to Gordon Martin, RMT regional organiser.
He said: “Serco managers have verbally attacked staff as lazy and ineffective. If a heartfelt apology is not forthcoming our overwhelming mandate for significant strike action will be used.”
Labour MP Colin Smyth said: “Serco promised us the new service would be a hotel on wheels. It turns out they meant Fawlty Towers. There is a now a need for full parliamentary inquiry into what is yet another failing franchise on Scotland’s railways where a private firm has overpromised and under-delivered.
“It was public money invested in the new trains and the public deserve the truth.”
Serco declined to comment on discussions with the RMT.
Hollywood would have us believe there’s a certain romance to train travel.
From David Lean’s classic Brief Encounter, which details the affair between two married commuters, to Marilyn Monroe’s late-night hot water bottle Manhattan cocktails in Some Like it Hot, trains are the hot and happening way to travel.
However, my experiences tend to be more like the comic mishaps of Planes, Trains And Automobiles – something my recent journey on the Caledonian Sleeper did little to improve.
When I hopped aboard the overnight service from Glasgow to London, I was concerned whether the promised “journey of a night time” would meet the swanky standards set out on their website.
The service’s many teething problems have been well documented since a relaunch in April.
But I went with an open mind…and an open wallet after forking out £303.60 for a return journey.
I arrived for the 11.40pm departure and was greeted by a dapper young man in a tweed suit, who delivered the first blow of the night – there would be no alcohol service due to a shortage of staff. There went my Manhattan.
With an en-suite shower, single bed, keycard entry and room service, my home for the night was billed as a “hotel experience”.
“Grubby B&B” might have been more appropriate.
The first thing I found was a note explaining that if the sink looked dirty, it’s just a reaction to the detergent and they’re working on the problem. I suspect the dog also ate their homework.
On the wall were dark, sticky splash marks, the top of the phone charger was covered in a fine layer of the previous occupant’s dandruff, crumbs littered the grooves in the foldable table, and my loo door handle was decorated with a suspicious white stain.