Railstrikeshithardas union stands strong
NHS bullying concern
Lanarkshire rail workers joined their colleagues from across the country in a threeday strike last week.
Members of the Wishaw and Motherwell branch of the RMT union picketed at their depot in protest at potential job losses and for better pay.
Branch secretary David Hainey said: “The main issues are 2900 job losses out of a workforce of 40,000 and a pay settlement after two years of a pay freeze.
“When you look at the turnouts we have had on the picket lines, it has been tremendous.
“We have got a lot of public support, especially when they are going past us when we are out.
“If you look at polling from companies like YouGov, a large majority of the public know why we are striking.”
The RMT accused Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of “wrecking” negotiations by refusing to allow Network Rail to
Central Scotland MSP Graham Simpson has expressed his “deep alarm” at a rise in bullying cases at NHS Lanarkshire since 2020-21.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives t hrough Freedom of Information (FOI) requests show that there has been a near 50 per cent increase in the number of bullying cases in the NHS Scotland over the last five years.
In NHS Lanarkshire the number of bullying cases rose from seven in 2020-21 to 12 in 2021-22.
While the number of cases in Lanarkshire fell in the last five years, the number of cases have increased by 71 per cent over the last year.
Mr Simpson says there is a never a justification for bullying and intimidation in the workplace and says that anyone on the receiving end will only see their mental health suffer further after the stresses of the pandemic.
He also s ays t hat workplace culture comes f rom t he t op, which ultimately means Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, must act. withdraw redundancy threats. Mr Shapps called the claim “a total lie”, adding the union was solely to blame for the “massive disruption”.
The breakdown in talks between the RMT and rail companies l ed to recriminations between the union and the government.
The Department of Transport has said the rail industry is leading the negotiations, but a contract seen by the BBC says that train operating companies’ handling of strike action is “subject to the secretary of state’s direction”.
Dave added: “The spin from the UK Government is ridiculous.
“The median salary from Network Rail is between £25,000 and £30,000, which is the same as the average UK worker.
“The RMT has never walked away from the negotiating table, the UK Government is holding the purse strings and it is up to them.”
Mr Simpson said: “The rise in bullying cases at NHS Lanarkshire in the last year is deeply alarming and completely unacceptable.
“Staff there, or in any workplace, should not be subjected to intimidation or bullying.
“This workplace culture is ultimately set at the very top, so Humza Yousaf needs to react to these concerning figures, which are part of a wider increase across Scotland.
“We are already suffering from a shortage of frontline staff across Lanarkshire, so a rise in bullying cases is the last thing we need.
“These cases will have had a damaging effect on the mental health of staff who are already completely overwhelmed due to the pandemic.”
NHS Lanarkshire director of human resources, Kay Sandilands, said: “We take a zero tolerance approach to any form of bullying in the workplace.
“We are committed to providing a positive and respectful work environment.”