‘Significant’ disruption is predicted again as new RMT rail strikes begin
A leading rail union has announced a strike in Scotland amid worsening disputes in the industry.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at ScotRail will walk out on October 10 in a dispute over pay.
ScotRail says the impact of the strike on its services is likely to be “significant”.
The union said its members had been offered a 5 per cent pay rise, describing it as a real terms wage cut because of the soaring rate of inflation.
Rail unions are staging a series of strikes in early October over pay, jobs and conditions which will cripple services across the UK.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “ScotRail knows this offer is not good enough and needs to take into account the escalating cost-of-living crisis.
“Our members refuse to be made poorer and will exercise their industrial strength to let ScotRail know that they will not rest until they are paid what they deserve.”
Details of exactly how much of an impact next month’s strike will have on ScotRail services in the local area have yet to be made clear.
The strike action by ScotRail members of the RMT union on October October is in addition to the strikes announced by RMT members at Network Rail on October 1 and 8.
ScotRail says a separate strike by members of the ASLEF train drivers’ union on October 5 will not affect the firm’s services as that dispute doesn’t involve members working for ScotRail.
Rail passengers have already faced months of cancellations in Scotland.
A string of RMT strikes in August saw all services in Ayrshire cancelled, with only a limited service operating in the central belt.