More misery on Ayrshire’s trains
AYRSHIRE’S trains are set to grind to a halt again this Saturday in the latest round of nationwide strike action by members of the RMT trade union.
The strikes, by RMT members working for Network Rail, will mean there will be no services on any routes in the area on Saturday, November 5.
Further 24-hour stoppages will see all Ayrshire trains cancelled on Monday, November 7 and Wednesday, November 9.
The next round of strike action comes hard on the heels of a stoppage on Saturday which was the result of a separate dispute between the RMT and ScotRail and which again saw no services operating on any Ayrshire routes.
ScotRail is also warning that the next round of RMT strikes will result in disruption to services on the evening before and the days in between the stoppages.
Saturday’s strike was held after RMT officials rejected an offer from ScotRail understood to be worth around 7.5 per cent, comprising a £500 uplift on top of the 5 per cent already offered by the train operator.
Speaking ahead of the strike among ScotRail workers on Saturday, Mick Hogg, the RMT’s Scotland organiser, said: “We want more because the retail price index is 12.6 per cent, so the offer that is on the table comes nowhere near acceptable to RMT members.”
David Simpson, ScotRail’s delivery director, said: “We hear from members they are keen to get this resolved and keen to start providing a great service to customers again.
“What we want to do is get back to running a full timetable, providing the service we know our passengers want.”