Strikes: Gilruth urges action from Westminster

THE Scottish Government has waded into the RMT union’s dispute with Network Rail and train operators, ahead of a threatened national rail strike this June if a members’ ballot approves action (RAIL 956). The ballot closes on May 24.

In a letter to Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, Scottish Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth wrote: “We can only conclude that this dispute is being allowed to continue for political or ideological purposes. The Scottish Government will not hesitate to make it known that that is our view.”

The TSSA union, which is considering balloting members over the dispute, said the Scottish Government “is right to put pressure on Westminster to resolve rail dispute issues”.

TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes added: “The Scottish Government’s commitment to no compulsory redundancies in Network Rail in Scotland is welcome and Westminster must follow suit.”

It comes as union umbrella body the TUC published an appraisal of rail funding and claimed that rail cuts “will compromise safety with the loss of 670,000 maintenance hours”.

The TUC said that Network Rail’s plans to cut 2,500 safety-critical jobs “will increase the risk of major rail accidents”.

It claimed that “ministers’ demands for train operator cuts will also put services at risk of being permanently stopped”, and that commuters should not be “packed like sardines in unsafe trains”. It has not presented any evidence for these claims.

The TUC report concludes that the Government should increase rail spending, reduce fares, and that every aspect of the system should be fully nationalised.

The RMT is balloting 40,000 members at Network Rail and all of England’s franchised/contracted train operating companies over pay, no compulsory redundancies, and a guarantee there will be no