Pay row fuels rail chaos fears

SCOTS train drivers could walk out for the first time in 20 years amid fears the country will suffer the most extensive rail strike in decades.

The threat came yesterday after pay talks broke down between union Aslef and nationalised operator ScotRail.

And the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union warned it is planning a UK-wide walkout in reaction to a planned cut of maintenance jobs. It is understood ScotRail has offered drivers a 2.2 per cent increase, which Aslef industrial organiser Kevin Lindsay described as ‘derisory’.

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: ‘It has barely been a month since the SNP took control of ScotRail and they are already threatening to plunge services into chaos.

‘This is a shameful way to treat hardworking rail staff, who kept things going through the pandemic.’

Scottish Tory transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: ‘The SNP promised a bold new era when they nationalised ScotRail – but within a month they look set to transport passengers back to the 1970s. Ministers and ScotRail must return to the negotiating table to thrash out a deal or risk their much-touted nationalisation descending into chaos.’

The Scottish Government took control of ScotRail last month after operator Abellio was stripped of the franchise.

The dispute with train drivers comes as the nation braces for what is expected to be the most extensive rail strike in modern history, hitting services between Scotland and England.

RMT’s planned walkout is in response to Network Rail’s proposal to do away with at least 2,500 ‘safety-critical’ maintenance jobs.