RAIL CHAOS ...AND MORE ON THE WAY

Havoc on first day of new service – amid warnings from business

SCOTLAND was plunged into rail chaos yesterday as the country suffered the first day of savage cuts in services.

Newly nationalised Scotrail has slashed services by almost a third as drivers refuse to work overtime or on rest days.

Union chiefs have urged Nicola Sturgeon to intervene as it emerged talks which had been stalled for three weeks are to restart.

aslef’s organiser in Scotland, Kevin lindsay, said: ‘Pay negotiations have been shambolic.’

The cuts have also seen Scotland’s beleaguered hospitality industry plead for a quick resolution as businesses struggle to recover after the pandemic.

But it emerged yesterday that further strike threats across the UK could see petrol pumps running dry and empty supermarket shelves.

at most, around a fifth of railway services would run for only 12 hours a day if the militant RMT union votes for crippling walkouts this week, senior rail industry figures say.

Tesco is said to have raised concerns about the impact this could have on its supplies.

rail chiefs are drawing up emergency plans to prioritise freight trains on some routes in a bid to keep supermarket shelves and petrol forecourts stocked.

The main problem across the network would be a lack of railway signallers, with trained

back-up staff – typically affiliated with a different union – only capable of running about 20 per cent of services.

But many of these are also RMT members and so could join the strikes.

A senior rail industry source said: ‘We have learnt with Covid that the vast majority of commuters and passengers can find alternative means [of travel].

‘It’s the freight flows which are of most concern. Most of the freight companies tell us they can cope with one or two days of industrial action in one go.

‘But if you get consecutive days of action, then there could be very significant disruption.’

The RMT has balloted around 0,000 members on strike action over pay and 2,500 job losses being proposed by Network Rail, which it claims would compromise safety. The results will be announced tomorrow.

Historically the union has tended to stage isolated 2 -hour walkouts.

Ministers are being urged to offer a deal which includes a small pay increase for rail workers in an attempt to get RMT chiefs to the negotiating table.

Downing Street warned the threatened strikes could ‘exacerbate’ problems with the cost of living.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘Any kind of disruption of this sort can have an impact on people’s lives and their ability to get to work.

‘That would be deeply unfair when families are struggling.’

But RMT secretary general Mick Lynch said: ‘Until ministers heed our very real concerns over pay, safety and jobs, our members have the democratic right to take industrial action.’

Country-wide walkouts on the UK’s railway network could begin as early as next month.

Transport industry union the TSSA is also involved in the dispute and is poised to ballot its 20,000 members on possible industrial action.

Meanwhile, train conductors on the operator TransPennine Express will strike for 8 hours from June . A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘We want a fair deal for staff, passengers and taxpayers so the railway doesn’t take money away from other essential public services like the NHS and this kind of irresponsible disruption only makes things worse.’