Bosses call for end to rail chaos
BUSINESS leaders have called for an end to the ScotRail chaos as they warned it could cause massive economic damage.
Representatives of more than 25,000 firms said timetable cuts which led to the axing of more than 600 services a day would undermine the pandemic recovery.
Train drivers are refusing to work on rest days over a ‘derisory’ pay offer, hitting key early commuter trains and late routes that help to fuel the night-time industry.
The warning came as the train drivers’ union Aslef claimed that some of its members are sitting in mess halls with nothing to do because
ScotRail cut around 200 more services than necessary to address staff shortages. In other developments yesterday:
■ SNP ministers suggested some cancelled services may be reinstated in a partial U-turn after a backlash from ‘scunnered’ customers;
■ Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth was accused of trying to ‘wriggle out of responsibility’ for the pay dispute;
■ There were warnings of travel turmoil ahead of Scotland’s World Cup match on June 1, but Miss Gilruth insisted ScotRail has a contingency plan in place;
■ Relations between ScotRail workers and SNP ministers plunged to a new low as formal talks to resolve the dispute get under way tomorrow;
■ Full refunds were promised for customers who have fallen foul of the cuts.
In a rare joint statement, some of Scotland’s largest business organisations – representing more than 25,000 firms – said the impasse would undermine attempts to bounce back from the pandemic.
The Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, the Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Financial Enterprise and the Institute of Directors Scotland called for an ‘immediate resolution’.
In an open letter they said: ‘Many of these businesses and city centre hubs, the lifeblood of our economy, are just beginning to emerge from the long and destabilising impact of the Covid pandemic and this latest disruption will undoubtedly take a heavy toll.
‘The collective focus must be on accelerating economic recovery and, with many major sports events, festivals and the high tourist season nearly upon us, this impasse threatens Scotland’s ability to attract visitors at a time when they are most needed.’
They added: ‘Taking a longerterm view, the demands of the climate crisis require us to be doing everything possible to encourage more passengers to use public transport, and to see it as a viable alternative to car travel. This type of disruption and reduction in services has the opposite effect.’
Train drivers, who earn an average of around £52,000 a year, rejected an offer of a 2.2 per cent pay rise, with the option for a revenue share agreement that would take the total package to 5 per cent.
Yesterday, there were even cancellations on the temporary, scaled-back timetable. By 4pm, 12 ScotRail trains had been cancelled and three were cancelled before reaching their destinations.
Last night Julia Amour, director of Festivals Edinburgh, said: ‘Anything that disrupts people getting to and from our festivals would obviously be a major concern.’
The Night Time Industries Association Scotland urged ministers to ‘urgently resolve this dispute or they will be putting at risk both Scotland’s economic recovery and the future of many thousands of small businesses and jobs’.
UKHospitality Scotland executive director Leon Thompson said: ‘The reduced timetable is already harming city centre businesses.
‘With services ending much earlier in the evening, people are not travelling due to concerns they will need to cut short their night out in order to be able to get home.’
Miss Gilruth said the rail service cuts ‘relate to an industrial dispute between Aslef, the train drivers’ union, and ScotRail, the employer’.
But Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson accused her of ‘trying to wriggle out of responsibility for the chaos’.
Meanwhile, the RMT rail union has threatened to extend a wave of strikes into next year. British Airways staff, hospital cleaners, refuse collectors and lorry drivers are also poised to stage industrial action in coming months.
PASSENGERS are once again the losers as the ScotRail crisis grinds on – with no end in sight. Formal talks to resolve a pay dispute with union chiefs representing train drivers will start tomorrow.
In the meantime, there are hints that some of the axed services – and there are more than 600 a day – could be reinstated.
Ministerial blame-shifting is par for the course, but it is deeply unedifying to see the SNP Government trying to pass the buck for this mess.
Business groups have warned of severe economic repercussions. As ever, it seems that SNP Government ministers have their fingers firmly in their ears. It’s time Nicola Sturgeon intervened to put a stop to the disruption before irrevocable damage is done to the economy.