Public rally for rail and postal workers
Hundreds braved the rain across Scotland yesterday to show their support for rail and postal workers taking strike action.
Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) voted “resoundingly” to take industrial action against the companies they say have failed to give staff a pay rise matching inflation.
Network Rail workers who are members of RMT began the first of two 24-hour walkouts yesterday and will repeat it on Saturday.
Just a handful of ScotRail services in the Central Belt and east coast were running.
While the rail operator
Lauren Gilmour
usually runs about 2150 services a day, over the next two Saturdays it will only run 379 trains on 11 routes across the Central Belt,
Fife and the Borders.
ScotRail drivers are not striking but drivers across other companies such as LNER and the TransPennine Express will walk out next Saturday.
David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said the knock-on effects of the industrial action would impact services today and Sunday, October 9.
Chief executive Andrew Haines said: “Rail unions remain intent on continuing and co-ordinating their strike action.”
And he urged: “Passengers who want to travel this Saturday, and indeed next Wednesday and next Saturday, are asked only to do so if absolutely necessary.”
Meanwhile, postal workers from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) also walked out.
Kevin Lindsay, Aslef’s
Scottish organiser, was at Edinburgh Waverley yesterday. He said: “We’ve not had a pay rise on the railways for three years on our cross-border services and that’s not acceptable.”
The CWU claims Royal Mail is asking postal workers to trade terms and conditions for a pay rise. General secretary Dave Ward said the union will be offering Royal Mail a way to get back into “serious talks” and the chance to suspend industrial action.
Royal Mail insists the strike is a “reckless pursuit”. A spokesperson said: “The CWU can be in no doubt of the impact its reckless pursuit of 19 days of industrial action has on our
weakened financial position and the job security of its members.”
SAY IT LOUD Ex-politician Hugh Gaffney backs the postal workers