Sleeper staff poised to ballot for strike action
● Launch of new fleet in Highlands delayed by another month to July
Caledonian Sleeper staff are due to be balloted for strike action over stress caused by extra workload on its new trains.
The news came hours after operator Serco admitted the introduction of its new £150 million fleet had been further delayed on three routes to the north of Scotland.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has told the firm it is in dispute and officials are waiting approval for the vote from leaders.
RMT regional organiser Gordon Mar tin told The S cots - man: “The introduction of the new rolling stock has caused a lot of stress among the workforce.”
Mr Martin said man agers were trying to introduce new working practices on the new trains which were causing stress and affecting the mental health of staff. He said these included having to serve a greater number of passengers.
The trains give passengers the ability to order food–in addition to breakfast – from their rooms for the first time via an intercom.
Orders have to be delivered from the galley in the Club Car up to six carriages away.
Mr Martin said he had recommended a ballot for strike action or industrial action short of a strike.
Any ballot is likely to take several weeks to complete, after which the union would have to give one week’s notice of any action.
The new trains were intro - duced on the Edinburgh and Glasgow routes to London last month. They were due to start operating to Aberdeen, For t William and Inverness on 2 June but this has now been postponed to 7-8 July.
Caledonian Sleep er said it had yet to receive formal notification from RMT so it was unable to comment.
The operator blamed the new trains’ delay on the need to minimise the risk of“teething problems” after glitches marred the launch of the trains on the Edinburgh and Glasgow routes.
This was unexpectedly brought forward from the end of May to 28 April.
S er co also pointed to the complexity of the “Highlander” service, which involves sections of the train dividing and being joined together in Edinburgh, involving new couplers, which have been reported to have caused problems.
Transport secretary Michael Matheson described the setback as“extremely di sappointing” but said it was important to ensure trains were introduced in “exemplary condition”.
But Scottish Liberal Democrats transport spokesman Mike Rumbles said: “The lack of preparation for this service is astonishing.”