Scotrail staff threaten industrial action after ‘collapse of pay talks’

Strike action is supported by workers as the union Unite accuses Albellio Scotrail of failing to make a meaningful pay offer.

The union also claims that the rail company has withdrawn “a number of entitlements from workers including the Rest Day Working Agreement with Unite in April 2020 for engineering workers.”

They claim that the company received £1.4 billion to cover drop in revenue, protection for staff and rail services during the pandemic, and that “Abellio Scotrail's highest paid director increased their pay from £158,000 in 2019 to £216,000 in 2020.”

Unite members supported industrial action by 75 per cent, and action short of strike by 90 per cent.

Pat Mcilvogue, Unite industrial officer, said: “Despite the best efforts of Abellio Scotrail to apply pressure on our members not to take the next step in holding them to account our members have supported takingindustrial action in this consultative ballot.

"This should be a wake-up call to abe llios co trail managementthat unite’ s members will no longer tolerate being treated unacceptably.

"We will seek further meetings in a final attempt to find a remedy, and we will inform the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland of the result.

"If Abellio Scotrail refuses to positively engage with us then we will have no option but to move forward with an industrial action campaign.”

Abe llios co trail have said that the Scottish Government has instructed them not to award a pay rise.