Lockerbie rail passengers look set to avoid strike disruption over the next few days – thanks to buses.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union took industrial action yesterday in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
They’ll be downing tools again on Saturday at a number of train operators – including TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast, which both serve Lockerbie.
The firms will be running a much reduced service and are also warning of issues today and on Sunday.
However, services are already disrupted due to maintenance work on the West Coast Main Line with buses replacing trains at the moment.
And that is set to benefit passengers as these are expected to continue running to Carlisle, Edinburgh and Glasgow on the strike days.
The latest walkout won’t affect the region’s ScotRail services after the RMT called off strike action at Network Rail earlier this month.
Union general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Rail employers are not being given a fresh mandate by the Government to offer our members a new deal on pay, conditions and job security.
“Therefore, our members will now take sustained and targeted industrial action over the next few months.
“The government can settle this dispute easily by unshackling the rail companies. However, its stubborn refusal to do so will now mean more strike action across the railway network.
“Ministers cannot continue to sit on their hands hoping this dispute will go away as our members are fully prepared to fight tooth and nail for a negotiated settlement.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “RMT members at train operating companies are being denied a say on their own future, while being forced to lose more pay through avoidable strike action.
“We urge the RMT’s executive to put the Rail Delivery Group’s very fair offer to a democratic vote of their members, like it has on two separate occasions for RMT members working for Network Rail.”
If the dispute is not resolved, further strike action is planned for March 30 and April 1.
“They will also be asking why the RMT leadership blocked the chance to resolve this dispute by refusing to give their members – many of whom would have benefited from a 13 per cent increase – a say on their own deal. Unfortunately, while we will pull out all the stops to keep as many trains running as possible, there will be reduced services across many parts of the rail network on all four strike days, so our advice is to check before you travel.”
