The possibility of strike action being taken by staff on Scotland’s railway has become more likely, after union members rejected a pay deal.
The RMT union - whose members include ticket examiners, conductors and station staff - said on Thursday that 60% of members who voted in a ballot rejected a deal that would increase pay by 5% and create a revenue sharing programme.
According to the Scotsman, RMT organiser Mick Hogg said failure to reach a better deal during meetings next week could result in a ballot for strike action.
The news comes less than a month after rail drivers’ union Aslef accepted a similar pay deal and ended a dispute that saw hundreds of trains cancelled in the preceding months.
ScotRail’s head of customer operations Phil Campbell said: “It is incredibly disappointing that RMT members have voted against this offer.
“The offer made to general grade staff is a strong one and recognises the cost-of-living challenges faced by families across the country, as well as delivering good value for the public.
“The deal on offer recognises the hard work of staff while conscious of the financial challenges faced by the railway as we look to recover from the pandemic.”
Transport Scotland said the offer was “fair and affordable”, but added the body is still committed to resolving the dispute.
“Any continued industrial action will undoubtedly have negative impacts on passengers which, in turn, has further implications for rail finances,“ stated a spokesperson. “The required timetable changes and cancellations also discourage a return to rail at a time when we are trying to build back patronage.
“Despite this disappointing outcome, we are still very much committed to working with the RMT union to reach a mutually favourable outcome to this dispute.
“We would urge all parties to get back round the table as soon as possible so that this can be resolved soonest for the benefit of staff, passengers and the economy.”
Separately, fresh talks are set to take place in a bid to avert strike action by council workers that could see rubbish pile up in Scotland’s capital during the busy summer festivals season.
Waste and recycling workers working for Edinburgh City Council are already planning to take action later this month as part of a dispute over pay.
With local government leaders at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) due to meet on Friday to discuss the issue, bosses at the trade union Unison said they would need to put a “substantially improved” offer on the table.
Johanna Baxter, head of local government for Unison Scotland, said both councils and the Scottish Government “need to understand the seriousness of this situation”.
She said: “The joint trade unions who represent local government workers have had extensive discussions to plan and co-ordinate industrial action cross Scotland.
“If council leaders do not substantially improve their pay offer for local government workers, Unison, along with Unite and the GMB, will be notifying employers in the coming days of planned long-term disruptive strike action.”
Baxter sad the unions had already written to COSLA to “warn them that the trade unions have between them legal mandates to disrupt the operation of over 1,200 schools across 16 local authorities and the waste/recycling services across 25 local authorities in Scotland”.
However, she said: “They have done little to try and engage with us, even though we stand ready to talk to them.”
Council workers in three unions representing local government workers have already given their backing to industrial action after rejecting the 2% pay increase offered to them by local authority leaders.
On Thursday, bosses at both Unite and the GMB confirmed their members in waste, recycling and street cleaning services in Edinburgh are to strike between 18 and 30 August – when the capital will be busy with visitors during the festival period.
GMB Scotland organiser Kirsten Muat warned: “Waste will pile up during the Edinburgh Festival unless a significantly improved pay offer for local government staff is tabled for our members’ consultation.
“When visitors from across the world ask why this is happening, the response will be straightforward: our members are not prepared for local services to be delivered on the backs of the working poor.
“Our key workers deserved to be valued properly and ahead of a grim winter with forecasts of double-digit inflation and eye-watering energy bills, they urgently need pay that confronts this cost-of-living crisis.”
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