Rail workers in Scotland are to strike in a move that is expected to have "significant consequences" for customers. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at ScotRail have scheduled a walkout for October 10 in a dispute over pay.
The latest of a series of strikes to hit the rail industry, the action comes after an offer of a 5% pay rise that the union has described as a real-terms cut. Inflation hit 9.9% in August and is expected to rise further.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “ScotRail knows this offer is not good enough and needs to take into account the escalating cost-of-living crisis. Our members refuse to be made poorer and will exercise their industrial strength to let ScotRail know that they will not rest until they are paid what they deserve.”
Phil Campbell, ScotRail’s head of customer operations, said: “ScotRail has today been notified by the RMT that its members will hold ScotRail strike action on Monday October 10. This will have significant consequences for the service we are able to offer our customers.
“We will update our customers in the coming days on the full extent of the impact of industrial action.”
The latest announcement comes at a torrid time for the industry in the UK. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Aslef, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association and Unite will walk out on Saturday October 1, with further action planned on October 5 and 8.
Only 11% of services will run on October 1, National Rail has warned, and some areas of the country are expected to have no trains running at all.
