Strike action to 'bring the Glasgow subway to a stop' after interim offer rejected

Glasgow’s subway will grind to a halt this week as over 100 Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) overwhelmingly rejected an interim offer on pay, terms and conditions.

Workers on the subway paused action planned for over the weekend to allow a ballot to be held on the interim offer, however it will now take place on Wednesday (25 June), Friday (27 June) and Saturday (28 June).

The dispute centres on the working conditions of the SPT workers as Unite believes the subway system is ‘struggling’ to operate due to chronic understaffing. A continuous overtime ban has been in place from 13 June.

Unite say that train drivers and station staff are routinely working up to 10 hours beyond contracted hours (39 hours) a week to keep the system operating without any improvements to the shift, overtime, and weekend allowances.

It added that members are “also repeatedly called in to work shifts at short notice leading to significant work-life pressures.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s Glasgow subway members are fed up with SPT's half measures and failure to deliver decent working conditions.

“It has had every opportunity to sort out understaffing, shift pay and working hours. The workers have rightly said enough is enough because the subway is running on empty. SPT know what it needs to do to resolve the dispute but has entirely failed to act. “

Andrew Brown, Unite industrial officer, said: “The offer tabled by SPT was overwhelmingly rejected by our members. Strike action is now set to take place over a series of days bringing the subway to a stop. SPT has only itself to blame for failing to come up with any workable solution to this dispute which stretches back to last year."

SPT have been contacted for comment.