ScotRail staff to strike during COP26, after ‘poor’ deal rejected

ScotRail workers will go on strike during COP26, the RMT union has confirmed, after a proposed new pay deal was rejected.
By Jamie Callaghan
Published 25th Oct 2021, 13:13 BST
The RMT union plans to go on strike, disrupting ScotRail services during the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)The RMT union plans to go on strike, disrupting ScotRail services during the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
The RMT union plans to go on strike, disrupting ScotRail services during the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

RMT members voted to reject a “revised pay offer" ‎from ScotRail and to go ahead with strike action alongside Caledonian Sleeper members throughout COP26.

The proposed deal was described as poor, loaded with productivity strings and wholly unacceptable to the members who voted overwhelmingly for strike action to secure a fair pay deal.

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General secretary Mick Lynch said: "RMT is a democratic organisation and following a string of impassioned speeches by ScotRail delegates our AGM has voted to reject this offer, to support our Scottish members and to press ahead with the action throughout COP26.

"We have been given a wholly arbitrary deadline of 5pm on Wednesday to accept this deal or the whole pay offer will be pulled. You cannot conduct serious negotiations with that sort of gun pointed at your head.

"Our message to Nicola Sturgeon, Transport Scotland, Abellio and Serco is that there is still time to resolve the pay disputes but it requires some serious movement, the lifting of bogus deadlines and genuine talks. The union is available to get those talks on anytime, anyplace, anywhere. "

Related topics:RMTScotRailAGMSerco

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