When will ScotRail staff strike? Why are they striking? Everything you need to know about industrial action at ScotRail

Engineers at ScotRail have voted for strike action, following the collapse of pay talks.
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What happened: Union Unite announced yesterday that hundreds of its engineering members at ScotRail had voted for strike action, with 78 per cent voting in favour.

When will the strike happen: Unite did not give a firm date but said it expects the strike to happen in mid-September.

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Why are they striking: The union said the vote to support industrial action is a result of the failure by Abellio Scotrail to make a meaningful pay offer, as well as the company withdrawing a number of entitlements from workers, including the Rest Day Working Agreement with Unite in April 2020 for engineering workers.

Unite has submitted a number of demands to Abellio Scotrail including a substantial increase in pay, greater flexibility of holidays, the introduction of no compulsory redundancies and the reinstatement of the Rest Day Working Agreement, which have all been rejected by the company.

What impact will this have on services: Several services have already been cancelled this year due to conductors striking.

What is ScotRail saying: A ScotRail spokesperson said: “It’s extremely disappointing that the engineering members of Unite have voted for this highly damaging strike action.

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“Although we are starting to see customers gradually returning to Scotland’s Railway, our financial position is precarious and strike action is wrong at a time when we need to deliver a safe and reliable service.”

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