SOLID CALEDONIAN STRIKE ACTION AGAINST FATIGUE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2020 :: RMTnews 8 R MT has welcomed Members of the Scottish Parliament raising much needed awareness of safety concerns on Scotland’s railway. Concerns grew following reports that Network Rail in Scotland has over 200 infrastructure vacancies whilst at the same time some of the biggest private rail infrastructure contractors including Babcock Rail, SPL Powerlines, Story Plant and AMCO were ploughing ahead with redundancies, posing safety concerns with Scotland’s rail infrastructure. MSPs have tabled Parliamentary Questions and a Motion calling on the Scottish government to ensure the safety on Scotland’s railway by protecting and increasing vital infrastructure jobs on Scotland’s railways to keep Scotland moving as the country moves into the next phase of the Covid-19 crisis. In the motion the MSPs say they are “alarmed that these reported rail infrastructure redundancies and unfilled vacancies will adversely impact on the quality of the rail network and passenger safety.” RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the union was concerned about the double whammy of significant vacant posts in Network Rail Scotland while private contractors were making vital railway workers redundant is putting huge pressure on an already stretched workforce. “We’d like to thank those MSPs who have shone a light on this and we now need cast iron guarantees from the Scottish government that they will ensure those vacant posts are filled as quickly as possible and that there will be no more redundancies by private contractors and ensure there is a proper strategy to protect and increase vital rail jobs in Scotland,” he said. R MT members on SERCO Caledonian Sleeper took two sets of unified 48-hour strike action this month in the fight for safe working conditions. Pickets were out in force at key locations from London to Inverness after the company collapsed peace talks.  RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that RMT members were standing rock solid in their strike action on the Caledonian Sleeper but it remained a scandal that SERCO had deliberately provoked the dispute and had no intention of entering serious talks. “Instead of working with the union on a solution to the very real issues of safety and fatigue they have declared war on their staff. “It is also wholly unacceptable that the political leadership in Scotland, distracted by the scandal of one of their own travelling on trains while COVID positive, have not lifted a finger to help us settle this dispute. They should get off their backsides and haul SERCO into line. Their lack of action is grossly irresponsible. “Our members on the Caledonian Sleeper, demanding nothing more than a safe working environment, deserve better than this shocking treatment. “We are grateful for the huge level of support that has flooded in and its now down to the company to get serious and negotiate a settlement,” he said. SAFETY CONCERNS ON SCOTLAND’S RAILWAY SOLID CALEDONIAN STRIKE ACTION AGAINST FATIGUE Fort William Inverness Glasgow Euston Edinburgh