ABELLIO PUNISH STAFF WITH PAY FREEZE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: september 2021 :: RMTnews 13 RMT Scotrail members have been standing solid and united again in their fight for workplace justice and equality as the company seek to punish their workforce for having the guts to stand up and be counted with a pay freeze.  Following a six-month fight, conductors voted by a massive 80 per cent to continue their action in a re- ballot. Under the Tory anti-union laws workers must be balloted every six months if they wish to continue an on-going dispute. RMT has begun the process of re-balloting ticket examiners who have remained absolutely rock solid throughout the campaign for basic fairness. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that for over six months RMT members had stood strong on Scotrail in the fight for justice and equality and Abellio was now seeking to punish their entire workforce with a pay freeze that is a deliberate and cynical attempt to rub salt in the wounds. "Abellio Scotrail and their political bosses should hang their heads in shame as they preside over some of the worst industrial relations we have encountered in recent years, a crisis which the company are now seeking to deepen. "We continue to press Transport Scotland, the government and Abellio to break their silence, get out of the bunker and sit down with us to negotiate a fair and just settlement to the current disputes rather than this escalation of hostilities from the employers’ side,” he said. Scotrail is due to be nationalised at the end of March but the government has not put to rest concerns about jobs. There has also been a recent report conducted by Abellio which advises job cuts of up to 1,000 employees but again, the Scottish government has refused to rule this out. The union is calling on the Scottish government to end the Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper disputes by engaging with RMT, rule out following the recent Docherty Report conducted by Abellio, be open and transparent about their plans for the future of Scotrail under public ownership and stand up to any planned Tory cuts to Network Rail. Rail Gourmet staff at Edinburgh Waverley have taken further strike action in an on-going fight for respect and justice in the workplace as the company escalate their abuse and bullying of their staff.    This latest phase of action follows on from previous rock-solid strikes but instead of recognising the strength of the genuine grievances the company has chosen to ramp up their attacks including the despicable measure of forcing staff to eat their meals in the open on the station platform after removing a socially distanced, covered area at the staff canteen.  RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that members had been left with no choice but to take further strike action as a culture of bullying and harassment has been allowed to develop at Edinburgh Waverley which has led to a wholesale breakdown in industrial relations. “Instead of recognising the strength of the staff grievances and entering into sensible and serious negotiations the company have instead escalated their attacks. “This latest phase of strike action is all about respect and justice in the workplace and the company’s continued refusal, even in the face of a massive 100 per cent vote for strike action and solid support during recent strikes themselves, to do anything about it. “Rail Gourmet needs to listen to the strength of feeling of its workers and address these long running and deep-seated issues and put a stop to this toxic environment and treat its workers with the respect that they deserve,” he said. PROTEST: RMT members from Inverness No.1 Branch launched the first in a series of protests outside the office of Scottish Finance Minister Katie Forbes. Union members at both Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper have been undertaking industrial action against their respective employers recently while the Scottish government has stayed silent on the issue, even though it is they who hold the purse strings. RAIL GOURMET STRIKE ABELLIO PUNISH STAFF WITH PAY FREEZE