MINISTERS have intervened to try to end a dispute that threatens to bring Scotland's railways to a grinding halt when the world's eyes are on the nation during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow in November.
Formal notice has been served that industrial action will begin in 11 days time for crucial engineering staff to take rolling industrial action. It comes as Maggie Chapman, the former co-convenor of the Scottish Greens, who have reached a government partnership arrangement with the SNP has suggested putting workers and passengers on the ScotRail board to avoid the issues that have arisen.
Railway bosses have been warned that the action by 250 engineers alone, who provide maintenance, overhaul and repair services for the railway rolling stock would bring the nation's railways to a standstill. Unite, who represent the engineers, say that if their safety critical work is not carried out, then the nation’s railway network will not be able to effectively operate.
It comes as union leaders revealed that despite the rail network presently operating at less than 50% of "normal" passenger numbers due to the Covid pandemic, Abellio Scotrail has still had to call back engineers from rest days due to a combination of "disorganised chaos" and under-staffing. Rail passenger numbers fell by as much as 90%.
Unite understands that rest day working is estimated to have cost Abellio Scotrail around £50,723 in 2020, and for the year to date, around £347,752.
The industrial action will include a rest day working ban, a ban on overtime and a refusal to use tablets, phones and iPads for inputting of information on management information systems. It also means there will be no undertaking of driving duties and no operation of plant engineering. But after months of impasse with unions, ScotRail, run by Dutch state-owned firm Abellio, are to hold discussions with those representing the engineering staff to end the dispute - which could have ramifications for a series of parallel staff grievances.
Unite says that talks are set for Wednesday with Abellio ScotRail bosses following Scottish parliamentary pressure and interventions by MSPs, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and the Transport Minister, Graeme Day. But ScotRail insists is position remains the same as it has been for several months: "There is no extra money."
"The Scottish Government have been clear that there is no extra money available, as the union leadership is very well aware," the spokesman said, adding that there has always been a willingness to engage with the unions.
Unite said that Mr Dey told union leaders last week that he would be encouraging Abellio to get around the negotiating table and stated that he felt "members deserved a pay rise".
Ms Sturgeon has also called on both parties to "get round the table to find an agreement."
She added: "It is in nobody's interest - not least the workers - to have this dispute continue any longer."
The union says Abellio ScotRail need to make a "serious offer" at the pay talks as industrial action would bring the rail network to a "standstill".
But ScotRail has said railway staff "need to be working together, not engaging in divisive and potentially destructive disputes".
Mr Dey has said he has had discussions with both sides to encourage "every constructive effort to resolve the situation".
"We have encouraged unions and management to come together constructively and to identify efficiencies on both sides that could be used to fund reasonable pay increases," he said.
SNP MSPs had last week sought the suspension of a ScotRail strike ballot for action that if supported would disrupt the COP 26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November.
Disruption to travellers was threatened after the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) announced ScotRail staff were being consulted over potential strike action after being offered no pay increase.
RMT members - who make up the largest part of ScotRai's unionised workforce - have been recommended to back both a strike and taking action short of a strike "during the whole duration of the COP 26 conference" which runs from November 1 to 12.
That move comes on top of disruption to passengers in a separate RMT conductors’ dispute over payments for working on days off, which has seen the cancellation of many ScotRail trains on Sundays since March.
Most ScotRail services were again cancelled yesterday (Sunday).
Gatelines at ScotRail stations also joined conductors, ticket examiners and cleaners in taking industrial action over a pay dispute.
The engineers' pay dispute is over the failure by ScotRail to make a meaningful pay offer, as well as the company withdrawing a payments for working on rest days in April 2020.
Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, said: "Abellio Scotrail must make a serious offer to our engineering members or we will start forms of continuous industrial action from September 24. We can't emphasise enough the disorganised chaos which prevails at Abellio Scotrail. Due to mismanagement and staff shortages, engineers are being called back in on their rest days and overtime levels have increased costing around £1m since 2020."
Unite also met with the Transport Minister last week who went on the record stating our members "deserve" a pay rise. The company has little over a week to sort this out or the nation's rail network will effectively come to a standstill due to the specialised nature of work which our members provide. Industrial action will severely disrupt events including the COP 26 climate change conference in Glasgow, which would be a national embarrassment contrived by Abellio ScotRail."
ScotRail did not directly comment on the reigniting of negotiations.
A spokesman instead reiterated its previous stance that it was "extremely disappointing" that the engineering members of Unite voted for the action which comes at "the wrong at a time when we need to deliver a safe and reliable service".
"We need to provide stability for our staff and customers and Unite is wrong to disrupt services instead of working with ScotRail to address the grave long-term challenges facing the rail industry," he said.
Maggie Chapman has said: "It seems that Abellio has little interest in acting responsibly, given that the ScotRail franchise is soon to be transferred into public ownership.
"It is clear we need a long-term partnership between the workers, passengers and the government to avoid the problems that have arisen with Abellio."
Abellio's turnover for 2020 at £917m was down from the previous accounting period, principally due to passenger income falling from £445.3m in 2019 to £360.4m.
Abellio claimed Covid-19 had had a "significant impact" on the financial performance of the company, despite the first UK national lockdown being announced just days before the end of the reporting period.
It was confirmed in March that a further £450m in emergency funding was expected to be given to rail operators until March, next year on top of the usual subsidies, after which Dutch state-owned transport firm Abellio relinquishes control of ScotRail. A confirmed EMAs (emergency measures agreements) has been put in place for £173m till September, 2021.
Some 97% of the emergency payouts go to Abellio-controlled ScotRail with the remainder going to Caledonian Sleeper, which is run by Serco.
In 2019/20, before the Covid-19 crisis, Scotland's railways cost the taxpayer £832.6m which is made up solely of subsidies of £476.9m to Abellio ScotRail, £13m to Serco Caledonian Sleeper as well as £355.7m paid directly to publicly owned Network Rail for the keep of the infrastructure, which includes the track and signals.
Transport Scotland said the the EMAs were originally required because of a "very significant shortfall in revenue due to an around 90% drop in passengers".
The Scottish Government agency said the extra money for the 2021/22 financial year is the result of "projections of expected revenue shortfalls" till September, 2021.
Transport secretary Michael Matheson earlier this year said that ScotRail would come under public ownership run through an arm's-length company controlled by the Scottish Government, declaring that the current system of rail franchising "is no longer fit for purpose".
Mr Matheson said the move will come through "operator of last resort arrangements" after he decided it was not the right time to seek a franchise procurement competition to run Scotland's railways after Abellio ends it control in March, 2022.
It came a year after ministers announced it had stripped Abellio of the franchise three years early in the wake of continuing outcry over service failings and rising costs to the taxpayer.
www.heraldscotland.com
