ScotRail Industrial Relations issues (including conductor strike action)

[maradona10]

My opinion earlier may have been a bit sharp tongued as I was rightfully angry that there is going to be 12 days straight strike action, which has the risk of grinding everything to a halt.

I feel for the people in the rural Highlands who may have their service cut off as a result of this.

I’m finding it hard to have empathy for the staff (or ScotGov) when this has been going on and on for months.

There won’t be a 12 day strike. It’s unfathomable.

 

[ainsworth74]

There won’t be a 12 day strike. It’s unfathomable.

Better tell the RMT that because that's what they've decided to do...

Scotrail staff will take the following strike action;‎

0001 hours Monday 1st November 2021 until 2359 hours Friday 12th November 2021.

RMT confirms strike action on ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper

Rail union RMT today confirmed strike action on both Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper during COP26 in fights for pay justice for Scotland's rail workers - staff at the sharp end of providing green transport alternatives.

www.rmt.org.uk

 

[DanNCL]

So close that they're not even affiliated with them!

Indeed, so close that they didn't even reaffliate when Corbyn was in charge.

They’re not affiliated to the national Labour Party in its own right, but are affiliated to the Labour Representstion Committee (2004) within the Labour Party, and some local branches of the RMT are affiliated with their local branch of the Labour Party. The links are there, they’re just not obvious.

With regards to the Scottish branch of the RMT though not officially “affiliated” they regularly work very closely with Scottish Labour and attend their annual conferences. They are very clearly tied with Labour, even though they have been careful not to make it an official affiliation.

It is nonsense, complete nonsense.
If it weren’t for Cop26 then Abellio/Transport Scotland would still be ignoring any calls for negotiations to end this dispute, as they have done for the best part of 7 months. It’s only due to the imminent conference they are entering talks at all, and now they are claiming to staff that the offer is in light of the hard work staff carried out throughout the pandemic. It’s a wafer thin veneer and they know it and we know it.
The threat to strike throughout Cop26 is to try and force and end to this dispute. With a bit of foresight the company could have envisaged this scenario and put an end to it a long long time ago.
This dispute is about a RDW enhancement which is being given to one grade and not given to others.

I wasn’t saying this strike wasn’t initially about pay and conditions but it has very clearly turned into a political strike with this latest development.

 

[maradona10]

My understanding is that ScotRail agreed with the RMT and ASLEF the conditions for that enhancement. The agreement with the RMT has met the conditions and the agreement with ASLEF has not. Is that not the case?

My understanding is that while it’s separate agreements with separate unions, it’s unfair to award one grade an enhancement for overtime working the same train as other grades without an enhancement.
The deals are generally negotiated at different times and RMT negotiations were mutually delayed with COVID lockdown in the agreement that they’d later commence, around September. When September came the talks were kaiboshed by Abellio and have been until now. They seem to be suggesting there’s no need for an enhancement for TEs or guards or any other grades bar drivers. That doesn’t sit well with the grades involved.

Better tell the RMT that because that's what they've decided to do...

RMT confirms strike action on ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper

Rail union RMT today confirmed strike action on both Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper during COP26 in fights for pay justice for Scotland's rail workers - staff at the sharp end of providing green transport alternatives.

www.rmt.org.uk

Do you really think they won’t strike a deal and will allow disruption during Cop26, with 2000ish staff on strike for almost two weeks right before Christmas? Nobody in their right minds believes that.
Cop26 is the equaliser for staff.

 

[380101]

My understanding is that ScotRail agreed with the RMT and ASLEF the conditions for that enhancement. The agreement with the RMT has met the conditions and the agreement with ASLEF has not. Is that not the case?

UK wide, Aslef only sanction rest day working if the TOC meets the conditions of recruiting and/or training new drivers to ultimately achieve the aim of no rest day working required. Currently ScotRail are recruiting and training new drivers so they meet the conditions for Aslef to sign up to a rest day working agreement in order to allow the company to adequately staff all services. Aslef successfully negotiated an enhanced payment from ScotRail for drivers working a rest day.

In 2019 RMT negotiated a time limited rest day working agreement with ScotRail that had an enhanced payment for staff working a rest day and this was to cover work until ScotRail recruited and trained new staff to fill vacancies. This agreement ended in April 2020 as agreed between RMT and ScotRail.

 

[snookertam]

There won’t be a 12 day strike. It’s unfathomable.

I’m struggling to see any way that it will be prevented in the next two weeks.

 

[68000]

My understanding is that while it’s separate agreements with separate unions, it’s unfair to award one grade an enhancement for overtime working the same train as other grades without an enhancement.
The deals are generally negotiated at different times and RMT negotiations were mutually delayed with COVID lockdown in the agreement that they’d later commence, around September. When September came the talks were kaiboshed by Abellio and have been until now. They seem to be suggesting there’s no need for an enhancement for TEs or guards or any other grades bar drivers. That doesn’t sit well with the grades involved.

So the RMT agreed a deal on one criteria and now say the deal should have been based on another criteria... really?

 

[maradona10]

I’m struggling to see any way that it will be prevented in the next two weeks.

Hopefully by a swift new offer which is accepted

 

[Bald Rick]

The threat to strike throughout Cop26 is to try and force and end to this dispute.

What if it doesn’t work?

There won’t be a 12 day strike. It’s unfathomable.

What if it is fathomable to ScotGov?

If there’s limited Scotrail trains for COP26... well it will be big news for a day or two, but obviously not the headline ... and then everyone will get used to it. And it leaves the RMT with nowhere to go afterwards. But the Government won’t forget. A very dangerous gambit from Mr Hogg.

 

[Starmill]

It's only a climate conference at the end of the day. It's not the Olympics or the final weeks of the Football World Cup.

 

[LoogaBarooga]

What if it doesn’t work?



What if it is fathomable to ScotGov?

If there’s limited Scotrail trains for COP26... well it will be big news for a day or two, but obviously not the headline ... and then everyone will get used to it. And it leaves the RMT with nowhere to go afterwards. But the Government won’t forget. A very dangerous gambit from Mr Hogg.

If it is fathomable to them then it completely undermines all their bleating about reducing emissions, climate emergency blah blah blah.

Like it or not if they have any aspirations to create a "greener" society they need to have a decent train service.

 

[Kite159]

It's only a climate conference at the end of the day. It's not the Olympics or the final weeks of the Football World Cup.

Just means the electric car manufacturers can come riding in to the rescue by providing a fleet of 'green' electric cars to carry around the delegates from their accommodation to the venue.

------

As for DOO(P) extensions, I would imagine it would have been considered by Transport Scotland for the routes operated by 385s at how much extra silver the drivers will need extra to agree to it, the guard role being reduced to a Southern style OBS.

 

[320320]

Remember that Cop26 is being hosted and funded by Westminster. Holyrood could argue that if they had a completely independent budget they could sort it.

Abellio and Holyrood have done a poor job of presenting their case.

As lockdown eased there was a shortage of both drivers and RMT grades. That's why they were offered a major enhancement to work rest days. New drivers take at least a year to train and so there is still a shortage and the enhancement continues but will, AIUI, be reviewed every three months. RMT grades take only a few weeks, there was no shortage of suitable candidates, and according to Abellio, and presumably the Scottish government, there is now no need to pay this bonus. They would rather spend the Transport budget on essential railway services.

That‘s wrong. Drivers have been paid a RDW enhancement since around 2017, nothing whatsoever to do with shortages created by lockdown.

 

[maradona10]

It's only a climate conference at the end of the day. It's not the Olympics or the final weeks of the Football World Cup.

It’s enormous for Glasgow and Scotland, playing down its scale is a bit naive

 

[MadCommuter]

It's only a climate conference at the end of the day. It's not the Olympics or the final weeks of the Football World Cup.

Very true. What visitor numbers are expected... 30,000 delegates or so? Are they expected to all use the train - doubt it. And I also doubt they'll all be travelling at once. Can the SEC hold that many?

It just doesn't look too good that's all, but with a bit of spin, it can be turned around.

 

[380101]

That‘s wrong. Drivers have been paid a RDW enhancement since around 2017, nothing whatsoever to do with shortages created by lockdown.

Aye, but the company has to meet the requirements of Aslef for there to be any rest day working by drivers. As long as they are recruiting and/or training new drivers then Aslef will consider any request by the company for a rest day working agreement. The company currently meet the requirements (mainly because they never succeed in having enough drivers to run the services) and back in 2017 the Aslef company council successfully negotiated an enhanced payment for drivers working their day off.

 

[maradona10]

What if it doesn’t work?



What if it is fathomable to ScotGov?

If there’s limited Scotrail trains for COP26... well it will be big news for a day or two, but obviously not the headline ... and then everyone will get used to it. And it leaves the RMT with nowhere to go afterwards. But the Government won’t forget. A very dangerous gambit from Mr Hogg.

If it doesn’t work then staff are screwed and so are passengers and Scottish government has shown themselves to be a laughing stock

 

[DanNCL]

It's only a climate conference at the end of the day. It's not the Olympics or the final weeks of the Football World Cup.

In terms of significance one could argue its more important than both the Olympics and the World Cup in that the decisions made there have the potential to make a significant difference to the lives of everyone not just in Glasgow but worldwide.

 

[MadCommuter]

In terms of significance one could argue its more important than both the Olympics and the World Cup in that the decisions made there have the potential to make a significant difference to the lives of everyone not just in Glasgow but worldwide.

Yes, but how critical is the railway to it?

 

[Bletchleyite]

In terms of significance one could argue its more important than both the Olympics and the World Cup in that the decisions made there have the potential to make a significant difference to the lives of everyone not just in Glasgow but worldwide.

But not in terms of transport demand. The world leaders attending will attend by air and armoured car, perhaps ironically. If they were properly serious about it it'd have been a videoconference.

 

[maradona10]

Yes, but how critical is the railway to it?

Very

 

[Starmill]

In terms of significance one could argue its more important than both the Olympics and the World Cup in that the decisions made there have the potential to make a significant difference to the lives of everyone not just in Glasgow but worldwide.

It may be important because the Big Cheeses are in town, but said Big Cheeses wouldn't be using the trains regardless.

 

[ld0595]

It may be important because the Big Cheeses are in town, but said Big Cheeses wouldn't be using the trains regardless.

But the thousands of delegates who are also attending will.

 

[DanNCL]

Yes, but how critical is the railway to it?

Very critical given that having everyone arrive by car and air will significantly undermine the entire event, in turn meaning delegates are less likely to be taken seriously and crucial decisions are less likely to be made.

It could be argued that COP26 is more critical to the railway than the railway is to it. If the railway can’t even run a service for a conference how on earth can they expect the railway to seriously be considered and developed as major resource in fighting the climate emergency.

 

[Starmill]

It’s enormous for Glasgow and Scotland, playing down its scale is a bit naive

It's highly significant, no doubt about it. It's just not that large scale where only rail traffic is considered.

 

[dk1]

In terms of significance one could argue its more important than both the Olympics and the World Cup in that the decisions made there have the potential to make a significant difference to the lives of everyone not just in Glasgow but worldwide.

Thing is though, I had to Google it last week. Hadn’t a Scooby Doo.

 

[Starmill]

Very critical given that having everyone arrive by car and air will significantly undermine the entire event

That would happen at huge scale regardless of whether the full timetable or the strike timetable ran.

 

[PaulMc7]

But the thousands of delegates who are also attending will.

How many are likely to though given that First bus have been given escort duties through a contract?

In terms of importance I think it's very important but not in a good way for rail staff. It could be a case of "if you don't play ball, you'll get less services and there will be job losses and services cut" from the government.

 

[maradona10]

It's highly significant, no doubt about it. It's just not that large scale where only rail traffic is considered.

What are you saying exactly, it’s unimportant enough for Govt to allow trains not to run during it? That would be a stupid thing to say. Trains are crucial to not only the conference but the city during the conference, everyone in it. It’s absolutely huge and there is no chance they’ll allow disruption to happen during it while the full world is watching.

 

[Starmill]

There's no doubt that there would have been slightly higher demand than normal focused on the conference venues. In exactly the same way there's been always somewhat higher demand during August for the Edinburgh Festivals, and somewhat higher demand during weekends in December for Christmas shopping.

it’s unimportant enough for Govt to allow trains not to run during it?

It's not that it's unimportant, it's just that the event will still go ahead and outcomes will still be the same even if only a reduced ScotRail service runs during it. That's really beyond doubt.