LONDON — Train drivers involved in a pay and conditions dispute with ScotRail have staged a demonstration outside the company’s offices, BBC News reports.
Union officials urged members to show “the strength of feeling” in the row which has resulted in ScotRail services being cancelled on three days this month.
Drivers met outside the Caledonian Chambers building in Glasgow’s Union Street to voice their grievances.
They maintain they are among the worst paid in the country and have demanded parity with colleagues working for other services.
But ScotRail managers have repeated their call to the Aslef and RMT unions to return to the negotiating table after pay talks broke down on Friday.
Union leaders walked out, claiming that ScotRail’s latest offer of £26,295 – rising to £27,896 by January 2004 – was “totally unacceptable” because of cuts in public holidays and sickness pay.
Michael Rix, general secretary of Aslef, said a planned 24-hour strike on 19 March would go ahead unless there was a significant breakthrough.
He said: “It will go ahead next week because there are no planned talks just now and that is why we are here today – to try to show our frustration at the matter.
‘Compromise solution’
“Unfortunately if we don’t make progress then our executive will meet to discuss the matter next week and the strikes may be extended throughout the year, with one day a week possibly being chosen for action.”
ScotRail urged the unions to resume talks at the conciliation service Acas.
Acting managing director Nick Brown said: “The unions walked out of pay negotiations on Friday and we have been calling for them to return ever since.
“We would rather sit down with the unions to see if we can work out a compromise solution that will suit ScotRail and its drivers.
“But the unions have to recognise that anything above 3% (pay rise) has to be self-financed through productivity agreements that will make more money available.”