RMT launches new petition in support of staff safety on Serco Caledonian Sleeper

Circular No: NP/275/20
TO ALL BRANCHES & REGIONAL COUNCILS.
5th November 2020
Dear colleague,

RMT LAUNCHES NEW PETITION IN SUPPORT OF STAFF SAFETY ON SERCO CALEDONIAN SLEEPER

In September, RMT members working on the Serco Caledonian Sleeper voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action due to their employer, Serco’s, failure to take action to tackle widespread staff fatigue. Members took part in strike action in October 2020 and further action is scheduled for December 2020.

As you will know, fatigue is a serious issue which can cause long-term health effects, including depression and anxiety, headaches and digestive problems and risks passenger and staff safety. Even a risk assessment commissioned by Serco found that staff fatigue was a significant problem that the employer needed to address.

RMT believes that a key cause of staff fatigue is a lack of berths for staff rest periods. For months, RMT has been seeking to engage with Serco to agree a resolution to these issues. Yet, Serco has shown a complete lack of willingness to act on this issue. RMT also believes that the staff fatigue has been compounded by the additional pressures of Covid-19.

RMT has put fair and reasonable proposal to Serco in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but Serco has refused this.

Due to Covid-19, the Serco Caledonian Sleeper franchise is being funded by public money under its Emergency Measures Agreement. Therefore, RMT believes that Transport Scotland and the Transport Secretary, Michael Matheson should intervene as a matter of urgency to help resolve the dispute and ensure staff are protected from the risks of fatigue.

RMT has launched an online petition calling on Transport Scotland to intervene:

You can sign the petition here.

Please sign the petition and share it with colleagues, friends, family and on social media.

Yours sincerely

Mick Cash
General Secretary