30 March 2022
RMT Press Office
As ScotRail enters public ownership on 1st April 2022, RMT holds day of action to call on the Scottish Government to ensure that the new operator delivers for Scotland’s rail passengers, communities, and workers
On Friday 1st April, the day ScotRail enters public ownership, RMT is holding a day of action at 12:00 outside Glasgow Queen Street Station to call on the Scottish Government to create a properly funded rail operator that delivers for passengers, communities, and workers.
RMT has long campaigned for the Scottish Government to take ScotRail into public ownership, and firmly believes that this is the best way to ensure that Scotland’s railway is sustainable, affordable, accessible, and reliable and prioritises passengers, not profit.
However, the Scottish Government must ensure that its new public sector operator breaks with past notions that rail jobs, services and ticket offices should be cut in pursuit of ‘efficiencies’ and is therefore calling for sustained public investment to ensure that at ScotRail:
• Ticket offices are protected and expanded
• Rail services are protected and expanded
• Jobs are protected and expanded
RMT believes that this investment is essential in order to deliver modal shift from cars to rail necessary to meet the Scottish Government’s climate change targets and will be asking passengers to write to their MSP and local councillor in support of these demands.
At the day of action, RMT members and activists will be assembling outside Glasgow Queen Street station at 12:00 and moving to Transport Scotland’s head office at Buchanan House for 12:45.
General Secretary Mick Lynch said:
“As ScotRail enters public ownership, something RMT has long campaigned for, the Scottish Government now has the opportunity to break with the past and instead recognise the central role ScotRail has to play in meeting its climate change targets and invest in creating an affordable, accessible, reliable and improved rail network in Scotland.
“ScotRail workers were heroes throughout the Covid-19 pandemic yet as they transfer into the public sector, the Scottish Government has continually refused to protect the existing no compulsory redundancy agreement. To deliver the modal shifts necessary to tackle climate change and air pollution, the Scottish Government must commit to protecting and expanding all jobs and skills, ticket offices and ScotRail services.
“RMT will be taking these messages to passengers and the Scottish Government at our day of action this Friday.”
ENDS
Notes for editors
The day of action is taking place on Friday 1st April 2022 – Assembling at 12:00 outside Glasgow Queen Street Station and moving on to Transport Scotland, Buchanan House, G4 0HF, for 12:45.
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Tagged with: Scotrail, Day of Action
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