30 January 2026
RMT Press Office:
Transport union RMT, will demand safe staffing and an end to lone working on the railways at an Action Against Assaults event at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 11 February.
The campaign will bring together MSPs, trade unions and campaigners to demand urgent action to tackle rising violence and abuse on public transport of both workers and passengers.
The event will highlight the growing risks faced by front-line transport workers, many of them women, who are subjected to threats, harassment and assault simply for doing their jobs.
RMT’s Action Against Assaults campaign was launched earlier this year in response to increasing levels of violent and abusive behaviour across the UK’s public transport network.
In the most recent RMT survey of women public transport workers in Scotland, 70 per cent said they had experienced workplace violence in the past year, with more than 85 per cent saying it happened more than once.
The most common abuse reported was verbal assault, followed by threats of physical violence, while over 20 per cent said they had been sexually harassed at work in a 12-month period.
Lone working was identified as a major risk factor, with nearly 60 per cent of those who experienced violence saying they were working alone at the time.
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of respondents said violence at work is getting worse.
These findings reflect wider trends. A BBC investigation at the end of last year reported a 37 per cent rise in recorded sexual offences on the railway in England, Scotland and Wales since 2015.
Scottish Government research published in 2023 also found that women and girls feel significantly safer on public transport when staff are present at stations, in ticket offices and onboard trains, with increased staffing highlighted as a key recommendation.
Despite this, staffing levels are inconsistent across the railway and the British Transport Police has faced a major funding shortfall, leading to station closures and reduced officer presence, which has had a significant impact on Scotland.
The union is calling on political parties to commit, ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections this year, to concrete measures that take workplace violence on public transport seriously.
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Assaults on transport workers are rising, violence is becoming normalised and women workers are bearing the brunt of it.
“Our members should not have to face threats, abuse or sexual harassment just to earn a living serving the public.
"This is a workplace safety issue and it demands urgent political action which we will campaign for tooth and nail until we achieve progress."
The Action Against Assaults event will take place inside the Scottish Parliament from 12.45pm, followed by a photocall at 1.45pm outside the Parliament.
END
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