
14 March 2023
RMT Press Office:
Rail union, RMT has written to all SNP leadership candidates asking for their support on key pledges for the railway going forward.
Ahead of a rail summit involving transport unions and Scotland's transport minister Jenny Gilruth MSP, General Secretary Mick Lynch in his letter to SNP leadership candidates, writes : "As a candidate for the SNP leadership election, I am writing to seek your support for the RMT’s ‘Pledge for Rail’. As a sustainable and low carbon form of transport, Scotland’s railway has an integral role in meeting Scotland’s climate change targets and in supporting the economy and communities.
"The Scottish Government has made recent progress on rail, including bringing both ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper into public ownership. However, RMT believes that the future First Minister must go further and significantly expand rail investment, services and staffing under public ownership in order to protect the future of Scotland’s railway, rail workers and the climate."
The four pledges are:
1. Protecting services by pledging to keep Scotrail and Sleeper Services in public ownership.
2. Protecting the climate and communities by increasing rail services beyond pre-covid levels and ensuring real terms increases in investment in rail services and infrastructure, by the 2026 Scottish parliament elections.
3. Protecting and enhancing rail safety and accessibility by increasing staffing, keeping ticket offices open and restaffing our stations.
4. Protecting our rail workers by keeping free collective bargaining for workers’ pay and conditions.
Mr Lynch concludes: "RMT believes that protecting and investing in Scotland’s railway should be a priority of the future SNP leadership and we would, of course, seek to work constructively with a Scottish Government that shares these goals."
END
Want to receive updates from us? Subscribe to a mailing list
Tagged with: SNP, ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper, Rail, RMT, Mick Lynch
Related News
- RMT exposes Southeastern’s failure to open ticket offices for 70,000 hours
- RMT criticises Scottish Rail Holdings appointment
- RMT welcomes skills passport but seeks pay and training reforms
- RMT pays tribute to miners strike legend Ken Capstick
- Avanti strike on Sunday suspended to allow intensive talks