Union hits back at ScotRail after being accused of 'antagonism' over cuts

Union bosses have hit back at ScotRail after being accused of “antagonism” over their opposition to cuts on the railway.

It comes after it was announced by the rail operator that hundreds of services will be cut from pre-pandemic levels.

Following a consultation, ScotRail confirmed that it will operate 2150 daily services from May 2022.

ScotRail indicate the move will represent an increase of “nearly 150 services each day” compared to when their consultation began last year.

However, it is short of the 2400 daily services that were in operation before the coronavirus pandemic began.

You spoke & we listened. Our public consultation into our new timetable from May got our biggest ever response. We made some changes based on your feedback & when the schedule goes live there will be 150 more services a day providing almost 600,000 seats. Thanks for your help.
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) February 8, 2022

David Simpson, operations director at ScotRail, defended the decision to reduce services as he pointed to less people travelling.

And he suggested that the unions were being antagonistic in hitting out at the move.

“I think we need to work with the trade unions and not have this kind of antagonism,” Simpson told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme.

“This reflects the reality where our revenue is less than half of what it was pre-pandemic.

“Our costs are the same, we haven’t had to lay off a single member of staff, we’re continuing to talk to trade unions about the future.

“We need to work with them to grow the railway, grow customers, provide a safe, reliable railway.

“This timetable’s the start of that. It has got fewer services than pre-pandemic, that’s because less than half the people are travelling.”

He added: “When we start to see people coming back, we need to work with the trade unions to build on that and provide a service that will support Scotland’s future targets to decarbonisation, the objective to move people from road to public transport, and so forth.

“This is about working together to support that recovery from the pandemic.”

Mick Hogg, RMT organiser, said that if anyone is being antagonistic, it is Abellio Scotland, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government.

“There is no antagonism coming from RMT or any other rail union,” he told STV News.

“The decision to implement the Iain Docherty report and recommendations has antagonism written over it.

“Therefore it’s Abellio ScotRail, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government who intend imposing the following; Closure of stations, closure of booking offices, running 100,000 trains less a year, increasing fares by 3.8% (an increase of 28% since 2012), industrial relations rock bottom, jobs terms and conditions under attack.

“And this mob have the audacity to use the derogatory comment antagonism.

“If anyone is being antagonist it’s Abellio ScotRail, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government with their cuts agenda.

“RMT will defend our members every step of the way.”