assengers have been warned to anticipate “vital disruption” as rail employees throughout a number of firms stroll out this weekend in an ongoing row over pay.
Unions Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) have voted “resoundingly” to take strike motion in opposition to the businesses they are saying have failed to provide rail employees a pay rise matching inflation.
Community Rail employees who’re members of the RMT are staging two 24-hour stoppages on Saturday October 1 and Saturday October 8, as a part of a dispute over pay.
ScotRail has warned passengers that “vital disruption” will likely be anticipated on the community as signallers and security essential workers stroll out as a part of the RMT strikes.
A handful of companies are anticipated to run on key routes, with the rail operator urging travellers to verify the app and web site forward of travelling.
Whereas the rail operator often runs about 2,150 companies per day, over the following two Saturdays it’ll solely run trains on 11 routes throughout the central belt, Fife, and the borders.
On October 1 and October 8, ScotRail will run 379 trains – another than it was capable of placed on throughout strike motion in August.
Whereas ScotRail drivers usually are not placing, drivers throughout different firms equivalent to LNER and the TransPennine Specific will stroll out on Saturday.
Providers will resume on Sunday, however these might face disruption as sign bins are restarted.
Postal employees from the Communication Staff Union will even take strike motion on Saturday in an ongoing dispute over adjustments in working phrases and circumstances.
Rail and postal employees will collect at Edinburgh Waverley on Saturday morning to indicate their “mutual solidarity” for one another and demand a good wage from their employers.
Aslef Regional Organiser Kevin Lindsay stated: “Staff have had sufficient of bosses paying themselves enormous dividends and salaries while anticipating employees to take actual phrases wage cuts.
“We’re delighted to be standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters within the RMT and CWU who’re additionally dealing with the identical battle and battle as our members.
“We will even stand collectively and present our solidarity with different employees in battle.”
David Simpson, ScotRail service supply director, stated the knock-on results of the commercial motion would affect on companies on each Sunday October 2 and Sunday October 9 as effectively.
Andrew Haines, Community Rail chief govt, stated: “Regardless of our greatest efforts to compromise and discover a breakthrough in talks, rail unions stay intent on persevering with and co-ordinating their strike motion.
“This serves solely to make sure our workers forgo much more of their pay unnecessarily, in addition to inflicting much more disruption for our passengers and additional damaging the railway’s restoration from the pandemic.
“Passengers who need to journey this Saturday, and certainly subsequent Wednesday and subsequent Saturday, are requested solely to take action if completely obligatory. Those that should journey ought to anticipate disruption and ensure they verify when their final prepare will depart.”
Additional industrial motion will happen later within the month, when RMT members working for ScotRail will stroll out on strike on Monday October 10.