New pay offer in bid to halt ScotRail strikes
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A fresh pay offer is expected to be made to ScotRail workers in a bid to end six months of industrial action, the Scottish government has said.
The rail operator has cancelled numerous services following a pay dispute with train conductors.
ScotRrail engineers have now also voted to take part in a series of strikes during Glasgow's COP26 event.
However, the government said it was hopeful "an appropriate and fair pay increase" could be agreed.
Rail services across Scotland have been disrupted for months by industrial action, with disagreements over pay and planned cuts in the wake of reduced passenger numbers as a result of the pandemic.
Transport Minister Graeme Dey told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that the unions and management were being "actively encouraged" to seek a resolution.
He said: "We need to step back from some of the rhetoric that has been dominating the agenda of late and focus on trying to get a suitable outcome to this.
"But we are in a challenging position, financially. To put this in perspective, prior to the pandemic we were spending circa £1.1bn a year on Scotland's railways. We are currently spending north of £1.5bn. That isn't sustainable, so we have got significant challenges."
He said the government was encouraging the company and staff to consider where efficiency savings could be made, in part, to fund a pay increase.
He added: "I understand that later today the unions and ScotRail are meeting and a fresh offer is likely to be tabled. It's one I hope that the unions will view in the spirit that it is going to be made and consider settling these disputes."
The Unite union has said engineers will stage a series of strikes in the coming weeks due to the "reckless" actions of management at Abellio, the Dutch-based company which runs the ScotRail franchise.
The protest is also in response to "the failure by Abellio ScotRail to make a meaningful pay offer", despite repeated industrial action since 24 September, the union said.
The planned 24-hour strikes will take place between 18-19 October, 1-2 November, 10-11 November and 12-13 November.
A number of rail depots, workplaces and stations will be affected by the strike action, including Glasgow Queen Street, Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley and Perth.
'Spectacularly backfired'
Several of the dates clash with the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow which will see world leaders in the city from 31 October to 12 November.
Unite's engineering members at ScotRail voted by 78% in support of strike action in a 68.4% ballot turnout.
Meanwhile, 92% supported taking industrial action short of a strike.
Pat McIlvogue, Unite's industrial officer, said: "Unite has been left with no choice but to resolutely respond to the reckless behaviour displayed by Abellio ScotRail management."
He said that while discussions had been taking place, there had been no pay offer or movement by the company to date.
"The talks have been spun out and cynically used as a delaying tactic to avoid the national embarrassment of having strike action during the COP26 climate change conference which is being held in Glasgow.
"Well, these tactics have spectacularly backfired because our engineering members will now hold several 24-hour stoppages in the coming weeks."
Mr McIlvogue insisted that union members had made exhaustive attempts to engage Abellio ScotRail and called on the Scottish government to intervene to bring the dispute to an end.
Abellio posted a pre-tax loss of £64.5m in the 12 months to 31 March 2020.
In December 2019, the company was stripped of the contract to run ScotRail services by the Scottish government amid criticism of performance levels.
The Scottish government announced in April that the franchise would be taken over by a public sector body from the end of March next year.
A ScotRail spokesman said it would "continue to engage with the rail trade unions to find an agreement on pay and conditions" but that the financial situation it faced was "stark".
The spokesman added: "To build a more sustainable and greener railway for the future and reduce the burden on the taxpayer, we need to change.
"All of us in the railway - management, staff, trade unions, suppliers and government - need to work together to modernise the railway so that it is fit for the future."