Scottish government 'perplexed' at RMT over ScotRail strike

The dispute is linked to a row over pay and strikes will mean no ScotRail services will run during the COP26 summit

The Scottish government has accused the RMT union of "letting its members down" by rejecting a pay deal for ScotRail staff.

It said it was "utterly perplexed" at the union's stance after it rejected the latest offer and confirmed rail strikes would go ahead during the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

On Friday the RMT said talks had failed to reach agreement.

Industrial action will run from 1 to 12 November, coinciding with the UN event.

World leaders including US president Joe Biden and thousands of delegates from across the globe will be in Scotland for the climate change summit.

• Strikes and closures during COP26 climate summit

• Rail union rejects pay offer to avoid COP26 strikes

• ScotRail plans to cut 300 train services

After talks broke down, the Scottish government said it was disappointed the RMT rejected ScotRail's offer, which amounts to a 2.5% pay increase backdated to April 1 2021, and a 2.2% increase effective from April 1 2022, with a one-off £300 payment for staff working during COP26.

A spokesman said: "Having taken nearly two weeks to tell ScotRail they were rejecting the offer, ScotRail sought to return immediately to the table to focus on the area the RMT said publicly was their one remaining concern - rest day working.

"An offer in this regard was made, the RMT undertook to consider it.

"We fully expected their representatives to return with a counter offer - that after all is the nature of negotiations - yet the RMT leadership rejected that offer out of hand and returned to the issue of pay."

The spokesman added that ScotRail remained ready to return to the negotiating table "to consider again the issue of allowances for rest day working".

'Unwillingness to resolve this matter'

They continued: "We know a credible, good pay offer has been made that we think most ScotRail employees would want to accept.

"We hope that the RMT leadership will recognise this too. But at this point, we are utterly perplexed by the leadership's inability to see that it is their members who stand to lose out, and that by its actions and unwillingness to seek meaningfully to resolve this matter, they are letting their members down."

The Scottish government said it did not think that anyone, including the membership of the RMT, wanted to disrupt COP26 or the chance to "showcase Scotland's green, clean railway to a global audience".

"We hope that encompasses the RMT leadership too, although their approach to seeking resolution does appear to call this into question," it added.

ScotRail has been in talks for several weeks with trade unions about pay and conditions. The dispute has affected Sunday services across Scotland in recent months.

A formal written offer was made to four rail trade unions - Aslef, RMT, TSSA, and Unite.

Aslef and TSSA have accepted the rail firm's pay offer and Unite is recommending it to its members, who are currently being balloted.

Transport Scotland had hoped to showcase a "greener, cleaner railway" at COP26

RMT's Scotland organiser Michael Hogg told the BBC he wanted "meaningful talks" to take place and a "serious offer" that would bring a resolution to the dispute.

He said: "We remain available for talks because there is still time to find a resolution to the dispute, albeit the clock is ticking in the run-up to COP26. We are still confident that a resolution can be found."

Responding to the Scottish government's statement, he added: "I'm not here to talk about my fellow trade union colleagues and I will not be taking any lectures from an Abellio outfit or Transport Scotland or the Scottish government who have all worked hand-in glove to stonewall RMT and other trade unions for the past 18 months.

"The proposals currently on the table are unacceptable to RMT."

Ian McConnell, of ScotRail, said he was "incredibly frustrated" that the union had "point blank rejected" the latest proposal.

He accused the leadership of having "moved the goalposts without consulting their members".

Mr McConnell said time was running out to reach agreement, adding: "It seems RMT bosses are intent on sabotaging Scotland's railway's role during COP26."

Contingency plans were being developed to provide a core service for the duration of the summit, he said.

ScotRail is currently run by Dutch firm Abellio - but will be taken over by a company owned and controlled by the Scottish government in March next year.

The move was announced by the government earlier this year after Abellio was stripped of its contract three years early amid concern over its performance.