Industrial Action Moves a Step Closer at Abellio Scotrail

LONDON, UK / AGILITYPR.NEWS / April 13, 2021 / Unite the union has today (13 April) confirmed that its members at Abellio Scotrail have supported industrial action in a consultative ballot following the collapse of pay talks with the rail franchise company.

Unite members supported industrial action by 75%, and action short of strike by 90%. Unite held the ballot in response to the failure by Abellio Scotrail to make a meaningful pay offer, as well as the company withdrawing a number of entitlements from workers including the Rest Day Working Agreement with Unite in April 2020 for engineering workers. The Dutch firm initially withdrew it for drivers but later reinstated it. Abellio have claimed they are under instructions from the Scottish Government not to award any pay rise to rail workers.

In 2020/21, due to the introduction of Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) to cover operating costs caused by the drop in revenues, and to protect staff and rail services through the pandemic, it was revealed that the railways received £1.4 billion in public support. A further £450m EMA grant is expected to cover costs until March next year. Despite the substantial government support for the railways Abellio Scotrail's highest paid director increased their pay from £158,000 in 2019 to £216,000 in 2020. The company will stop running the ScotRail franchise at the end of March next year when Scotland's train services are set to be run by a public sector body. 

Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, said: “Despite the best efforts of Abellio Scotrail to apply pressure on our members not to take the next step in holding them to account our members have supported taking industrial action in this consultative ballot. This should be a wake-up call to Abellio Scotrail management that Unite’s members will no longer tolerate being treated unacceptably. We will seek further meetings in a final attempt to find a remedy, and we will inform the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland of the result.  If Abellio Scotrail refuses to positively engage with us then we will have no option but to move forward with an industrial action campaign.”