Transport Scotland criticised over backing for rail proposals

Published on Wednesday 24 February 2010 11:45

UNION leaders hit out today after it emerged a Scottish Government agency backed controversial staffing plans for trains on a new rail line.

Transport Scotland approved the proposals for drivers to operate the doors on the line, which will run from Glasgow to Edinburgh via Airdrie and Bathgate.

But leaders of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) have claimed the move will "jeopardise passenger safety".

A dispute between the union and train operators ScotRail over the plans resulted in about 550 workers staging the first in a series of 24-hour strikes at the weekend.

Talks between the two sides aimed at resolving the dispute are due to take place later today.

But the RMT hit out at the news that Transport Scotland had backed the proposal, claiming this suggested it had been "misled" by Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson.

A union spokesman said: "These are very serious developments and suggest the RMT has been deliberately misled by the Scottish Transport Minister in direct talks, and that there has been political collusion in the ripping-up of existing agreements on driver-only operation and the safety critical role of the guard."

Labour backbencher Elaine Smith is due to question First Minister Alex Salmond on the dispute in Holyrood tomorrow.

The RMT spokesman said Mr Salmond must "not only answer these allegations but make clear that he is instructing ScotRail to adhere to the agreements they have in place with RMT on driver-only operation".

He also called on Mr Salmond to "confirm that there will be no taxpayer subsidy to ScotRail as a result of the strike action on their services as a result of this highly political dispute".

A Transport Scotland spokeswoman confirmed: "ScotRail recommended driver plus ticket examiner operation for Airdrie-Bathgate and saw no safety reason why it should not be used on this route as it is already deployed across 56% of the rail network.

"This was also viewed as an efficient means of operating to maximise the investment to taxpayers. Transport Scotland accepted those recommendations."

A ScotRail spokesman said it had "made clear in a qualified recommendation that in the end we believe – providing the terms and conditions of existing staff are protected and the requisite safety measures are in place – driver door operated trains with ticket examiners on the new Airdrie-Bathgate services will offer the taxpayer and other stakeholders, in the long term, the best value for money".

The 300 million line is due to open in December but the dispute over staffing on the trains saw RMT workers across Scotland, including conductors, drivers and sleeper-train managers, walk out on Saturday, February 20.

The union has planned further strikes for March 1 and 13. Talks aimed at preventing the industrial action are due to start at noon at ScotRail's headquarters in Glasgow.