Scotland rail strikes: CrossCountry workers go on strike on Boxing Day

Workers at a rail operator are staging a 24-hour strike from Boxing Day evening, continuing the wave of industrial unrest sweeping across the country.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) at CrossCountry will walk out from 9pm as part of a long-running campaign for a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions, and a pay increase that addresses the rising cost of living.

The union believes that walkouts by staff will severely impact services at CrossCountry, which covers large swathes of the country, from Penzance to the Midlands, Wales and northern England through to Scottish cities as far north as Aberdeen.

TSSA members work in roles including customer service managers, driver managers, trainers, control, customer communications, safety, timetabling and planning.

The strike by CrossCountry workers will impact on rail travellers, including those at Edinburgh Waverley station. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA

Managers are based at stations including Edinburgh, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Bournemouth and Plymouth.

TSSA members at Great Western Railway will strike from noon on Wednesday to 11:59am on Thursday, and at West Midlands Trains from noon on Wednesday to noon on Thursday.

TSSA organising director Nadine Rae said: “Our members at CrossCountry do not want to strike, especially over the Christmas holiday period, but they are sick and tired of being taken for granted.

“They deserve a pay rise to help manage the escalating cost of living, and they rightly demand job security.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are continuing with a strike in a separate dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.