RMT to renew fight to retain guards on Scotrail services through legal and political campaign

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RAIL UNION RMT confirmed this morning that it is re-focusing its campaign to retain Guards on Scotrail services, and its opposition to the extension of Driver Only Operation, through a renewed legal and political drive.

The legal challenge will be based on the failure of Scotrail to adhere to a binding agreement with RMT not to extend Driver Only Operations which was signed off back in 2001. The union has concrete legal opinion that the 2001 agreement is still absolutely valid.

RMT will also be stepping up the political campaign, targeted at the Scottish Government, to enforce the current franchise agreement on safe staffing levels on their services which are compromised by the profit-driven dash to Driver Only Operation. The political campaign will also address the on-going scandal of indemnities paid out from precious taxpayer funds to prop up Scotrail’s strike-breaking operations.

RMT has stood down the current campaign of industrial action to allow for a concentration of energies on the legal and political objectives.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

“Our members on Scotrail have shown their determination to defend the safety-critical role of the Guard on their services and to stop the profit-driven dash to extend Driver Only Operation.

“Our campaign continues and at a time when we are entering a new phase of ConDem Government cuts it is right for us to regroup in light of the further attacks on rail safety and rail workers jobs that we know are being mapped out behind closed doors.

“The fight to defend the Guards on Scotrail services was always about putting public safety above private profit and that fight is right at the heart of RMT’s national Keep the Guard – Keep the Train Safe campaign as we move into an autumn of unprecedented spending cuts”.

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