ScotRail Engineers Vote for Industrial Action

That the Parliament notes ScotRail engineers have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action; understands that 77.8% of Unite the Union members who were recently balloted voted for strike action and 91.6% voted for action short of a strike on a turn-out of 68.4%; further understands that this action is unprecedented among the engineering workforce and reflects deep concern and frustration about pay, terms and conditions and Abellio’s management of the ScotRail franchise; considers that the behaviour of ScotRail towards its workforce, who it understands have endured cuts to terms and conditions and received no acceptable pay offer, has made industrial action inevitable; further considers that industrial unrest on Scotland’s railways and the danger of strike action during COP26 is a national embarrassment to the operator and to the Scottish Government, which, it believes, has failed to prevent the decline in industrial relations in recent months; notes the calls for ScotRail to engage meaningfully with Unite the Union to avert industrial action, and further notes the calls for the Scottish Government to intervene to resolve the dispute and prevent any further deterioration in industrial relations between ScotRail and its workforce.