Dutch-owned Abellio, who run Scotrail services for profit, have been caught red-handed coercing and conscripting an army of scabs to defeat industrial action by guards/conductors that are trying to defend public health and safety from these cost-cutting butchers.
The RMT union has got hold of emails sent out by Abellio’s Project Manager, demanding that Abellio workers from across the UK sign up to ‘training courses’ to become guards from 13 June ‘in the event of strike action’.
Scab Army
The ballot of RMT members is currently running, to resist DOO being extended, because as we have described in detail in the current Scottish Socialist Voice, it endangers the safety of disabled passengers, women passengers, and indeed is both a potential and actual cause of death.
This conscription of a scab army must be met with determined plans from other unions to side with the RMT and block the trains being moved by half-trained prisoners of Abellios bullying methods. In particular the main drivers union, Aslef, should declare swift solidarity action to stop the wreckers of safety succeeding.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;
“The revelations show that far from their so-called assurances that there is no threat to the guards, behind the scenes Abellio are gearing up to try and break their workforce using the kind of dirty tactics that remind us of the miners strike.
“RMT will be stepping up our fight to protect jobs and safety on Scotrail regardless of this act of outright aggression from the company.”
War has been declared. It’s time to take sides!