The SNP/Green coalition government is pressing ahead with cuts to the pre-pandemic Scotrail timetable, curtailing workers’ rights to collective bargaining, and refusing to rule out Scotrail redundancies.
The Scottish Socialist Party supports transport workers fighting back against cuts and job losses. The SSP supports public ownership, and it opposes all cuts and job losses.
One Scotrail worker has condemned the SNP/Green coalition government’s hypocrisy.
In 8 weeks Scotrail will be taken into public ownership. The first actions of the new management will be to cut services and cut hours/close booking offices. Add to this a refusal to guarantee no compulsory redundancies (something even Abellio agreed to) and an insistence that the rail unions’ collective bargaining will be curtailed by applying the public pay policy to rail workers, and it is an inauspicious start to the bright new future.
“Ah,” you may say, “what would you expect from the Tory Government of Johnson, Gove, and Rees-Mogg?”. In those circumstances, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. However, this is the SNP/Green coalition government of Sturgeon, Harvie, and Gilruth that are behind this assault on railway passengers, services, and staff.
SNP True Colours, Green Party Hypocrisy
If ever the true colours of the SNP and hypocrisy of the Greens were to be shown then it was last Thursday in the Scottish Parliament.
Neil Bibby MSP submitted a motion welcoming the return of ScotRail into public ownership, calling for unions to be allowed to negotiate freely; no compulsory redundancies; a reversal of plans to cut services and booking offices, as well as condemning the recent fare hike.
Surely anyone interested in building a public transport system that could massively contribute to meeting net-zero goals couldn’t oppose such a motion?
Step in, newly promoted Transport Minister, Jenny Gilruth. She submitted an amendment that was almost a “delete all” number!
She used it to highlight infrastructure projects, sidestep the booking office issue, massage figures by claiming 150 more services in May compared to December, and suggesting that rail workers will benefit from the public sector pay policy that, in reality, represents a pay cut at a time when rail workers continued to work throughout the pandemic, and in the face of increases in the cost of living that we are all facing.
Her performance during the debate – particularly continually refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies – has infuriated rail workers up and down the country.
This is made worse when you consider that as a back-bencher she campaigned against the cuts! The point made by the SNP/Green coalition government regarding the increase of 150 services is pure spin! They are using a reduced pandemic timetable as their baseline, rather than the pre-pandemic timetable, which would show this up as the cuts package it is.
Holyrood Surrealism
The debate was rather surreal to watch, especially when there were Tory MSPs speaking against the SNP/Green position, but not only that, quoting Mick Hogg of the RMT! Incidentally, the Tory amendment was even more to the left than the SNP/Green attempt. They called for no cuts, and the Government to repair its relationship with the unions!
We also can’t let the Greens off the hook here. Patrick Harvie supported the amendment, and when the votes were counted the Greens voted with the SNP paymasters to cut services, cut booking offices, and slap essential workers in the face.
There is probably a case for contacting Trading Standards about the misuse of the term “Green“. The more they mucky their hands in government I’m thinking Drab Olive would be more appropriate.
In the end, the motion passed as amended. Rail workers and passengers now know where they stand with the SNP/Green government.