A REFUSAL letter sent to several hundred ScotRail staff applying for a role as a train driver has been branded "disgraceful and insulting" by union leaders.

Abellio, which has run the ScotRail franchise since April, sent the email to around 200 employees who applied for the positions, telling them to "start researching the role of a driver" and that the application forms were not of a high enough standard.

It also "suggests" the unsuccessful applicant "not underestimate the role or its responsibilities", adding they failed to "clearly demonstrate your understanding of the train driver role".

But the two main unions representing ScotRail staff, Aslef and the RMT, have condemned the firm for the tone of the refusal letters, accusing it of being bullying and dismissive of its staff.

The Herald: RMT general secretary, Mick Cash said: “In my 30 years as a trade union official I have never seen a letter so bluntly designed as a wholesale kick in the teeth for an unsuccessful job applicant and which is so clearly engineered to undermine an individual’s self-esteem."

Scotrail Abellio said it now appreciated the letters could have been "more personalised and constructive" and was now sending further correspondence to around 200 unsuccessful internal candidates offering one-to-one feedback.

There were over 1130 internal applicants for the role of train driver, as well as thousands of external candidates.

A total of 130 staff members have gone through to the next round of the interview process.

The letter asks applicants whether they demonstrated the required enthusiasm and determination for the job, asks if they had "put a great deal of thought into this application" and whether their submission reflected effort and preparation.

Applicants were dismissed for "not clearly demonstrating your understanding of the train driver role or the transferable skills that are required" and recommended if applying again to "start by researching the role of driver...consider the effort you put into the process and... don't underestimate the role or its responsibilities".

The Herald: Kevin Lindsay, Aslef’s organiser in Scotland, said: "This email is as extraordinary as it is insensitive. The fact that senior executives in the recruitment team at Abellio ScotRail think this sort of attitude, and behaviour, is acceptable boggles the mind.

"And it’s exactly this sort of bullying and dismissive attitude which has led to staff moral plummeting. Abellio needs to explain why they think this is the sort of email to send to loyal, hard-working staff whose application to become a driver has been unsuccessful."

Mr Cash added: “The points about “understanding the job” and “underestimating responsibilities” are an exercise in treating both the internal and external applicants as a bunch of idiots and Abellio should be ashamed of themselves and should be apologising to each and every one of the people who had this insulting communication delivered through their post box."

A ScotRail spokesman said: "Almost 25,000 people applied to join our business. With such a large number of applications, we had to get information out to people as quickly as possible regarding the outcome of their application. This letter went to around 200 internal candidates whose application was unsuccessful, while a further 130 existing staff have progressed to the next assessment stages.

“We appreciate that the letter could have been more personalised and constructive. That is why today we will be sending another letter to the 200 unsuccessful internal candidates offering one-to-one feedback."