A UNION has warned that strike action is on the agenda in a row over a call to quit to hundreds of staff at Scotland's largest train operator.
The transport staff union TSSA has been holding meetings to discuss how it would respond to the revelation that all administrative, clerical, supervisory and managerial staff across Scotland, including its Glasgow headquarters have been asked to consider voluntary redundancy.
The development came a matter of weeks after Abellio ScotRail announced a loss of £3.5m in its first full year operating train services in Scotland.
Abellio Scotrail has refused to say how many staff they want to leave, but stressed that there would be no enforced redundancies, as per the terms of its franchise.
It comes as Scottish Greens' transport spokesman John Finnie sought assurances that public service was being put before profit as he raised concerns about the welfare and morale of staff caused by situation.
TSSA has launched a social media and postrer campaign calling ot the transport minister Humza Yousaf to intervene to stop Scotrail going ahead with the pre-Christmas jobs cull.
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “It is not acceptable industrial relations for a single member of ScotRail’s non carriage or station staff across Scotland to be marched to a firing line, a metaphorical gun is now at their heads and under those conditions they are being asked to say whether they want to stay or leave.
“Not since the miners strike have I seen a workforce treated so badly. We have no indication of where they want cuts, or how many numbers they want to lose because their is no strategy. If our members volunteer it is likely they will be culled.
"It is a stain on Scotland’s reputation to allow any work force be treated this way. It is to prevent vindictive industrial practice like this that unions were invented in the first place.
“TSSA organisers are discussing with reps how our members would like to respond to Abellio. Industrial action, including strike action, is on our agenda.”
Backed by a petition signed by more than 20,000 people, Mr Cortes has again called on the minister to take "the bold political decision" for full nationalisation of ScotRail without recourse to any bidding. The social media campaign uses a meme with a picture of Mr Yousaf set against a rafter of turkeys and a caption saying “ScotRail’s workers are not turkeys. Don’t slaughter their jobs for Christmas.”
The same message is to appear on union workplace notice boards across ScotRail.
An email sent to staff by John Gillies, director of human resources, on Tuesday announced the Voluntary Leavers Scheme while proclaiming that the company was "well on our way to building the best railway Scotland's ever had".
The Scottish Greens' transport spokesman John Finnie has raised concerns about the welfare and morale of staff caused by the high number of vacancies, work being undertaken by agency staff and the issuing of voluntary redundancy forms.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions John Finnie, said: “It’s disappointing that Scotrail continues to rely on agency staff when I am advised there are currently 256 vacancies and that the salaries of those posts equate to over £3 million per annum.
“I’m very concerned about what this will do for staff morale and I’d urge ministers to liaise with transport unions and ScotRail to have those vacancies filled, and ensure that it is public service rather than profit that drives Scotland’s railways."
Deputy First Minister John Swinney responded saying: "There are clear obligations within the Abellio contract that have to be fulfilled, and I think what's been clear... is that the transport minister has assiduously pressed Abellio Scotrail to make sure that those contractual obligations are fulfilled and that the services to which the organisation were committed, are delivered within Scotland.
"What's important is that monitoring and presence is sustained by the transport minister and I give Mr Finnie the assurance that that will be the case.
"Within the contract there is a commitment and an obligation that there should be no compulsory redundancies, that is a stipulation of the contract. Clearly Abellio Scotrail will make judgments about the recruitment and deployment of staff but that must be done in the context of fulfilling the contractual obligations signed up to by the organisation and I assure Parliament the government will make sure that is the case in all circumstances."
Abellio Scotrail would not comment on the latest developments repeating a previous statement which was: “Our policy of no compulsory redundancies remains firmly in place – anybody who currently has a job in the business will continue to do so if they want one. But with new trains and services coming soon, the way we operate has to change so that we can build the best railway Scotland’s ever had.”
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