A UNION has accused ministers of being "inflammatory, unreasonable and factually incorrect" in blaming train drivers for a pay dispute impasse that has led to major cuts to nationalised ScotRail services.

Aslef has appealed for Nicola Sturgeon to get ScotRail back to the negotiating table to discuss the impasse over wages which has seen train drivers work to rule.

The union says the First Minister should provide "positive political intervention" to end the dispute which has also led to around 1800 last-minute cancellations over 15 days.

Aslef has condemned "reckless" social media posts by ScotRail blaming train drivers for reduction of services and has slammed ministers.

And the union has warned that in the event of anyone being abused or assaulted as a result "we may have to take further action".

The union has called for the immediate withdrawal of the posts or the resignation of ScotRail management and Jenny Gilruth, the minister for transport.

It also echoed concerns from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) revealed in the Herald on Sunday that the plans for 130 new drivers would not resolve any staffing shortages that have become the catalyst for the cancellations and cuts.

One senior RMT union official said that if ministers think the recruitment will eradicate rest day working “then they are living on planet Mars”.

The nationalised service cut 700 services a day today due to lack of drivers leaving to concerns that the last trains leaving Scotland’s main cities much earlier than usual curtailing nights out and hitting Scotland's pubs, clubs and restaurants.

The cuts come just over seven weeks after ScotRail was taken into public ownership by the Scottish Government in what ministers hailed a “historic” move.

Kevin Lindsay, Aslef Scotland organiser, in a letter to Ms Sturgeon said that in a few short weeks her government and officials have set out on a course of action that is "hugely detrimental" to the vision of world class rail services in Scotland "whilst not offering any positive vision of your own".

He said: "Pay negotiations have been shambolic, the timetable has been slashed by one third, the economy is suffering and passengers and communities are left isolated. All of this is happening at a time when we should be encouraging people to leave their cars at home to help meet our climate targets.

"First Minister, the way hard-working, committed and skilled rail staff are being treated is appalling. The pay award being offered is just not credible. A 2.2% pay increase (offered verbally not in writing) at a time when inflation is nearing 10% is a significant real terms pay cut.

The Herald:

"It is neither fair nor reasonable to expect train drivers, or indeed any worker, to accept such a cut in their pay at the same time as their cost of living is soaring.

"The Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, Richard Lochhead said that Aslef had to be sensible in seeking a better deal than the 2.2% offer. While the Transport Minister attempted to lay the blame for the current impasse on the trade unions, despite the fact that we have repeatedly said we are prepared to talk anytime, anyplace and anywhere yet this offer continues to be ignored by ScotRail management.

He aid the "language and behaviour" of Scottish ministers have too often been "inflammatory, unreasonable and factually incorrect".

"There is also a complete lack of transparency around the backroom, negative, role being played by ministers and officials in your government," he wrote.

"We want to work with the Scottish Government and ScotRail to make Scotland’s railways world-leading.To use Richard Lochhead’s language, we want to reach a ‘sensible’ outcome with a meaningful offer made to Aslef members, which would help end the current impasse."

Last week ScotRail confirmed a decision to axe services was the result of a driver shortage exacerbated by two pay disputes involving the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) and Aslef unions after the rejection of a 2.2% pay rise.

ScotRail says the temporary but indefinite timetable has come as a result of the drivers pay dispute which has meant some refusing to take up the option of working rest days and Sundays.

The Herald:

The swingeing rail cuts in Scotland have been criticised as the worst seen in a generation.

Last week the transport minister described the practice of rest day working as “outdated” and that the Scottish Government was looking to phase it out.

She also said ScotRail would not have to rely on it when the delayed driver training has been completed and that this was expected to take a few months.

But ministers have confirmed that the vast majority of a new batch of drivers will not be trained up by the end of this year.

Mr Lindsay said: "For too long ScotRail has suffered from serious mismanagement. If you run a seven-day service like it is a six-day service, dependent on drivers working overtime and their rest days then this speaks to their incompetence.

"We need to be honest with each other and the travelling public about the depth of ScotRail’s mismanagement failure. The number of new drivers that are needed to provide a seven-day service is so much more than the ‘130’ figure being used by ministers and ScotRail in their media spin.

"This number would barely plug the gap that occurs naturally each year when drivers retire from the service or leave because of other reasons such as ill-health.

"For ScotRail to end the need for drivers working overtime and rest days, they need to recruit many more drivers. But the last I looked, despite the misinformation peddled last week by the Transport Minister, ScotRail are not advertising for new drivers on their website and there is no driver apprenticeship scheme similar to England and Wales."

He claimed the cuts have gone deeper than the driver shortage, saying there has been a 30% cut to services despite there being only a 20% shortfall in drivers if they decide to not work overtime or rest days.

He said the outcome of this is drivers "sitting in their depot mess halls" instead of driving trains.

He added: "ScotRail chief operating officer, Joanne McGuire, recently promised that early morning and late-night services would be protected when service cuts were introduced. This is clearly not the case with the new train timetable damaging Scotland’s night-time economy and the ability of workers to get to work in time because of that promise not being kept and early morning and late-night services being butchered. The question is who interfered to undermine the promise made by Joanne McGuire?

"We urgently need to see progress and a de-escalation of this situation. The Scottish public demand it. They need to get to and from work, leisure, and important cultural and sporting events satisfactorily and this needs a full service that is invested in, not cut.

"We have said repeatedly we want to return to talks - we stand ready whenever they are called to meet with ScotRail and the Scottish Government anytime, anyplace and anywhere.

"Sadly, up until now there has been negative political interference, it is now time for positive political intervention and leadership from you with an instruction to ScotRail to enter as a matter of urgency meaningful pay talks with the full intention to sensibly settle these pay negotiations."

Of 130 would-be drivers that are in the system, 38 drivers were expected to be trained by the end of the summer, rising to 55 by the end of the year and to 100 by June 2023. It is estimated it takes a minimum of 18 months to train up a driver.

Scottish Conservatives feared that meant that cuts revealed in a new “temporary” timetable will remain in place in 2024 because of the delay in training.

The service is reliant on drivers doing overtime to work on normal rest days to keep trains running. Unions say the service is run on a six-day per week basis with Sunday not classed as a working day. The train drivers union Aslef argued the ScotRail system has always been "understaffed" and that working rest days and Sundays was optional.

David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “The temporary timetable only came into operation today and it’s not possible to say how long it will be in place.

“We’re keen to resolve the dispute as soon as possible and the timetable will operate for as long as it needs to in order to provide a dependable service to our customers.

“There will be a review of the timetable and if we’re able to return it back to normal, or make improvements, we’ll make sure we advise customers through our usual channels, the website, our mobile app, and social media.

“We’re sorry to our customers for the disruption they’ve faced, and we share their frustration.”