On the picket line at Glasgow Subway strike

The Scotsman

Strike action to stop SPT Glasgow subway after interim offer rejected  Over 100 Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) workers to take action  Unite can confirm that strike action involving over 100 Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) workers is set to bring the Glasgow subway to a stop after an interim offer was overwhelmingly rejected.   Strike action is now set to take place on Wednesday (25 June), Friday (27 June) and Saturday (28 June).   A continuous overtime ban has been in place from 13 June.  Action was suspended on Saturday (21 June) to allow a ballot to be held on the interim offer on pay, terms and conditions.   The dispute centres on the working conditions of the SPT workers as Unite believes the subway system is ‘struggling’ to operate due to chronic understaffing.    Train drivers and station staff are routinely working up to 10 hours beyond contracted hours (39 hours) a week to keep the system operating without any improvements to the shift, overtime, and weekend allowances.   Unite members are also repeatedly called in to work shifts at short notice leading to significant work-life pressures.     Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s Glasgow subway members are fed up with SPT's half measures and failure to deliver decent working conditions.      “It has had every opportunity to sort out understaffing, shift pay and working hours. The workers have rightly said enough is enough because the subway is running on empty. SPT know what it needs to do to resolve the dispute but has entirely failed to act. “   Andrew Brown, Unite industrial officer, said: “The offer tabled by SPT was overwhelmingly rejected by our members.   “Strike action is now set to take place over a series of days bringing the subway to a stop. SPT has only itself to blame for failing to come up with any workable solution to this dispute which stretches back to last year."

Transcript

00:00Andy Brown here for United Union. We're at Govan Subway Station, obviously on the picket line this morning.

00:06It's been a culmination of things over the years. The amount of workload that's been put on people

00:12increasingly stretching our members day to day, week to week, and our members have said enough's enough.

00:21They've decided that if they want to continue operating this service that they need proper recognition

00:28through their better terms and conditions. Today out in strength we've got the station assistants, the station masters,

00:34and the drivers, so all the people that are integral to the operation of the subway.

00:40Obviously we've got these three dates, which is today, Friday 27th and Saturday 28th,

00:46but we do obviously have an active mandate and further dates may be served.

00:51How strong is the feeling on the picket line?

00:54Oh, absolutely. It's completely solid. Our members have said enough's enough.

01:00They've been very vocal on that. As you'll have seen, the weekend just passed,

01:05the company had made an interim offer, and that offer was overwhelmingly rejected.

01:09Our members are not looking for an interim offer. They're not looking for a halfway deal.

01:13They're looking for a full, complete deal that sees their terms and conditions better,

01:17that sees that when they're off sick, that they're properly looked after to make a full recovery

01:22and come back to work. And ultimately it's about making sure that whatever increased hours,

01:29whatever increased loads are there in the future and what's there today is properly recognised.

01:35What sort of feedback do you get from the general public?

01:39This morning it's been generally quite positive. Most people have been coming and engaging with us.

01:45Obviously they understand it's ordinary working men and women, the same as ourselves,

01:50and they're supportive of what we're having to do. They understand, obviously,

01:56it's not where our members want to be and it's not where they want to be,

01:59but they fully accept that this is the last straw.

02:04If you had a message for the people who make the decisions, what would it be?

02:08It's time to look deep in their pockets, look deep in themselves,

02:13come back to the negotiating table and let's make a deal.

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