Strike by rail workers on Caledonian Sleeper to go ahead amid pay row

Planned strike action by rail workers on the Caledonian Sleeper service will go ahead this week amidst a pay dispute.

Rail union RMT has confirmed that staff will take action between Thursday, November 11 from 11.59pm until 11:58pm on Saturday, November 13.

Action was previously taken on the service at the start of COP26 on October 31 until November 2.

The union has claimed that since then, there has been a “marked increase in the bullying and harassment of staff” which it says has been “deliberately engineered to undermine morale”. ‎

Caledonian Sleeper has been asked for a comment.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch took aim at the political leadership in the Scottish Parliament over the strike.

“Caledonian Sleeper have had adequate time to come up with a fair pay settlement for this key group of Scotland’s rail workers as COP26 enters its second week,” he said.

“Instead, they have kicked the can down the road and left us with no option but to go ahead with this latest phase of action from Thursday.

“We know that these strikes will close rail services in and out of Scotland but the blame for that lies with Serco and the political leadership at Holyrood.

“It’s time for all parties to take the Caledonian Sleeper workers seriously, get back round the table and give these staff at the frontline of our green transport services the justice, respect and reward they deserve.”