By Derek Kotz
Industrial reporter

ABELLIO SCOTRAIL conductors staged a fourth day of “rock-solid” strike action today in pursuit of a fair deal on payment for rest-day working.

On the eve of the STUC conference, the RMT union vowed to seek solidarity from the wider trade union movement as the Dutch-owned franchise aimed to “line their pockets at workers’ expense” before its tenure ends next March.

The conductors have given notice of their intention to strike every Sunday until mid-June.

The dispute has turned increasingly bitter, with the company accusing staff who have kept the railways running through the pandemic of targeting other key workers.

The move backfired spectacularly, as ticket inspectors voted overwhelmingly to strike over the same issue and are now scheduled to join the Sunday stoppages from May 2, leaving bosses “disappointed” at the result.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “Our ScotRail conductors are standing rock-solid once again on the fourth day of strike action in this dispute, which is all about basic pay justice and equality with other grades.

“RMT revealed this week that boardroom excess at Abellio is rife, with top bosses’ pay budgets shooting up by more than a third while the‎ front-line staff are told there’s no money for a fair deal.

“It is frankly disgusting that these same staff, who have kept Scotland’s key workers moving during the pandemic, have been repaid with a kick in the teeth from this greedy and cynical company who are determined to milk every penny they can out of the dying months of this franchise.

“RMT will be taking the ScotRail campaign for workplace justice to the Scottish TUC this week and we have no doubt that the labour movement will give us every assistance in ratcheting up the pressure on the political leadership in Scotland for an intervention that will end this pay scandal on their watch.”