New subway strike dates clash with TRNSMT festival

Workers on the Glasgow subway will stage a strike over three consecutive days on the same weekend the city stages Scotland's biggest music festival.

Unite held three days of action last week but the latest wave will coincide with TRNSMT on Glasgow Green.

The strikes are due to a dispute between Unite the union and subway operator Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) over working conditions.

The union has claimed the underground is badly understaffed, an accusation SPT has rejected.

Unite said more than 100 workers will go on strike on Friday 11 July, Saturday 12 July and Sunday 13 July.

Around 50,000 music fans will attend TRNSMT - which is being held half a mile from the St Enoch subway station - on each of the strike days.

Headliners this year include Snow Patrol, Biffy Clyro and 50 Cent.

The union's general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Unite's members will no longer accept intolerable working conditions.

"SPT has had years to resolve the problem and has failed to do so. Our members have said enough is enough.

"We will support them all the way in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions."

The union has had a continuous overtime ban in place since 13 June and an interim offer by SPT was "overwhelmingly rejected" by its members.

Richard Robinson, SPT's director of transport operations, said the operator had worked with Unite to develop a "fair and reasonable offer" while trying to protect jobs.

He added: "We are disappointed that their members decided not to accept it.

"Unite has now called for further industrial action which will only cause further disruption to passengers at another busy time for the city.

"As discussed, and has been accepted by Unite officials, the subway is currently operating at slightly above the required headcount for current service, with the average voluntary overtime of two hours per week."

Mr Robinson said SPT would continue to seek a resolution with Unite and apologised for the disruption to passengers.

SPT last week said that season ticket holders affected by the strikes would receive one day of pay-as-you-go credit on their smartcard per affected day.

Last month's strikes coincided with three major gigs at Bellahouston Park, which concert goers often reach via walking from the subway station at Ibrox.

Singer-songwriter Sting headlined at the park on Wednesday, while rock bands Simple Minds and Stereophonics took to the stage on Friday and Saturday.

There is no sign of a resolution to the Subway strike.

Three days of action last week coincided with major open air concerts in Bellahouston Park, on the south side of the city.

Many music fans would normally have used the Subway to get close to the park.

A strike during TRNSMT won't have quite the same potential effect.

It will cause considerable inconvenience to those travelling around Glasgow.

But someone travelling into the city from outside would be unlikely to use the Subway to get to Glasgow Green, which is within walking distance of the main railway and bus stations.

However it is still an example of a union timing a strike to try to maximise its impact.

Unite would hope that even the threat of further disruption focuses minds on resolving the dispute.

A previous offer by SPT to try to deal with the concerns of Unite members was overwhelmingly rejected.

Clearly something more substantial will be needed to resolve the dispute or get the strikes suspended as a token of goodwill.