ScotRail and drivers' union return to pay talks

ScotRail and the train drivers' union Aslef have said they will return to talks in an ongoing dispute over pay.

About 700 daily services were cut on Monday after the train operator issued a temporary timetable to cope with driver shortages.

Aslef said informal talks would take place on Tuesday ahead of formal negotiations on Thursday.

Drivers have refused to work overtime and on rest days, after the union rejected a 2.2% pay offer.

Both sides had been in deadlock after the union said it was balloting members for strike action over the pay offer.

The RMT union, whose members include other railway workers who have been balloted over strike action, will also be part of the talks.

Earlier, Aslef's Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay called on ScotRail to get back to the negotiating table so the "ridiculous timetable cuts" could be withdrawn.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "I need somebody from ScotRail or Transport Scotland to come along with the authority to make a deal so we can move forward because this is damaging Scotland's economy.

He added: "I appreciate other sectors and other workers may not be on the same salaries or may not be making the same demands, but this isn't a race to the bottom, my job is to protect the terms and conditions of train drivers.

"Train drivers are telling me quite clearly they are looking for a sensible settlement that we can actually move forward on to deliver for the passengers of Scotland."

Mr Lindsay said he had also written to the first minister asking her to provide "positive political intervention" in bringing the recently nationalised train operator back to talks.

ScotRail began cancelling trains earlier this month amid the pay dispute, after many drivers chose not to work overtime or on rest days.

Due to delays in training new staff during the pandemic, it relied on drivers working extra hours in order to run normal services.

ScotRail's original Summer 2022 timetable had about 2,150 weekday services. This has now been reduced to 1,456 in the temporary timetable. The changes also mean the last train on many routes departs before 20:00.

A typical ScotRail driver salary is more than £50,000.

With drivers being offered a 2.2% pay rise and the opportunity to participate in a revenue share arrangement, the Scottish government says this would take the total package to 5%.

ScotRail's service delivery director David Simpson told BBC Scotland the operator was "always open to negotiation".

He said: "Both sides need to find a way to move this forward, to find a way to recognise the difficult financial position the industry is in after the pandemic, with a large gap between cost and revenue that the tax payer is currently filling.

"We all share the wish to get round the table, to find a way to compromise and move forward and start returning the railway to normal."

On Monday evening both ScotRail and Aslef confirmed they would meet again for further talks.

The union said it would be making no further comment until after formal negotiations on Thursday.

The RMT union, which had agreed a backdated pay rise of 2.5% in October, also declined the year's deal and is balloting members over strike action.