THE COLLECTIVE VOICE of Scotland’s trade unions, the STUC, has supported the Scottish Government’s announcement that the Caledonian Sleeper train service is to be taken into public ownership.
The STUC Deputy General Secretary, Dave Moxham, said: “This is a welcome move from the Transport Minister, Jenny Gilruth, and we’re pleased the Scottish Government has acted in the public interest. Our movement has long called for this service to be a public asset, not a private commodity.
“We need to ensure that real, sustained funding is allocated to the Sleeper in addition to our entire public transport network. We must take workers with us on our journey to create a greener, more affordable rail service.
“This cannot be done on the cheap and we will work with the Scottish Government to continue our journey to net-zero, creating a fairer, more sustainable transport system that works for the public, not the profiteers.”
Caledonian Sleeper is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London, in England, and Scotland. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railways in Britain, the other being the Night Riviera which runs between London and Penzance in Cornwall.
ScotRail, Scotland’s national rail franchise, was taken into public hands by the Scottish Government at the beginning of April 2022.
The Caledonian Sleeper service will now leave the hands of the controversial Serco, who have been a persistent commercial and ideological force in privatisation and contracting out.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) represents over 540,000 trade unionists, the members of 39 affiliated trade unions and 20 Trades Union Councils. It is separate from the Trades Union Congress in London.
* Sources: The STUC and general news sources