NEWS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday 7 November, 2002
STUC CALLS ON LABOUR COUNCILLORS ON GLASGOW SUBWAY BOARD TO REVERSE SACKINGS OF DRIVERS
Commenting on the decision of Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive to sack Glasgow Subway staff who failed to report for work on Wednesday, STUC General Secretary, Bill Speirs, said:
"This is an unbelievable display of arrogant, macho management which does no favours to anyone, particularly the travelling public, who have now been told that they will have no subway service until the New Year.
"The Board of the SPTE should meet immediately and overturn the management's catastrophic decision. It is unthinkable that a Board of Labour Councillors should be treating staff in this way, not least because they are endangering the whole process of public service modernisation. That they are employing a former Tory press officer to attack the subway drivers in the media, and using an anti-union bus company as part of their assault on SPTE employees makes the situation even worse.
"I would urge the SPTE to let the subway drivers get back to work, and get the trains running again.
"And I would advise anyone thinking of signing up as a SPTE scab to take these drivers' jobs to think again."
ENDS
For further information and comment, contact:
Bill Speirs