THE Scottish Government has agreed to bail out the nation's loss-making passenger services with over £170 million of public money until the end of the year, but it is making no promises about what will happen after that. Transport Minister Graeme Dey warned: "It is recognised that the current exceptional levels of support are not likely to be financially sustainable beyond the pandemic period." This lines up squarely with controversial plans to cut 300 of the least-used services from next May (RAIL 939). None of this will please the already angry RMT, ASLEF, TSSA and Unite unions, who staged a mass protest outside First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's official residence in Edinburgh on September 22, after she declined to meet them.
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