20.04.16
Sturgeon attacks ‘absurd’ ban on Scottish public sector operating rail
Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has pledged that the SNP will allow Scottish public sector bodies to bid to run Scotland’s railways if they are re-elected in next month’s elections.
In a speech to the Scottish Trade Union Congress conference, Sturgeon called it “an absurd position” that public sector bodies from other countries can run Scottish railways but Scottish public sector bodies cannot.
She said the SNP’s manifesto will include a pledge to use their newly devolved powers under the Smith Commission to change this, and hinted that the SNP would prefer full nationalisation to a tendering process.
Sturgeon said: “We will continue to have to tender services - it will not be within our gift to change that. But our manifesto will make clear that a re-elected SNP government will use new powers to change the law to ensure that in future a Scottish public sector body will be able to bid to run Scotland’s railways.”
Trade unions frequently take a stance against the takeover of rail franchises by foreign public sector bodies. For example, RMT and TSSA protested at the granting of the Northern rail franchise to Arriva, which is owned by German state railway company Deutsche Bahn.
The Scottish government recently granted extra funding to ScotRail to allow them to introduce 200 additional services from 2018.
(Image c. Dominic Lipinski from PA Wire and Press Association Images)