A RAIL strike that was expected to paralyse the train network on the weekend of the Scottish Cup final has been suspended.
ScotRail services were facing industrial action on the day of the clash at Hampden between Celtic and Motherwell on Saturday (May 19).
However, the Sunday Herald has learned that the TSSA transport union has placed the strike on hold as "a show of goodwill".
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: "Our members’ concerns haven’t gone away. CCTV operators are overstretched as a result of ScotRail cutting 20 per cent of their staff through voluntary severance last autumn.
“However, we are very conscious of the threat to public safety that calling CCTV staff out on strike on the day of the Scottish Cup Final creates.
"Our members work closely with the British Transport Police to ensure the safety of our travelling public every day of the year and we don’t want to compromise this on the Cup Final day.
"We really hope both sets of fans have a lovely day out in Hampden."
The union claims staff are "overstretched" following acceptance of 17 applications for voluntary redundancy from 22 specialist staff, and said a strike scheduled for June 11 would still take place. It is holding talks with ScotRail and wants staff numbers to return to previous levels.
“As a show of goodwill, we are suspending the strike on Cup Final Day, to allow those discussions to continue," Cortes added.
Meanwhile, ScotRail welcomed the strike suspension, and the Scottish Government said: “We are pleased to see the industrial action planned for next weekend called off.
"This dispute is ultimately a matter for ScotRail and the TSSA, and we would encourage them to continue dialogue to resolve this for the benefit of staff and passengers alike.”
A Scottish Government spokesman added: “We are pleased to see the industrial action planned for next weekend called off.
“This dispute is ultimately a matter for ScotRail and the TSSA, and we would encourage them to continue dialogue to resolve this for the benefit of staff and passengers alike.”
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