THE SNP's transport minister should resign if Scotland's train services are crippled by strike action during COP26, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have said.
The party spoke out after Graeme Dey told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme "the signs are not optimistic" that strike action can be averted.
ScotRail faces industrial action throughout COP26 after the RMT union rejected a "pitiful" pay offer.
The global climate summit, which will take place between October 31 and November 12, will see more than 25,000 delegates descend on Glasgow.
Scottish LibDem transport spokeswoman Jill Reilly said: "We are talking about delegates from around the world being unable to attend the most important climate summit of all time.
"Hotels in Edinburgh and elsewhere are booked out for this conference but their guests are unsure if they will even be able to reach the venue.
"The travelling public have now had six months of reduced services on the railways, it’s not like this has come out of the blue.
"Stewart Stevenson resigned as transport minister [in 2010] after snow and a lack of preparedness brought key roads to a standstill.
"A rail shutdown would be a failure of equal magnitude. If the trains don't run smoothly and on time for the duration of COP26, then Graeme Dey should resign.
“The eyes of the world will soon be on Scotland. Ministers need to stop grandstanding and hammer out a deal that gets the trains running."
The Scottish Conservatives urged union leaders to cancel the planned strike action.
Tory transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: “Industrial action by the RMT at this time would be deeply irresponsible – and we strongly urge them to rule it out.
“The SNP Government should have acted far sooner to break the deadlock - but the RMT must look at the bigger picture on the eve of COP26.
“Strike action could cripple Glasgow’s transport network when the eyes of the world are on the city, doing huge damage to Glasgow’s reputation.
“Unless there is a speedy resolution, working people could be prevented from getting to their work, including frontline doctors and nurses at the QEUH or Royal Infirmary.
“This is not a time for opportunism or political games, when Glasgow is about to be the focus of the world’s attention.”
Rail services in Scotland have been crippled for months by strike action, with few trains running on Sundays on major routes.
Three other unions have since settled their disputes with ScotRail.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch previously said there "is still time to resolve the pay disputes but it requires some serious movement, the lifting of bogus deadlines and genuine talks".
He added: "The union is available to get those talks on any time, any place, anywhere."
Binmen and school cleaners, janitors and catering staff in Glasgow will also walk out during the climate event over a pay row with Cosla, the umbrella body that represents councils in Scotland.
Former Unite general secretary Len McCluskey weighed in on the levels of industrial action being seen in Scotland.
“I’ve never met a worker who likes being out on strike – workers take strike action because of that frustration, because they feel there’s a sense of injustice,” he told BBC Radio Scotland today.
“It’s easily resolved – around the table the appropriate individuals could come up with the type of offer where the workforce feels they are being respected.”
He added there is always a “dilemma” when public service workers take strike action, because “innocent members of the public suffer”.
“It’s why, in my experience, workers are always that much more careful about making that decision.”
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