Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Steph Brawn

Strike action to shut Holyrood to public on Wednesday

THE public will be blocked from accessing the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday due to industrial action.

Members of the PCS union intend to strike across the whole of the UK which means only full passholders and committee witnesses will be able to get into Holyrood.

Parliamentary business will continue to run but there will be no access to the chamber or committees for the public, and tours and events will not take place.

The building will close at 7.30pm and the car park and shop will be shut. Any vehicles in the car park should be removed by 7.30am on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for PCS said: "PCS members are sending a very clear signal to employers that they will not back down in the pursuit of a fair deal on pay and their terms and conditions.

"Our members deserve a fair pay rise and we will not stop our campaign until employers put money on the table."

A rally will be held on The Mound in Edinburgh at 12.30pm with speakers set to include PCS national executive member John Jamieson, UCU Scotland president Lena Wånggren, Deputy General Secretary of the Scottish Trade Union Congress, Linda Somerville, and Gordon Martin, RMT regional organiser.

The PCS union has more than 23,000 members in Scotland and more than 130,000 PCS civil service and public sector members will be on strike on Wednesday across the UK.

During the last bout of strike action at the Parliament, the Greens refused to take part in parliamentary business and declined to cross picket lines.

Some other Labour MSPs also said they would not cross picket lines, including Richard Leonard and Carol Mochan.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.