The COP26 climate change conference will be taking place in Glasgow for a fortnight from this Sunday.
Names such as Joe Biden, Barack Obama and the Queen are among the 30,000 people expected to descend on Scotland’s largest city during the summit.
Nicola Sturgeon has described the event as the world’s ‘last chance’ to tackle climate change.
And while world leaders debate over the strategy to prevent a climate catastrophe, Scotland’s public transport system is expected to be crippled.
ScotRail workers are set to walk out from November 1, with union chiefs claiming that zero of the firm’s trains will operate during the climate change summit.
Here is everything we know about the industrial action so far.
Why are ScotRail workers going on strike?
ScotRail members of the RMT voted in favour of industrial action during the COP26 summit earlier this month.
The trade union said that the strike action was ‘forced on them’ amid a dispute over pay and conditions.
Strike action is set to take place from November 1 to 12, which aligns with the duration of the major climate change conference.
On October 15, it was revealed that rail workers were offered a pay rise of 4.7% over two years - which was branded ‘lousy’ by union chiefs.
Michael Hogg, RMT Regional Organiser for Scotland, told the BBC that it would be a ‘kick in the teeth’ to workers if current demands are not met.
Earlier today, the RMT confirmed that strike action will go ahead after the union’s members rejected a ‘revised pay offer’.
It has been reported that workers will be given until 5pm on Wednesday to accept the offer or it will be taken off the table entirely.
The union slammed the Scottish Government and ScotRail for their ‘inaction’ in resolving the pay dispute.
Mick Lynch, RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch, said: “RMT is a democratic organisation and following a string of impassioned speeches by ScotRail delegates our AGM has voted to reject this offer, to support our Scottish members and to press ahead with the action throughout COP26.
“We have been given a wholly arbitrary deadline of 5pm on Wednesday to accept this deal or the whole pay offer will be pulled. You cannot conduct serious negotiations with that sort of gun pointed at your head.
“Our message to Nicola Sturgeon, Transport Scotland, Abellio and Serco is that there is still time to resolve the pay disputes but it requires some serious movement, the lifting of bogus deadlines and genuine talks. The union is available to get those talks on anytime, any place, anywhere.”
Will any ScotRail trains run during COP26?
Union chiefs have insisted that zero ScotRail trains will operate during the climate change conference.
RMT Regional Organiser Michael Hogg told the BBC that ‘every service’ will be affected by the strike action.
ScotRail said that it is doing every possible to ‘avoid’ strikes during the conference, but has plans to run a ‘very limited’ service in case talks break down once again.
In a statement, the rail firm said: “We’ll do everything possible to avoid strikes during the event. However, should the strikes go ahead between November 1 and 12, we will look to run a very limited rail service in order to support travel to and from COP26. Any changes to service levels will be confirmed should strike action go ahead.”
What has the Scottish Government said about the strike action?
SNP Transport Minister Graeme Dey said that he had ‘ no idea ’ why workers are planning on taking strike action during the climate change summit.
On October 15, Mr Dey said that the RMT had been offered a “very fair” deal.
Speaking to BBC he said: “A very good offer has been made to this trade union and to other trade unions, and we would encourage them to take that forward.”
When asked if it was the final offer, he added: “It is the best offer that can be made in the circumstances and I think the fact that the other three trade unions have taken the position they have reflects the recognition of that on their part.
The Scottish Government said that it is ‘keen’ to see the pay dispute resolved before the beginning of COP26 on Sunday.
They also claimed that the RMT rejected the offer of a rise in pay ‘nearly two weeks’ after it was made.
A spokesperson for Transport Scotland, the Scottish Government’s transport agency, said on Friday: “In the interest of collective bargaining, we understand that ScotRail would need to re-engage all four unions to determine next steps.
“The RMT leadership has made clear its problem is with rest-day working and that would need to be the focus for any further discussions.
“We are keen to see this issue resolved ahead of Cop26 so everyone who works in Scotland’s railways can play their part in welcoming the world to our country and showcase our efforts towards building a greener, cleaner railway.”
