THE RMT is staging an indefinite ban on overtime and rest day working on ScotRail from midnight tonight in a dispute over equal pay for rest day working.

More than 2,000 ScotRail staff who are members of the RMT are set to join the action from 00.01 on 10 October.

The problem is not the first for ScotRail in the past few days, which has been forced to withdraw three new Hitachi Class 385 sets from service after reports of a brake fault.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: ‘This dispute is about equality and justice across grades.

‘It cannot be right that the company seem to value one group of workers over another. Their approach to the rest day working payments, where they have only offered driver grades enhanced arrangements is nothing short of discriminatory.

‘A driver working rest days is no different than any other member of front line staff working rest days. Each member is giving their rest time back to help the company to help run a service to passengers.

‘All staff should be treated equally and fairly and that is all that the union is calling for. We remain available for further genuine and meaningful talks.’

ScotRail’s operations director David Simpson said: ‘We remain in discussions with RMT to resolve this matter, and we plan to operate a normal service.’