SIGNALLERS at a major signalling centre in Scotland are to go on strike again for four more days, but Network Rail has said that most trains will run. The dispute concerns the right of a staff member serving as a general purpose relief to be given a fixed job when one becomes vacant.

The walkouts will hit the West of Scotland signalling centre at Cowlairs in Glasgow, where RMT members are set to strike for 48 hours starting at 06.00 on 23 January, and again from 06.00 on 27 January. There has already been one 72-hour strike over the issue, between 24 and 26 December.

The union's general secretary, Bob Crow, claimed that Network Rail had 'ripped up' a long-standing local agreement, but added that the union was willing to resume talks at any time.

He said: "RMT has tried to reach a negotiated settlement to this unilateral ripping-up of a local arrangement but unfortunately the management have refused to see sense and have failed to engage with us at all since the strike action over Christmas. RMT members will not stand by while management unilaterally rip-up agreements and practices that have been in place at local level for decades.

"As a consequence of management’s continued intransigence we have no option but to go ahead with this further wave of strike action.

"RMT members are furious at this refusal to comply with a local arrangement that offers genuine career progression opportunities."

Network Rail said it did not recognise ‘slotting’ as a way of filling posts and believed in appointing on merit rather than length of service.

A spokesman said: "We have made every effort to avoid a strike, but the union’s stance – that we must remove a signaller from his post before they will negotiate – has made it impossible to reach a resolution. If the union wishes to hold meaningful discussions, without that pre-condition, we are confident a resolution can be found.

"We’re confident we will run a comprehensive service for passengers. More than 95 per cent of services across Scotland should run as timetabled. Only a small number of local Glasgow services will be reduced."

The spokesman added that the union’s claim that agreements on career progression had been breached were 'inaccurate'.