Workers on the Caledonian Sleeper are set to strike from Sunday against a lack of concern for RMT union members safety and wellbeing. 

Rail union RMT slammed SERCO for refusing to engage in serious talks on Wednesday. 

Strike action was sparked by claims workers have been given insufficient berths for rest periods causing the staff to be fatigued. 

The union raised concerns of members endangering their own safety due to fatigue. 

READ MORE: Watch hilarious moment ScotRail ruins views of anticipated Harry Potter train in Clydebank

Sleeper Hosts and Sleeper Team Leaders working for SERCO Caledonian Sleeper have been instructed not to book on for any shifts between 5.30pm on Sunday, October 4 and 5.30pm on Tuesday, October 6. 

Strike action is also set to take place the following week from 5.30pm on Sunday, October 11 until 5.30pm on Tuesday, October 13.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "It is appalling that SERCO have tossed away the opportunity to resolve this dispute and that failure on the companies part leaves them wholly responsible for the cancellation of services. 

“RMT members on SERCO Caledonian Sleeper are absolutely determined to seek justice in this dispute and I know that this will be displayed by full support across the service for this industrial action. We had a chance to broker a settlement yesterday but SERCO have blown it. 

“A clear message has been sent to management by their staff and it is now time for the SERCO management to respond in a meaningful and positive way to the serious safety issues at the heart of this dispute.‎”

RMT member were instructed to take action short of strike between the strike actions, including not agreeing to any rest day working or higher grade duties or voluntary overtime.

Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s Managing Director for Caledonian Sleeper, said: “We are deeply disappointed and frustrated that this action is going ahead at a time when everyone’s focus should be on maintaining vital Scottish transport links.

"Consequently, we have decided to cancel our services on the evening of 4 and 5 October. We are in the process of contacting guests to inform them and apologise and they will, of course, receive a full refund.

“This action is completely unjustified. Less than a third of our workforce voted in favour of industrial action and our employees working on board the trains have received full pay during the pandemic, despite working reduced hours.”

“When some of our employees raised concerns about fatigue, we brought in an independent fatigue specialist to conduct a fatigue risk assessment on our services.  He has completed his Report which clearly concludes that not only is Caledonian Sleeper operating within all regulations, but that only two people raised the issue of additional rooms for hosts, which has become the RMT’s main demand. It is therefore extremely disappointing that we currently remain in a position of being unable to resolve the dispute on a subject that only two people raised during the fatigue risk assessment process.

“Despite the findings of the Report and our offer to continue to engage with ACAS, which still stands, the RMT has refused to engage in negotiations to bring this dispute to a resolution, unless their unreasonable demands for rooms for every host are met.”

“We remain fully committed to finding a resolution to the dispute and continue to be available for meaningful discussions to take place.”