RAIL union RMT has compiled a “dossier of dirty tricks” used by senior ScotRail bosses to undermine industrial action over the extension of dangerous driver-only trains.

As the strike ballot enters its final week, RMT has accused bosses of deploying strategies to twist public opinion against industrial action by train drivers.

The dossier alleges that Scotrail managing director Phil Verster has been more concerned with puffing his punctuality statistics than with real issues around passenger safety and rights — especially for the disabled.

RMT said that he has told workers via internal staff forum Yammer to ignore passengers who could need help boarding trains.

The union said it “makes a mockery” of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch’s latest report exposing a surge in “trap and drag” incidents where passengers are caught in the doors of departing trains.

General secretary Mick Cash slammed ScotRail for its “campaign of lies, deceit and dirty tricks.”

“The union is appalled that the company appear to be advising staff to override standard practice at the platform/train interface,” he added.

RMT have also warned that weekend trains have been cancelled because ScotRail does not employ enough staff and tries to operate on overtime while blaming workers for roster gaps.

Last week, the union also revealed that ScotRail had inflamed the current situation by “training up an army of ill-equipped scab managers to try and break any future action.”

In a post on Yammer, Mr Verster said: “We already safely move more than 57 per cent of our customers with driver-only trains. The real issue is about the number of conductor roles and not how we operate.”