SCOTRAIL faced a flurry of cancellations this weekend as a work-to-rule among driver managers takes hold.

The train operator, which is owned by the Dutch state, imposed a change to the roles on driver team managers (DTMs) in July, obligating them to drive up to three drivers’ shifts a week in addition to their normal duties.

But the TSSA has called a work-to-rule across the grade, with DTMs refusing to drive trains.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Our members are rightly aggrieved. ScotRail have acted like arrogant bully boys trying to force a change in job description on our members.

“But they underestimated our members’ determination to stand up for themselves.

“This is a dispute ScotRail made for themselves.

“If they’d engaged in reasonable consultation with us, like we asked, we would not be in dispute now.

“And of course, if they’d recruited enough train drivers in the first place rather than relying on overtime and bully-boy tactics then there wouldn’t be a problem.”

The union believes that covering three shifts a week would leave DTMs with inadequate time to carry out their main duties, including crucial driver training exercises.

“We are available to talk to the ScotRail any time, any place, anywhere — so long as they are willing to guarantee that they won’t order DTMs to drive trains,” Mr Cortes said. 

“Otherwise they can expect to see more disruption to trains.”

A ScotRail spokesman said: “More than 98 per cent of our services operated on Saturday and more than nine out of 10 of those services met their punctuality target.

“We are recruiting more drivers and conductors so that we can continue to give customers the service they expect and deserve.”