Thousands gather across Scotland to protest rising cost of living
A number of demonstrations were held across the country today.
Last updated 1st Oct 2022
Thousands of protesters have gathered on the Buchanan Galleries steps in Glasgow as energy prices reached a new record high.
Activists from the Enough Is Enough campaign joined striking unions in the city on Saturday afternoon.
Energy price cap rise kicks in
The campaign began in response to the rising cost of living, with the Glasgow protest part of a national day of action tied in to the October 1 increase in the energy price cap.
The rally was addressed by trade unionists and politicians with chants of "Tories, Tories, Tories! Out, out, out!" and "the workers, united, will never be defeated".
Chris Mitchell from the GMB union, who became well known in the city for his rousing speeches during the Glasgow bin workers strike during Cop26 in November 2021, told the protesters: "You should be proud of yourselves today.
"The working class are alive and kicking!"
The protest comes as average energy bills surged by 56% on October 1 with Ofgem setting the amount that a household pays for each kilowatt hour of electricity it uses at 34p, up from 28p.
Rail and postal strikes
Meanwhile, people braved the rain in Edinburgh to show their support for rail and postal workers taking strike action.
Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) voted "resoundingly" to take industrial action against the companies they say have failed to give workers a pay rise matching inflation.
Network Rail workers who are members of RMT began the first of two 24-hour walkouts on Saturday and will do so again on Saturday October 8.
ScotRail passengers faced disruption across the network on Saturday, with just a handful of services across the central belt and east coast running.
While the rail operator usually runs about 2,150 services per day, over the next two Saturdays it will only run 379 trains on 11 routes across the central belt, Fife and the borders.
ScotRail drivers are not striking but drivers across other companies such as LNER and the TransPennine Express will walk out on Saturday.
David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said the knock-on effects of the industrial action would impact services on both Sunday October 2 and Sunday October 9 as well.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: "Despite our best efforts to compromise and find a breakthrough in talks, rail unions remain intent on continuing and co-ordinating their strike action.
"This serves only to ensure our staff forgo even more of their pay unnecessarily, as well as causing even more disruption for our passengers and further damaging the railway's recovery from the pandemic.
"Passengers who want to travel this Saturday, and indeed next Wednesday and next Saturday, are asked only to do so if absolutely necessary. Those who must travel should expect disruption and make sure they check when their last train will depart."
Meanwhile, postal workers from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) also walked out on Saturday in an ongoing dispute over changes in working terms and conditions.
Kevin Lindsay, Aslef's Scottish organiser, was at Edinburgh Waverley on Saturday morning to show members his support.
"What we're saying is we deserve a pay rise," he said.
"We've not had a pay rise on the railways for three years on our cross-border services and that's not acceptable.
"We've tried to sit down with the employer to reach an agreement.
"This is a politically-driven dispute.
"We've targeted the Conservative Party conference: make it more difficult for them, make them suffer the same as commuters are having to suffer, the same as ordinary people are having to suffer.
"The solidarity and the strength of feeling is huge. Look at the numbers who have turned up here today.
"The support we're getting from members of the public is unbelievable.
"What's jumping out loud and clear is Great Britain needs a pay rise."