STUBBORN ScotRail bosses have snubbed workers’ requests for talks to avert strikes planned for next week, their union RMT revealed yesterday.

The union wrote again to ScotRail calling on the company to “stop dragging its heels” in finding a solution and to “take the safety concerns of the union and its members seriously” by returning to the negotiating table.

The dispute centres around the extension of driver-only operation (DOO) and expecting drivers to take over more safety-critical roles from other rail staff in order to downgrade their colleagues’ jobs.