Scottish banks hit by strike

STAFF at the Royal Bank of Scotland today went on strike in protest at its decision to open some of its branches on a Scottish bank holiday.

Finance union Unifi said a majority of its members at RBoS voted last month to stay at home today, which is a traditional bank holiday north of the border.

A total of 105 branches in Scotland have opened, about a third of the total number, with reduced opening hours from 11am to 3.30pm.

The bank said: 'There are no problems whatsoever. As expected, we had more than enough volunteers, all the branches are open. It is a complete damp squib.'

Union spokesman Rob MacGregor said the Royal Bank of Scotland was the only Scottish bank that had refused to offer staff overtime pay or days off in lieu of working on January 2.

He claimed there was evidence some staff had been instructed to work, in spite of the bank's insistence that all those working today had volunteered to do so.

Mr MacGregor said: 'It's recognised by just about everybody as a public holiday. What the bank has basically done is Anglicise the bank holidays in Scotland. We have anecdotal evidence that people have been told they are required to work and action will be taken if they don't.

'There is not going to be a huge amount of business today and the bank clearly accepts that because it's reduced the opening hours.'