Subway staff in Glasgow are planning a series of strikes that will hit the first Rangers home games of the new league season.

Unite members have voted to strike for four days in August.

The first walkout is scheduled for Saturday, August 6, when Rangers host Kilmarnock at Ibrox.

Two other planned strike days will also hit Rangers home matches.

Members are in dispute over changes to duty schedules.

Willie Thomson, Unite industrial officer, said: “The strike ballot is a last resort for a hardworking and loyal workforce.

"Time and again the workers have gone above and beyond by keeping the Subway running during Covid, and through a time of significant staff pressures.

“Our members are angry about the unfair duty rosters which have resulted in imposed shift changes at short notice.

"This is detrimental to our members’ work life balance. SPT should be in no doubt as to our members’ determination to have these rosters changed.”

Further strikes are planned for Tuesday, August 9, when Rangers play Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League, and Saturday, August 13, when they play St Johnstone at Ibrox, and Saturday, August 27, when Ross County travel to Ibrox.

Unite said its members voted 99% in favour of strike action.

The union said Unite members are increasingly being called into work shifts at short notice leading to significant work-life pressures. 

It said: “Discussions with SPT have failed to give members assurances over family responsibilities, and that personal time away from work will be respected."

The union represents more than 200 members at SPT including train drivers and station staff. 

Antony Smith, SPT Director of Subway,  said: “It is disappointing that this is the course of action Unite members have decided on.

"Over the last few months, we have had a number of constructive meetings and open sessions with all Subway operations staff to hear their concerns and grievances. 

"We only ever re-roster staff at short notice for emergencies in order to keep the system running.

"We have not needed to re-roster staff since the last football match of last season, nor did we during the last three big events in the city.  We have no plans to do so for the August matches and this has been made clear to staff.

“We remain committed to continuing that dialogue and to finding better ways to work together to deal with issues as they arise.”