Double Scotch holidays
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• Bus staffs in Scotland took Boxing Day off in such numbers that services in Edinburgh.. Glasgow and other main towns were severely curtailed. This is not a traditional Scottish holiday and dislocation on this day is unusual. By deciding to refuse overtime working, the crews brought services to a stop in some cases and reduced frequencies substantially elsewhere.
Edinburgh had some 200 absentees, which resulted in 100 buses being cancelled. In Glasgow, which is some 900 employees below requirement, holiday working is maintained by voluntary overtime. Many bus workers decided not to take the overtime but to stay with their families.
Dundee was also hit. Country services handled by the nationalized services were also affected. The position would have been much more difficult had this been a normal working day for other employees but, as a great many travellers were also off, the dislocation was reduced. The position now developing in Scotland is difficult in that there is a growing tendency to take the English holidays and to follow with the Scottish New Year, thus providing two consecutive breaks instead of the former New Year break only.