A FORMER rail worker says his life is in tatters after being subjected to years of assaults and verbal abuse while doing his job.

Ewan Taylor was punched, threatened with a knife and even mown down by a man pushing a child in a buggy.

The 42-year-old ticket-collector became so traumatised that he became depressed, was signed off on sick leave by his doctor and eventually had to leave his job.

He says he has been left traumatised by his experience of working for ScotRail and accuses the company of not looking after its staff properly.

Ewan said: “I was just an ordinary guy who used to enjoy life.

“I’ve no confidence any more.

“I don’t go out much, just really down to my mum and dad’s twice a day.

“I’m taking medication for depression and I can’t travel on a train.

“It’s basically ruined my life.”

Ewan took an ill health deal with the rail firm, is currently unemployed and says he’s on the brink of bankruptcy.

His only solace is his passion for electric skateboarding, which lifts his mood, and he competed in the world championships in France last year.

But Ewan says the constant abuse he endured during his 10 years with ScotRail has left him a shadow of his former self.

He told the Tele said: “I’ve lost about four or five stones. It’s had a physical effect on me as well as a mental one.”

The Greenock man was assaulted at his work on four occasions but says he was verbally abused on a daily basis.

He ended up with leg cellulitis after the incident where he was rammed with the buggy.

He said: “ScotRail forced me to come back to work even on crutches or I was told I would go onto zero pay.

“Being threatened was just a way of life.

“ScotRail has no support for staff with mental health issues.

“All they do is send you to conflict resolution courses.

“When I worked at Glasgow Central’s barriers, a man came up and punched me, then walked onto the train casually eating his chips.

“He was caught – and I got £50 compensation.”

He added: “ScotRail will not ban passengers who assault staff.

“It’s very bad at Glasgow because you have to deal with all the drunks.”

Ewan was moved from Glasgow Central to Paisley then elsewhere due to the assaults.

He recalls being threatened with a knife while working on the Ayr line – over a £1.90 fare.

He also worked as a ticket inspector in Inverclyde but the attacks and abuse continued, and on his first weekend working out of Gourock, an elderly lady threw a cup of coffee over him.

He said: “I only asked her to take her wet dog off the seat.”
Ewan added: “I was attacked by four teenagers between Whinhill and Branchton on an old train with no CCTV. I had to fight them off and get into the back cab for my own safety while trying to hold it shut. 

“They landed a punch above my eye, inset,. They all piled onto the train, ripping up the seats, and also took a fire extinguisher, let it off, and tried to punch the driver.

“I wished I’d never worked for ScotRail.

“It’s basically ruined my life.

“They don’t look after their staff, they’re just interested in profit and revenue protection.

“Someone is going to get badly hurt.”

After the assault by the four boys Ewan was signed off sick by his GP.

He was still off work in September when he was hit with another terrible blow as his mum Joan fell seriously ill.

Ewan said: “She was rushed into intensive care at Inverclyde Royal and was on all sorts of machines. She was there for two weeks and then they moved her to a ward.

“We were then told she had a form of blood cancer and there was no cure for it.”

This sent him into a deeper depression, and following a meeting with a union representative, Ewan accepted a deal to leave his job.

He had hoped to set up his own printing business, but due to a council tax debt wrangle, which he says was caused by a benefits mix-up, he is as yet unable to make the fresh start he wants to move on with his life. 

ScotRail Alliance today said they couldn’t discuss individual cases but insisted there was support in place for staff suffering from mental health issues.

The company says it has an occupational health team who can refer any member of staff for counselling, paid for by ScotRail.

This concentrates on cognitive behavioural therapy, but they offer a number of treatments and follow clinical recommendations, including specialised treatment for stress, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

A spokesperson said: “In addition to this, we also have an employee assistance programme that staff can access – the programme has clinically qualified counsellors, as well as experts in legal, health and wellbeing, finance and debt support.

“We do all we can to support our staff, and offer support and treatment to ensure that every employee who needs help gets help.”