RMT News September 10 by RMT Union

ISSUE NUMBER 8, VOLUME 12

SEPTEMBER 2010

Essential reading for today’s transport worker

IS IT SAFE? Union demands government action on coroners’ verdict that Potters Bar could happen again

THE RD F F O SEND T POSTCAIS TH POS FREE LOSED IN YOUR ENC ZINE TO ND MAGA TO DEMAAT MP RNESS FAI ORK W

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FIGHTING FOR TRADE UNION RIGHTS PAGE 8

NO TO EU AUSTERITY PAGE 11

VICTORY AT TUBELINES PAGE 21

www www.rmt.org.uk w rm rmt org uk

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contents Page 4

TUBE RUNAWAY HIGHLIGHTS SAFETY FAILURES Page 5

RMT DEMANDS RE-INSTATEMENT OF TRACK LOOKOUTS

RMTnews

EDITORIAL

IS IT SAFE?

Page 6

LEAKS AND INJURIES IN THE OFFSHORE ENERGY SECTOR ON THE RISE Page 7

SUFFOLK DERAILMENT UNDERLINES GUARD’S ‘CRUCIAL’ ROLE Page 8

IT’S TIME TO RESTORE THE RIGHT TO STRIKE Page 10

NO TO EU AUSTERITY! Page 12

“DO YOU WANT SOMETHING TO DRINK WITH THAT?” Page 14

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO PRIVATISE FERRY SERVICES Page 15

IT’S TIME TO RESTORE THE RIGHT TO STRIKE Page 10

NO TO EU AUSTERITY! Page 12

“DO YOU WANT SOMETHING TO DRINK WITH THAT?” Page 14

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO PRIVATISE FERRY SERVICES Page 15

RMT BALLOT FOR ACTION OVER HARWICH JOB LOSSES Page 16

VICTORY AT TUBE LINES Page 17

TUBE STRIKE SOLID Page 18

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF THE LONDON TAXI BRANCH Page 20

EDUCATING RMT MEMBERS Page 22

PETE SEEGER - FOLK LEGEND Page 24

DEUTSCHE BAHN SEEKS TO RUN TRAINS THROUGH CHANNEL TUNNEL Page 25 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Page 26 OUR HISTORY Page 27 CREDIBLE CREDIT Page 29

90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MERCHANT SEAMEN’S WAR MEMORIAL SOCIETY Page 30

EAST LANCASHIRE RMT BRANCH FORMED Page 32 PEOPLES PUBS Page 37 CLASSIFIED/CROSSWORD Page 38 CREDIT UNION RMT News is compiled and originated by National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers, Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD. Tel: 020 7387 4771. Fax: 020 7529 8808. e-mail [email protected] The information contained in this publication is believed to be correct but cannot be guaranteed. All rights reserved. RMT News is designed by Bighand Creative and printed by Leycol Printers. General editor: Bob Crow. Managing editor: Brian Denny. No part of this document may be reproduced without prior written approval of RMT. No liability is accepted for any errors or omissions. Copyright RMT 2007

he Potter’s Bar inquest recently found that the deadly rail crash in May 2002 had indeed been caused by unsafe points – and it could happen again. Coroner Judge Michael Findlay Baker QC is expected to file a report under Rule 43 of the coroners’ rules. After consulting interested parties over the summer, Judge Baker has the power to report on concerns as to the circumstances which continue to create a risk to rail passengers and workers. We should all be interested in the conclusions of any such reports. In the meantime, this union has made clear to the judge our ongoing concerns for safety in a fragmented and privatised rail industry. Even more worrying, ORR director of rail safety Ian Prosser has revealed compelling evidence that Network Rail may be under-reporting up to 500 dangerous accidents a year. As a result RMT has demanded an urgent government investigation into fears that a culture of non-recording of serious incidents is rife and is directly linked to the senior management bonus culture. It is a scandal that, while half dozen NR executives have been paid £2.4 million in bonuses, this union is fighting to get wages owed to former Jarvis workers. These workers actually earned this money unlike the Network Rail executives that allowed Jarvis to go under in order to hand out the work to other contractors on the cheap. London Underground also seems to be playing fast and loose with safety in an attempt to break strike action and those members that stood up to be counted deserve all the praise they get. Such safety breaches go to the very heart of this dispute which is all about LUL hacking back staffing levels and cutting corners on safety in a dash to slash costs regardless of the implications for the travelling public. LU has tried to create the impression that the dispute is about the introduction of new technology whereas, in fact, it is about the axing of 800 frontline safety critical staff.

The station staff who apprehended a man carrying loaded guns recently, along with the staff whose vigilance also averted major fire disasters at Euston and Oxford Circus, are the very personnel whose jobs are on the block. That is what this dispute is all about. The safety record of the offshore oil and gas industry is once more in the spotlight after it was revealed that nearly 100 major oil and gas leaks occurred on UK platforms in the past year. Just after another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, the number of potentially dangerous hydrocarbon releases in British waters have reached a five-year high, any one of which could have led to another Piper Alpha disaster. There are widespread concerns that the increase in dangerous incidents may have something to do with cost concerns and the dip in the oil price. Driving down costs is also the main considerations behind plans to privatise the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and to break up of Caledonian MacBrayne lifeline ferry services in Scotland. Later this month I will be on CalMac ships, at meetings and talking to members about this threat to jobs, pay and safety. RMT is also launching a campaign in Hull this month to improve standards in the ferry sector as a whole and to campaign alongside dockworkers also threatened by low pay, social dumping and casualisation. Ultimately, the ConDem government and the European Union is lining up an all-out assault on jobs and services this autumn in a corporate-driven austerity drive. This means we need to develop broad campaigns to defend public services and trade union rights. As part of this campaign, RMT is supporting a protest in Brussels against EU austerity on September 29 and a lobby of parliament on October 13 in defence of workers’ rights, see inside for details. Best wishes

When you have finished with this magazine give it to a workmate who is not in your union. Even better, ask them to join RMT by filling in the application form opposite 3

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TUBE RUNAWAY HIGHLIGHTS SAFETY FAILURES MT has warned of diminishing safety standards on London Underground following the near collision on the Northern line last month. A defective engineering train, operated by German private sub-contractor Schweerbau, broke from its coupling to an out-of-service regular train north of Highgate station on August 13 after breaking down for a second time. The brakes of the train were locked on and it could not be moved so an LUL train had to be coupled to it before all the brakes were released and isolated. But the coupling on the sub-contracted train was not compatible with London Underground stock and an emergency coupling device had to be “bodged up” with spacers. When the coupling failed, the train - now without brakes - broke free and started to roll downhill at an increasing speed. The

two crew leapt out as the train rolled through Highgate, to avoid being part of what seemed like an inevitable collision as it came within 49 seconds of crashing into the back of a passenger train. The line controller informed the driver of an in-service train picking up passengers at Archway to immediately depart in order to escape the runaway. Passengers were told by the driver to make their way through the carriages to the front of the train while the train was going at maximum speed so that they would be at the opposite end of the train. This train raced through stations without slowing down until the runaway could be diverted on to a separate branch and was halted at Warren Street station by setting points against it. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that while LUL played down the incident it was clear that a tragedy was averted by

seconds. “In the context of continuing systematic cuts in safety on London Underground this is precisely the kind of incident we have warned has been waiting to happen,” he said.

RMT CALLS FOR URGENT FIRE INSPECTIONS AT ALL SUB-SURFACE TUBE STATIONS MT activists leafleted Euston station recently against cuts to safety and safety-critical jobs after fire detection systems at the station failed, creating a potential disaster that was only avoided by the actions of vigilant station staff. RMT has written to London Underground requesting that all fire detection equipment at subsurface stations be inspected under Section 12 Fire Regulations which were introduced after the 1987 Kings Cross fire. The Euston fire, which had close parallels with the Kings Cross disaster, was caused by mechanical friction underneath an escalator. Fire detection systems failed and the smoke was spotted by staff who activated the manual evacuation procedure and closed the station. Another fire alert was raised by Tube station staff in the

previous week in the morning rush hour at Oxford Circus where an air conditioning unit ignited and was spotted by staff who safely evacuated the station.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the two fire incidents show once again that vigilant and trained station staff are critical to spotting potential danger and activating

emergency evacuation procedures –the very staff that London mayor Boris Johnson is looking to axe in a cull of 800 tube station posts.

A video of the Euston protest can be seen on youtube at the web address below

https://www.youtube.com/user/RMTtelevision

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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RMT DEMANDS RE-INSTATEMENT OF TRACK LOOKOUTS Union calls for Network Rail to reinstate look out patrols in Lancashire and Cumbria following another runaway near Tebay RMT is demanding Network Rail re-instate lookout patrols in the Lancashire and Cumbria region following another runaway incident near Tebay where four RMT members died in a similar incident in 2004. In the latest incident on Tuesday morning at around 2am a DB Schenker freight train rolled backwards from Shap Fell, the highest point in Britain’s rail network, towards Tebay for over a mile. Only quick-thinking signalling staff in Carlisle prevented another tragedy. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that it was unbelievably reckless to remove lookouts in an area where four RMT members were killed at Tebay by a runaway rail vehicle and there was a terrible derailment at Grayrigg. “This is just the latest

incident of runaway rail vehicles including the recent events on London Underground to an incident in Scotland yet Network Rail is playing fast and loose with safety in the name of cutting costs. “We have also been calling for secondary protection for track workers during track possessions since the tragic events at Tebay in 2004. “RMT is advising members to not work if they believe it is not safe,” he said. After the publication of the report on the investigation into Grayrigg, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch report appendices made reference to the four men killed at Tebay and that it also noted the Working Arrangements particular to that area – that a lookout was considered normal practice (see right).

Network Rail’s own staff survey, which is alluded to in the RAIB’s October 2009 Runaways of Road Rail Vehicles report, states that 40 per cent of staff feel time-pressured and 20 per cent feel peer-pressured into unsafe working practices. Some of RAIB’s recommendations

from the investigation were to look at requirements of personnel and warning systems. “Even Network Rail must find it difficult to imagine that the recommendations mean a reduction of lookouts,” said Bob Crow.

Paragraph 14 on p.223 of the final ve of the RAIB rsion report on Gr ayrigg states :

“In the infr astructure maintenance manager Lanc as and Cumbria’ s area, it w hire as considered n ec lookouts eve essary to provide n circumstance under these s, in case s uc item of equi pment ran aw h an ay out of the works ite. As a consequence it was norma l practice to pl patrols woul an that all d resulting in require lookouts b twenty two s etween fifteen and taff being n ee for patrolli ng and relat ded ed lookout duti es each week movements we t re planned i hat n a worksite or in the posse ssion.”

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LEAKS AND INJURIES IN THE OFFSHORE ENERGY SECTOR ON THE RISE he safety record of the offshore oil and gas industry has been called into question following the publication of a damning report revealing nearly 100 major oil and gas leaks from UK platforms in the past year. Just months after the huge BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said that the number of potentially dangerous hydrocarbon releases in British waters had reached a five-year high. The number of leaks between April 2009 and this year was 85, against 61 over the previous year. In total there were 443 “dangerous occurrences” which included equipment failures and well problems. RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy said that every major hydrocarbon release had the potential to cause “another Piper Alpha”. “It is not uncommon to see this kind of increase when we have seen a dip in the oil price. “We had a low of $40 a barrel last year and there was a knee-jerk reaction in the industry to shelve and delay work. “I cannot prove whether that is a factor or not but it fits with historic data,” he said. HSE’s offshore division head Steve Walker warned that companies needed to “up their game”. “I am particularly disappointed, and concerned, that major and significant hydrocarbon releases are up by more than a third on last year. “This is a key indicator of how well the offshore industry is managing its major accident potential, and it really must up its game to identify and rectify the root causes

of such events. “We will continue to take a tough line on companies who put their workers at risk,” he said. No workers were killed during activities regulated by HSE – but the figures exclude incidents which occur during marine and transport activities, such as the helicopter crash in the North Sea last April which claimed 16 lives. The combined fatal and major injury rate almost doubled to 192 per 100,000 workers in 2009-10 compared with 106 in 2008-09. The main causes were slips, trips and

falls (26), workers being trapped or struck by moving objects (11), or injuries associated with moving heavy loads (5). In April, the HSE ordered all North Sea operators to check the pipeline emergency shut-down valves (ESDV) that were made mandatory after Lord Cullen's investigation into the Piper Alpha platform fire which claimed the lives of 167 offshore workers. The HSE says checks were necessary after the failure of an emergency shut-down valve and that “other ESDVs have been found to be at risk of failing in this manner".

RMT FIGHTS TO RETAIN GUARDS ON SCOTRAIL THROUGH LEGAL AND POLITICAL CAMPAIGN MT has re-focused its campaign to retain guards on Scotrail services, and its opposition to the extension of Driver Only Operation, through a renewed legal and political drive. The legal challenge will be based on the failure of Scotrail

to adhere to a binding agreement with RMT not to extend Driver Only Operations which was signed off back in 2001. The union has concrete legal opinion that the 2001 agreement is still absolutely valid. RMT will also be stepping up

the political campaign, targeted at the Scottish government, to enforce the current franchise agreement on safe staffing levels on their services which are compromised by the profitdriven dash to Driver Only Operation. The political campaign will also address the

on-going scandal of indemnities paid out from precious taxpayer funds to prop up Scotrail’s strike-breaking operations. RMT has stood down the current campaign of industrial action to allow for a concentration of energies on the legal and political objectives.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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SUFFOLK DERAILMENT UNDERLINES GUARD’S ‘CRUCIAL’ ROLE he crucial role played by the conductor of a train derailed in a level-crossing collision on the Marks TeySudbury line in Suffolk last month has underlined the importance of safety-trained guards. Twenty-one people were injured, two seriously including the driver, as the two-carriage diesel passenger train derailed in a crash with a sewage lorry on an unstaffed level crossing at Little Cornard. Suffolk. The official log of the August 17 crash at Bures records that Conductor Candice Ong, despite being injured herself, protected the back of the train, requested emergency assistance and continued to evacuate injured passengers from the train, where fuel was leaking. National Express East Anglia managing director Andrew Chivers also paid tribute to the part played by Candice – despite running a rail franchise on which most commuter services do not have a guard. RMT general secretary Bob

Crow said that the bravery and cool-headedness of Candice Ong and the text-book role she played in the derailment is a matter of record, not least from the passengers she helped. “Once again we have an incident in which everyone acknowledges the guard’s crucial role in helping passengers to safety, yet that role continues to be under attack by privateer franchises more worried about profits than safety. “RMT has been fighting a constant battle with franchises that see the guard as an unnecessary cost, when time and again they prove their worth in major and minor incidents the length and breadth of the network. “Today we should acknowledge that guards are a necessary part of the safety culture and to put a stop to any further moves to remove them,” he said. The union also renewed its call for unstaffed level crossings to be phased out of the rail network in favour of safer methods to cross the track.

COLLISION: Recovery workers inspect the wreckage after a train and a waste disposal tanker collided at an unstaffed level crossing at Little Cornard. Suffolk. Picture: Justin Tallis/reportdigital.co.uk

SERIOUS INCIDENTS NOT REPORTED AT NETWORK RAIL MT demanded an urgent government investigation into fears that a culture of nonrecording of serious incidents is rife at Network Rail and directly linked to the senior management bonus culture. Trade magazine RAIL ran an in-depth interview with the ORR Director of Rail Safety Ian Prosser who revealed compelling evidence suggesting that Network Rail may be underreporting up to 500 RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurences Regulations) accidents a year.

RAIL managing editor Nigel Harris said that the figures did not fit internationally accepted benchmarks. “Three deaths are tragedy enough – the idea that hundreds of accidents may be slipping beneath NR’s radar is unacceptable and we must get to the bottom of this. “NR safety plays an important part in the criteria on which half dozen executives have just been paid £2.4 million in bonuses – including a 100 per cent of salary bonus to outgoing CEO Iain Coucher, who

received £1.4 million “Safety is too important to be subject to anything other than diligent and accurate reporting,” he said. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the union had written to Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond demanding an urgent investigation into the under-reporting of serious accidents at Network Rail. “Not only is it a scandal that Network Rail executives pocketed £2.4 million in bonuses in the same year that three workers died on the tracks

but there is now overwhelming evidence that safety data is being rigged to hit performance targets. “With cuts to safety critical jobs and maintenance and renewals schedules set to gather pace as the ConDem Government cuts bite, the risks to both staff and passengers on the rail network will escalate dramatically,” he said. Bob said that Ian Prosser deserved credit for bringing the under-reporting of key data into the public domain and called for a full and open investigation.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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IT’S TIME TO RESTORE THE RIGHT TO STRIKE John Hendy QC outlines why trade unionists should support the Lawful Industrial Action (minor errors) Bill and the lobby on October 13 Several years ago the United Campaign was instrumental in drafting and campaigning for the Trade Union Rights and Freedoms Bill. This year we have a real chance to correct one aspect of the law that has been increasingly exploited by employers seeking to undermine the democratic voice of workers. John McDonnell’s Lawful Industrial Action (Minor Errors) Bill is due to have its Second Reading in the House of Commons on October 22, we must all ensure we give our full support to this important piece of legislation. Please attend the United Campaign’s national demonstration at Parliament in support of the Bill on October 13 2010. The Bill has been introduced in response to the recent raft of court cases which have sought to challenge the legality of the trade union ballot. In each and every case the ballots were overwhelmingly in favour of strike action and the technicalities seized upon in the courts would have had absolutely no impact upon the results of the ballot. The recent succession of court cases aimed at preventing legitimate strike action highlight

the extent to which British law imposes fetters on unions - laws which are unprecedented in Europe. These laws are inconsistent with the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Social Charter and International Labour Organisation Conventions. It is pathetic that after 13 years of a Labour government we are still saddled by restrictions on our fundamental human rights. It cannot be doubted that the legal restraints placed on trade unions have been the prime cause of the collapse of collective bargaining from 82% of workers covered when Margaret Thatcher took power in 1979 to 32% today. Nor that those restraints have prevented unions from resisting the widening gulf of inequality under both Conservative and Labour rule since 1979. The absence of the right to strike in UK law was rammed home in 2009 by the Court of Appeal in Unite v Metrobus which swiftly opened the door for the series of cases which followed. Virtually no union has escaped unscathed from this new assault on fundamental rights. The Con-Dem Government has only just begun to unleash

its plans for the devastation of the public sector. With unprecedented attacks on jobs and conditions now on the horizon, the fight back must begin in earnest. The Lawful Industrial Action Bill is focused and fair. It will mean that ordinary working people, who may be struggling to protect their pay and conditions and who have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, will not have their democratic will overruled on technical legal grounds. It is vital that all workers get behind this essential piece of legislation by lobbying their MPs in support of the Bill today. October 22 The Lawful Industrial Action (Minor Errors) Bill is due to have its second reading in the

House of Commons on October 22. In order for this to take place 100 MPs must be present. Please lobby your MP now and ask them to stay behind to ensure the Bill is debated. You can lobby your MP online at www.unitedcampaign.org.uk, it will only take a few minutes and could really make the difference. The United Campaign is organising a demonstration outside Parliament followed by a lobby of MPs on October 13. All the information is available on our website or contact [email protected]. Please send off the freepost postcard enclosed in this magazine to your MP to demand fairness at work.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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NO TO EU AUSTERITY!

RMT to join thousands of trade unionists to protest in Brussels on September 29 against European Union-led austerity measures European trade unionists will be demonstrating against austerity measures adopted recently by many European member states in line with EU economic rules. EU-led austerity measures are actively attacking public services and welfare rights, and have directly led to railway privatisation and the selling off of publically owned railway assets in Greece, Portugal and many other member states. The European Commission is even using the crisis to grab more economic powers over member states. The latest EU plans envisage that countries which break EU Thatcherite rules on budget deficits and public spending could see their EU regional aid, agriculture and fishing subsidies suspended. This proposal would not require a change to the EU treaties. Just as the Con/Dem coalition in this

country has unleashed savage public spending cuts and threatened to bring in more anti-trade union laws, each member state is doing the same as bosses try to make the workers pay for a crisis they did not cause. Yet in Greece, Spain, Portugal and other countries workers are fighting back against frenzied cuts and privatisation being carried out with the support of the European Union. The European Trade Union Confederation is staging a European Day of Action on September 29. This will be made up of a demonstration in Brussels and trade union actions across Europe. Workers will be demonstrating against EU austerity measures and to demand recovery plans in favour of quality jobs and growth. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said

that the time had come to join with workers from across Europe with a sustained campaign of strike action to defend public services against the ‘fiscal fascism’ being unleashed by the EU. “Brussels and the corporate elite it represents want to hand over our public services to the private sector jackals that unleashed this capitalist crisis in the first place. “Big capital has always used mass unemployment as a weapon to keep the workers down and this is nothing more than a return to Thatcherite form. “This kind of scorched Earth neoliberal economics being imposed by unelected eurocrats and bankers will not create jobs or a future for working people and must be resisted wherever possible,” Bob Crow said.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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Join the fight against EU austerity Demonstrate in Brussels, Belgium Wednesday, September 29

How you can get there The cost to each branch per member travelling will be ÂŁ80. It is very important that all bookings arise from a branch/regional council decision to participate as the branch regional council in question will be billed for tickets. The RMT delegation will be travelling on two trains departing the morning of September 29 and returning that evening. The first 100 bookings will be leaving at 07.30 and returning at 17.59. It is essential that members travelling as part of the first group arrive at St. Pancras by 06.45 at the latest. The second 100 bookings will be departing at 08.27 and returning at 20.17. It is essential that these members arrive at St. Pancras by 07.30 at the latest. If you have a preference as to which train you wish to travel on please state that when booking. Departure times cannot be mixed. Members will either travel on the early departure with the earlier return time, or the later departure with the later return time. It will not be possible for members to travel, for example, on the early departure and the late return. All bookings made before now will be travelling on the 07.30 departure from St. Pancras. For further information or to reserve your place, please contact Maria Santamera on [email protected] or 020 7529 8287. Please ensure that you have a valid passport for travel.

www.rmt.org.uk 11

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“DO YOU WANT SOMETHING TO DRINK WITH THAT?” RMT News looks at the reality of working for transnational food retail giant Select Service Partners on the railways

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 :: Most RMT members passing through a railway station have probably grabbed a sandwich or a cup of coffee at one of many catering outlets: an Upper Crust, or maybe Delice de France, or popped into a branch of Marks and Spencer’s ‘Simply Food’. But did you know that all of these ‘brands’ at major rail stations are in fact run by one company that employs the staff and takes your money? Select Service Partners (SSP) is a multinational food retail giant in over 30 countries worldwide. SSP runs over 1,000 outlets in the UK and employs 15,000 staff serving 250 million customers every year. Unsurprisingly, given that so many of their staff are employed on or close to minimum wage, or on so-called ‘zero-hours’ contracts, they are less keen to boast about their profits. Have you ever stopped to think about what goes on for SSP employees behind closed doors? An RMT SSP representative explained to RMT News: “For the majority of shifts SSP employees are on their feet nearly the whole time, with a basic 30 minutes break per shift. “If the work units are shortstaffed, employees are required to work through, without even a five minute toilet break and depending on the attitude of local management they may actually never be paid for working their break”. Life as an RMT rep working for SSP really is hard work faced with so many members’ problems in so many employment areas. “From low pay and under payment, to poor working conditions, staff concerns over health and safety at working in proximity to ovens, hot liquids and food preparation areas and constant reports of petty vindictive bullying and harassment. “You meet so many workers who have the same views as you: all they want is better pay, better standards, and a lot less discrimination in the workplace” we were told.

Some of SSP's most common UK brands are Pumpkin and Caffè Ritazza. “This summer when serving hot drinks in a hot environment, we received many complaints that staff were expected to work sometimes in over 40 degree heat. “The regulations do not specify a maximum indoor workplace temperature, only that ventilation must be adequate and temperatures must be ‘reasonable’. “For office work, reasonable is usually regarded as between 160C -210C. Some SSP reported they were not allowed to take extra breaks for a drink of water or to get out the hot and humid environment, under threat of deductions from their meagre wages”. There are also constant reports of victimisation, bullying and harassment from other members of staff, supervisors and managers. “Although you may be a really good employee, members still complain of being bullied into leaving their job. “Bullying is a problem no matter whether you are British, Polish or African, to them you’re an easy target because you are easy to replace. “Even in my own experience as a British worker, I have been on the receiving end of victimisation by a foreign

manager looking after their friends. “Whoever you are, without the protection of RMT you can find yourself left behind, given the worst shifts and jobs to do”. Abuse against staff by customers is sometimes too much to bear and SSP expects staff to remain ‘highly professional’ at all times, because you could be ‘marked down’ by a ‘mystery shopper’ if you’re not the 'Perfect Customer Assistant'. In the Marks and Spencer brand SSP allows cash back with credit card purchases. RMT reps have received numerous reports of customers becoming abusive to staff who are unable to give them cash at the start of shift, or if the till cash is unavailable. Some members of staff have joined SSP and work for weeks without signing the second most important document of their working career, their employment contract – of course the most important document you ever sign is an RMT membership application form. But because of lack of advice and support to new employees of SSP they experience constant poor standards and issues with pay. Our RMT rep tells us: “In my own experience, I’ve learnt

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never to take your contract for granted, because you may never get paid the hours, you are actually entitled to! “f you are on a 39 hour per week contract, you may only be rostered and paid for 35 or 36 hours. “Sick pay normally increases with length of employment, however it is not much of a benefit, since if you become sick for over a month you won’t be covered and will have to start claiming social security benefits to try and make up the money you have lost. “I’m still new to the whole RMT world, but I’ve learnt one main thing. If you have something that needs sorting don’t keep it to yourself. “There are always RMT representatives in your local station and in your branch who may be able to help. “And if not they can always put you in touch with a designated RMT rep for SSP members. “I’ve also learnt that the minimum wage for SSP employees needs to be increased - and fast!” SSP employees can join RMT at a special reduced contribution rate of £1.00 per week. Make sure you’re covered. Complete the membership application form inside this copy of RMT News, or join online https://www.rmt.org.uk/

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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Shipping film: National secretary Steve Todd announces an industrial action ballot at Harwich and warns of threatened job losses at LD Lines and threatened privatisation of Dover port and Royal Fleet Auxiliary

www.youtube.com/user/RMTtelevision or visit RMTtelevision on youtube

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO PRIVATISE FERRY SERVICES he Scottish government is currently carrying out an extensive review of the provision of ferry services in Scotland before publishing a Draft Ferries Plan up to 2022. Every ferry service is being examined, including not only those centrally funded by the Scottish government but also those supported by local authorities or without subsidy. The review is examining how current services are organised, for example whether the Clyde and Hebrides, or the Northern Isles services, should continue to be one network. The review is also exploring the level of funding given to particular routes. Funding levels could be changed to reflect the increased importance of other services if the Scottish government believes that greater value may be obtained. The review also considers devolving responsibility for services currently run by the Scottish government to local authorities or regional transport bodies. The future funding available for new ships will be looked at as well as investment requirements for ports and harbours. These questions are being examined against the backdrop of unprecedented cutbacks in public spending. It is feared that lack of funding may be used as a reason for changing current arrangements whereby the Scottish

government owns the Clyde and Hebrides fleet. New tonnage brought in from commercial operators would open up the door for them to take over certain services. Currently members working on the Clyde and Hebrides routes are employed by a publicly-owned company after Caledonian MacBrayne won the tender for running services on this network. RMT has already made representations to Scottish government officials and sent a detailed submission outlining RMT opposition to the break up of the Clyde and Hebrides network. The Scottish government concedes that many respondents have expressed very valid arguments for the retention of the existing Clyde and Hebrides network and has stated that it is not going to break up the network into smaller bundles. However consultants have now delivered their reports which form part of the formal consultation documents circulated by government officials. They are claiming that money can be saved by tendering the existing Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes separately. The routes identified in the consultation document as most suitable for tendering separately are Ardrossan to Brodick, Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, Oban to Craignure and Largs to Cumbrae and further routes may be added once further consideration has been given by the Scottish government

as to who is to take responsibility for particular routes, and also which routes will receive support. For RMT members employed on these routes this is likely to mean privatisation but also pressure for reduced pay and conditions soon after transfer. To win the tender it is likely that the new operator will promise that they can run the service on a cheaper basis. Separation and fragmentation of certain routes could also result in reduced security of employment, and reduced network benefits. This has been the experience for RMT members employed in the other sectors of the transport industry. Training and employment opportunities that arise from a larger network would also be hit. RMT national secretary Steve Todd said that the break up of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes would not just be bad for RMT members it would also affect services to local communities. “At the current time Caledonian MacBrayne can redeploy tonnage where ships break down, or there are particular difficulties due to adverse weather. “Once the network is fragmented this benefit will be lost and if Caledonian MacBrayne loses the contract to provide services the Scottish Executive might have to pay for tonnage to stand idle in addition to subsidising the individual ships operating the routes,” he said.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

THE FUTURE OF SCOTTISH FERRIES PUBLIC MEETING IN OBAN Tuesday September 21 2010 – 6.30pm, Venue: Royal Hotel, Argyll Square, Oban, PA34 4BE

CELEBRATING WORLD MARITIME DAY

RMT is convening a public meeting on the future of Scottish ferry services in Oban on Tuesday September 21 2010.

WORLD

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow will be speaking at this meeting alongside other trade unions represented within the workforce of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

MARITIME

RMT BALLOT FOR ACTION OVER HARWICH JOB LOSSES R

MT is balloting for industrial action on Stena Lines North Sea route out of Harwich over reductions in the number of UK ratings employed on their ships. Stena Line triggered the ballot by seeking voluntary redundancies as they seek to reduce the number of UK ratings on their new Harwich based ships from 90 to 85 despite the arrival of the new, larger Stena Britannica from October which should have increased employment opportunities. The company’s proposals, which would also see an increase over and above agreed numbers of Fillipino staff on the vessels, have been unanimously rejected at meetings of RMT members.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that with Stena actually expanding the scale of their operations out of Harwich the union could not tolerate a situation where the numbers of UK ratings employed are reduced. “We remain committed to protecting UK maritime jobs while at the same time campaigning for proper wages and conditions of service for our colleagues from the Phillipines and other countries. “RMT remain available for talks and we are committed to negotiating a fare settlement that protects jobs and working conditions on Stena Line out of Harwich both now and into the future,” he said.

MT is participating in activities to raise the profile of the UK shipping industry on World Maritime Day on Thursday September 23 2010. The union will be highlighting the vital role played by seafarers working on the ships servicing the Clyde and Hebrides. RMT general Secretary Bob Crow, president Alex Gordon and national secretary Steve Todd will be visiting ships during the week commencing Monday September 20 2010. They will be learning from RMT members first hand just how vital these lifeline services are to sustain the local communities. As a part of the campaign RMT has organised a public

DAY

The meeting will address the threat posed by the Scottish Government review into Scottish ferry services, and in particular the lifeline ferry services to the Clyde and Hebrides.

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meeting in Oban on the evening of Tuesday September 21 2010, 6.30pm. RMT will be inviting other trade unions and members of the local community with an interest in maintaining decent lifeline ferry services to this meeting. The ferry services to the Clyde and Hebrides, and the Northern Isles, ensure access to healthcare and schools, move freight and retain vital employment which historically is so important for a nation dependent upon the maritime sector. In Scotland over 2,000 jobs are supported by ferry operations and two thirds of these jobs are held by residents of the Highlands and Islands.

FERRY CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED MT launches a campaign in Hull this month as part of the international drive to improve standards in the North European ferry sector and to campaign alongside dockworkers who are also threatened by low pay, casualisation and undercutting. In recent years the union worked alongside other ITF affiliates from the UK, Ireland and France to safeguard jobs in the ferry sector. This solidarity work helped achieve a breakthrough for RMT with agreements secured for

minimum pay levels at Norfolk Line and which has helped tackle some of the lowest pay rates in the cross channel and Irish Sea trades. An International Transport Federation (ITF) campaign is seeking to ensure safe working practice and passenger safety are exercised within the Northern European Ferries sector by 2013. Campaign coordinator Norrie McVicar said that the impact of the Channel Tunnel as a direct competitor to the ferry sector needed to be given further consideration and analysis.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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VICTORY AT TUBE LINES IS IT SAFE?: The absence of the Emergency Response Unit from the whole network and the absence of signalling technicians on the Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines meant that staff may have been in serious and imminent danger and had a clear right to refuse to work

RMT News looks at how the union won an improved 4.2 per cent pay offer from infrastructure consortium Tube Lines The 48-hour Tube Lines strike in late June was on the face of it about pay, job security and changes to working hours but, as in all disputes, this was not the whole story. For years stories of management bullying staff, disregarding agreements and treating elected reps with contempt were commonplace, resulting in ever more vocal complaints from staff. The issue that turned grumbling into action was an attempt by management to pay for their own gross fiscal incompetence by offering a derisory one per cent pay offer and attempting to tear up agreed terms and conditions. RMT initiated a ballot on the request of the reps and this resulted in over a ninety per cent mandate to strike. Unsurprisingly, in the wake of this vote, the pay offer went up and concessions were made on rostering but no guarantees on jobs were forthcoming. At this stage, after some discussion within the union, RMT demanded that jobs were protected before any agreement could be reached. On the eve of the strike, Tube 16

Lines failed in its attempt to get the High Court to grant an injunction to get the action banned. Tube Lines bosses also met with the reps and threatened to withdraw the pay offer if the union didn’t sign immediately, but members held out for guarantees on jobs. The 48-hour strike was a tremendous success. There were only a few strike breaking managers and pickets were well attended. In addition, train drivers and some station staff refused to work on safety grounds as the emergency response unit (ERU) were on strike. RMT suspended a further planned 48-hour strike to give members time to vote on a new offer which will deliver a pay increase of 4.2 per cent this year, and RPI plus 0.5 per cent in 2011 and 2012. There was also an agreement on protection of jobs, no imposition of rosters with a clear criteria for issues such as work-life balance. Additionally, both sides have agreed to further talks on pensions and passes. RMT London regional organiser Steve Hedley said that

involvement of the emergency response unit was central to the success of the dispute and to the improved settlement. “This was an historic moment for the ERU who for the first time in living memory turned out 100 per cent in support of the strike. “The absence of the ERU from the whole network and the absence of signalling technicians on the Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines meant that staff may have been in serious and imminent danger and had a clear right to refuse to work. “This lesson has not been lost on certain managers who are seeking actively to undermine the union in this crucial grade,” he said. When drivers refused to work, senior LUL management went into meltdown threatening to sue Steve Hedley for instigating secondary action, but he calmly explained that people were acting lawfully in refusing to work when they felt they were in serious and imminent danger again we refused to be intimidated. “Astonishingly LUL managers threatened to withdraw the

legally enshrined refusal to work policy. “This was met by demands from branches to ballot the whole of LUL and the company withdrew their threat,” said Steve. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the dispute showed that even in a recession workers can win decent pay rises and defend jobs and conditions if they are prepared to fight. “While the government lecture about pay freezes and pay cuts the most recent group of workers to transfer into the public sector, through the Transport for London takeover of Tube Lines, have won a good deal. “This message will be picked up by other public sector workers who are being told that they have to take the hit to pay for the mess left behind by the bankers’ bail-out scandal. “The only defence that working people have against the cuts and austerity measures of the ConDems is a strong, fighting trade union and the Tube Lines workers have proved that point in shovel loads,” he said.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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TUBE STRIKE SOLID

RMT demands Rail Regulator investigation into breaches of post-Kings Cross fire safety rules Support for 24-hour strike action amongst both TSSA and RMT members’ earlier this month was rock solid as the two unions fight for tube safety and safe staffing levels. RMT has filed reports with the Office of Rail Regulation detailing clear breaches of safety regulations: • On the Bakerloo Line a limited “shuttle service” ran non-stop from Marylebone to Queens Park passing through six closed stations in breach of the fire regulations that stipulate if three stations in a row are closed the service should be suspended as safe evacuation would be impossible. • A similar situation on the District Line where Embankment, Temple, Blackfriars and Mansion House were closed with trains still running through in contravention of regulations. • 150 passengers dumped off a train on the Central Line at Leytonstone and forced to climb over fences to get out after managers were forced to cancel an under-staffed service in mid-stream. RMT also dismissed Transport for London claims that a normal service was running on the

Northern Line even though a large number of stations on the route are closed. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the message to the London Mayor and his transport officials was clear stop playing fast and loose with safety, stop the drive towards unstaffed stations, drop the threat of these lethal cuts and start meaningful talks on a safe and secure future for the London tube system. "Our members have shown in their rock solid support for this action that they will not sit idly by while staffing levels are hacked to the bone and the management open the door to a major disaster. “We’ve been through the Kings Cross fire, Potter’s Bar and the terrorist attacks in 2005 and the fact remains that the jobs of safety critical staff which are crucial to saving lives in an emergency are under threat," he said. RMT pointed out that the latest safety breaches go to the very heart of the dispute which is all about London Underground hacking back staffing levels and cutting corners on safety in a dash to slash costs regardless of the implications for the travelling public.

A video of the Euston Tube picket can be seen on youtube at the web address below

https://www.youtube.com/user/RMTtelevision

SAFE?: RMT London regional organiser Steve Hedley prevents safe breaches at Mile End as managers attempt to open the station in contravention of section 12 safety rules introduced after the 1987 Kings Cross fire

LU has tried to create the impression that the dispute is about new technology. In fact it is about the axing of 800 staff who are in the front line of protecting safety. RMT revealed before the strike that a Customer Services Assistant (CSA) – one of the grades under threat – apprehended a passenger loaded up at Moorgate with a Samurai sword, a bag of knives, ammunition and two loaded guns. The strike won the backing of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and ITF general secretary David

Cockroft said that the action was being taken in defence not just of jobs but of a viable Tube network. “We have seen again and again how frontline staff play a vital role when things go wrong. Who will be there to protect the public if those jobs are cut?” he said. The ITF called upon the Mayor of London Boris Johnson “not to cut these 800 jobs at ticket offices and stations as it blatantly contradicts the Mayor’s own commitment in 2008 not to do so”.

TUBE MAINTENANCE STRIKE ROCK SOLID lstom-Metro train-maintenance workers at depots on London Underground’s Jubilee and Northern lines took strike action over pay and conditions after voting by more than seven to one for action and to reject an “insulting” sub-inflation pay offer. The rock solid action was taken just prior to strike action across the combine against job cuts and pickets came out in force at all three Alstom maintenance depots. An indefinite overtime ban also began on September 5.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that he deal on offer was worth less than half of those won by other Tube workers this year, and the massive vote for action should tell Alstom all they need to know about members’ determination to win a fair pay deal. “Alstom is a major transnational company that has been making immense profits and is happy to shovel dividends to its shareholders, but has offered what would amount to a pay cut to our members.

“Alstom Metro should note our members’ anger and return to the talks table to thrash out a realistic deal that recognises their hard work and dedication. “RMT members are determined to secure that fair deal and are unified across all depots in support for the industrial action campaign," he said. Further action scheduled for the same time on Saturday October 2, Monday November 1, and Saturday November 27.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF RMTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LONDON TAXI BRANCH RMT branch secretary Stan Marut looks back at the first year of the London Taxi branch

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 :: The London taxi branch has now been going for over a year. It has been instrumental in probing the many issues that have been unresolved over a number of years within the taxi trade. Too often self employed working taxi drivers see themselves as something distinct and apart from waged employees. In fact, it is waged employees who have recourse to employment legislation and the support of their colleagues in taking industrial action to save their jobs. London taxi drivers are governed by anachronistic Acts of Parliament most of which date back to the 1840s. Some of these Acts govern the way that certain offences are dealt with, normally in the Magistrates Court, whilst other parts of the same Acts govern how complaints from members of the public are dealt with are dealt with. However, the rules of Parliament are usurped time and again as procedures set down in these Acts are ignored. That is why it is important to organise within the RMT framework. The branch has been involved in many campaigns and the chairman, John Kennedy, has been stalwart in providing leadership and acting as coordinator in organising members to fight the many difficulties that the branch has faced during its short term in existence. Some of these campaigns have been to seek recognition from the licensing authority in negotiations about taxi trade matters. The branch has been excluded from these talks on the basis that the relationship between RMT’s taxi branch in London is not the same as an employer/employee relationship as it excludes the notion of collective bargaining. As taxi drivers we are not employed by Transport for London it is true, but the Public Carriage Office, now named the Taxi and Private Hire Directorate (TPHD), act almost as an employer in that they determine our annual tariff

review and suspend or revoke drivers licences on the basis of flimsy evidence from aggrieved members of the public. To its credit the branch has been able to overturn decisions by the TPHD to suspend and revoke drivers’ licences on several occasions. The branch has also been in the forefront in assisting drivers in appealing penalty charge notices issued by local authorities even where a driver stops on a yellow line to use the toilet. This is particularly prevalent in the City of Westminster which has actually placed spy cameras at locations where they know that drivers stop to use the conveniences. Part of the militant action that the branch has been taking has been in this area. By way of public demonstration outside Westminster City Hall, members have made their feelings known and hopefully embarrassed the perpetrators. Other areas of protest extend to Parliament and objections to the de jure recognition of rickshaws or pedicabs, which plague the centre of London at night causing major nuisance as well as being “death-traps” on wheels. Objections to the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Bill No 2 are well ensconced and because of our protests and objections the parliamentary agent for the Bill’s sponsors, have asked for a

meeting with the union. RMT is the only taxi trade organisation to take this Bill on. Therein lies the difficulty for the branch. Because the branch has been prolific in its activity working against injustice and downright malfeasance, it has been opposed by other taxi organisations. It is because the RMT London taxi branch has been in the forefront of the opposition to those policies which work in detriment to our membership that we have faced paranoid opposition even to the point of downright malevolence and lies against the members and RMT officers. This can only mean one thing and that is the others have been caught with their pants down. For years they have been “yes men” to the authorities and as soon as a bit of militancy looms they are afraid that it will spoil their cosy relationships with the powers that be including Boris Johnson the Mayor of London who, incidentally, has done nothing for the taxi trade except to try to enforce a ludicrous age limit on vehicles that can be licensed. The biggest single issue for our members and for the taxi trade in general has been the flouting of the law by the private hire sector (minicabs) who according to the law are only allowed to take a fare if it has been pre-booked. Transport for London is responsible for

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licensing of minicabs and minicab operator premises and in their wisdom have allowed the use of night clubs and restaurants as premises for the “clip board Johnny”. As prospective taxi passengers leave night venues they are directed to minicabs waiting illegally often on taxi ranks, effectively touting. This is a major issue in the London taxi trade and one that is not going away quickly. The end result is that taxi drivers at night are unable to earn a living and many of these night venues are supposedly given an inducement to allow minicab operators to use their premises as “satellite minicab offices”. The police as you might expect turn a blind eye to these goings on. So you can see that being a taxi driver in London is not without difficulties and the quest for the branch in London is to increase the membership by doing what RMT does best and that is fighting for the rights of all workers whether employed or self employed. The issues are basically the same. Fighting back against injustice and winning is the best way forward. The London taxi branch has the will to take on those who stand in the way of progress and the rights of working men and women. With the backing of the union we have the means.

TAXI!: From left to right John McDonnell MP for Hayes & Harlington, John Mason Director of Taxi/Private Hire, Stan Marut compliance officer, David Vidgen branch secretary.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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EDUCATING RMT MEMBERS RMT lay tutor Glen Burrows outlines the union’s new education programme for workplace representatives EDUCATION: RMT’s education centre was opened in 2007 by Maritime Union of Australia general secretary Paddy Crumlin who has just been elected president of the International Transport Workers Federation.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 :: RMT’s group of lay tutors met recently at the union’s Education centre in Doncaster, together with RMT education officer Andy Gilchrist, to develop a new blueprint for training union workplace reps, health and safety reps and branch officers. The system of “lay” tutors is integral to RMT’s view of how representatives’ training should be delivered. Rather than employing professional tutors, the union believes that all tutors should themselves work in the industries covered by the union, and have direct experience of being representatives, in order to be able to pass on their knowledge and experience. Recently the union appointed nine new lay tutors and, once trained, RMT will soon have 22 lay tutors. RMT national education centre in Doncaster a marvellous resource for the union, purpose built to educate and develop existing and future reps, officials and officers. Wellmanaged by a team of helpful and friendly staff, it provides the perfect backdrop for the necessary work of laying the right foundations for training our representatives to operate confidently and successfully back in the workplace. If you are interested in a course please have a look at the website www.rmt.org.uk/education It is acknowledged, however, that education and training provision needs reviewing and considerable updating. RMT’s education provision nationally and regionally needs to equip reps with skills and develop committed trade unionists to ensure the union maintains its understanding of the political and industrial world we live in. While agreeing that a tremendous amount of good work had been done, lay tutors talked in Doncaster about their feelings of isolation from each other and the lack of relevant materials and preparation. It was agreed that we need to develop appropriate syllabuses, with materials and activities which are educationally sound, but also a team approach, where we

share ideas and materials. Training for newly appointed tutors and refresher training for existing tutors is essential and all of these are being drawn up now. It is critical we do everything to support and assist our members in the workplace and develop the union and that means taking a slightly longer term view in terms of activist development. Anyone who is not convinced that we face a massive offensive from employers should look at the increase in gross misconduct cases, redundancies, unjust practices generally and the tearing up of agreed procedures and agreements across all companies. More than ever workers need workplace representatives with the knowledge and confidence to tackle problems as they arise, and to prevent local managers from abusing agreed procedures to perpetrate injustices in the workplace. Lack of adequate and appropriate training means representatives are not equipped to tackle these problems as they arise. Faced with a member who is being disciplined, a nervous and untrained representative will often pass the problem on to someone “higher up”: this sort of delay can lead to further problems for the member concerned, as well as overloading full-time officials or higher level representatives. If a representative is nervous and performs badly in the role, this provides a disincentive to others to take on the job – hence, perhaps, the large number of vacancies we struggle with in some workplaces. The new educational ideas being discussed by the tutors seek to address this issue of building the confidence of workplace reps – no easy task! The aim is to assist representatives to be knowledgeable about representing individuals in grievance and disciplinary cases, encourage reps to see workplace problems as a challenge, an opportunity to demonstrate to members the status and strength

of the union in challenging the power of managers. Some representatives are not even aware of the existence of agreements and procedures. Rarely are new reps presented with a complete set of agreements and procedures: the “tool-kit” to do their job. Every time local managers break these agreements and go unchallenged, they get bolder about doing it again, and members become steadily more demoralised. The union wants to train reps to be confident in challenging managers immediately when they try to implement changes which have not been agreed. Union organisation and power doesn’t start at the top of the union, but in the workplace, in the daily encounters between workers and bosses. To build a strong and effective union, it needs to build from the bottom. The union owes it to those members who put themselves forward to represent their colleagues to give them the best possible advantage in dealing with employers. That means effective training in procedures, negotiating skills and employment rights.

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To do all of this takes time. Parts of it can, of course, be done quickly but this means that, as each new issue or problem comes before the partly equipped workplace rep, there is a need for more education. This constant fire-fighting approach to education needs to be overcome. It would be much better to have in place an RMT programme of basic skills for our reps and officials at each level of the union, augmented by specialist courses. RMT is lucky to have a keen group of lay tutors, who have started to work enthusiastically as a team, developing ideas and materials and drawing up syllabuses. Together, we can build an RMT education system to be proud of. Support from reps, regional councils, regional organisers, and the council of executives will ensure this becomes a reality. Naturally the future of RMT’s education programme will be decided ultimately by the council of executives and the RMT annual general meeting, but, as it holds the key to the future of the union, it is something that should rightly interest all of us.

BRANCH SECRETARIES PILOT BRANCH OFFICIALS EDUCATION COURSE

As part of the ongoing development of RMT’s education provision, a new draft education course for branch officials was piloted with nine branch officials attending to participate in the course and take part in its development. Whilst the course feedback was especially useful, the course was still aimed at providing those attending with help and explanation in the key functions and responsibilities they need to run a functioning branch, as well as exercises designed to

help officials support and defend their members. With input from branch officers and the experienced tutors on hand, the course went through a considerable metamorphosis during the week. The intention is now to seek the input from RMT tutors generally before final drafting. Hopefully this will ensure that the finalized course that emerges will be the better for this collaborative approach.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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PETE SEEGER radical folk legend Ingemar Göransson grabs a rare and exclusive interview with legendary folk musican Pete Seeger for RMT News at his hand-built mountain home in upstate New York It took a long time to convince Peter Seeger to allow me to interview him, not least because he thought it was quite stupid to fly over the Atlantic for his sake. But after several letters and phone calls we took the train from New York and went up to Cold Spring for an unforgettable meeting with one of the foremost radical personalities in the United States. There are two United States of America. One is of the rich, the official US, and the other is the working peoples’ United States. The first mentioned we encounter in TV series and in official news coverage. The alternative US you may have to look for, but it’s always close by, whether you're in Los Angeles, small towns or in busy New York. If someone is a symbol of the other United States, it is Pete Seeger. Pete Seeger was born

more than 90 years ago in New York and has had for more than 70 years been synonymous with the radical, protesting and singing America. Therefore it was with no lack of expectations that we got off the train in Cold Spring. There he stood, a long skinny but vigorous old man, with squirrellike spirited, prying eyes. After a short drive up into the mountain on the ancient Indian path, we sat in his own hand-built small house and spoke of American history, politics, music, the future and even about the Swedish warship Vasa that went under during its maiden voyage in the 14th century, and his memories of Sweden as he visited 1968 and 1974. “As a young man I received a scholarship to a small high school which I attended for free since I started a small school magazine which contained all the gossip instead of the Dean's

formal reports to the wealthy owner. “She was thrilled so she let me go to the school for free and then I learn to become a carpenter,” he says smiling. It taught him to build his first house on the mountain 60 years ago where he still lives with his wife Toshi but now they live in a newer house, while their daughter lives in the cabin. In 1940, Pete Seeger learned to play banjo, an instrument that most people rejected for the guitar. He became increasingly politically involved and came to take part in John Hammond's midnight concerts for various progressive causes like strikes, the left wing press that needed a hand and similar causes. Hammond was a talent scout for Columbia Records and signed artists like Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan and many others. “He rented Carnegie Hall and

held midnight concerts with likes of Josh White, Leadbelly, Burl Ives and the Golden Gate Quartet and many others with the left-wing sympathies. ”One night he said to me there’s a great songwriter here and I want you to meet him, it was Woody Guthrie. “And Woody was fantastic, he came to teach me a lot, like how to hitch hike, hoboing by train and how to survive by playing in bars. “He’d say don’t be too

Woody Guthrie

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 :: anxious to perform and just wait with your instrument, sooner or later someone in the bar will ask if they pay can you please sing a song and his songs” underlines Pete “were fantastic”. Guthrie had just hitchhiked from California to New York and during that time had written what would become the workers national anthem, ‘This Land Is Your Land’. The story of ‘This Land Is Your Land’ links Seegers’ life of political commitment and music between then and now. “That song became America's most popular song when it was included in a song book for schoolchildren and became the country’s most sung song ever. “When I was at the inauguration of President Obama, my condition for taking part”, smiles Seeger, “was that all the verses were to be sung. “The most radical ones were not included in the kids songbook, and Guthrie himself recorded the whole song finally in the 1950s for Moe Asch and his Folkways label and then Woody’s son Arlo Guthrie wrote down the ‘lost’ verses in the early 1960s. “It was a kind of victory,” says Seeger asked how it felt to conduct the tens of thousand at the Lincoln Memorial with everyone singing with the words - "There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me, a great big sign there said private property, but the other side belongs to you and me". Symbolically, Seeger, who was blacklisted for decades, now stood in front of Abraham Lincoln's statue in his flannel shirt, jeans and coloured hat, conducting the singing when the first black president was installed with everyone singing Woody’s unofficial national anthem. Pete Seeger has been a pioneer in many ways, he built his own banjo because the around banjos did not fit his voice, either too high or too low a key. So he made a banjo with a long neck that fitted Pete and his voice better. “During the summer of 1940,

I hitchhiked around the country" says Pete, “partly with Woody, but also on my own especially in the Appalachia Mountains where the banjo was a folk instrument and after that summer I sang and played much better,” he said. Seeger became involved in the civil rights movement and he met Martin Luther King, or Doctor King as he says with great respect. “Doctor King taught us to win the ‘unimportant’ issues first like the bus boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama. ”Don’t start with the big important things – start with the ‘unimportant’ things. “Winning those ‘unimportant’ issues made it possible to address the important issues, like jobs, the right to vote and the end of segregation in schools, Doctor King taught us this,” he says. When asked how he would describe Martin Luther King, he replies after consideration. “He was one of the most foremost intellectuals of the country, a genius with words,” he says. Perhaps Seegers’ most famous contribution to the civil rights movement was when he and others popularised the thenunknown gospel ‘We Will Overcome’ and wrote some new words to. Even today all the royalties from ‘We Shall Overcome’ go to a foundation which is controlled by the civil rights movement. What is then Pete Seeger’s view on the future, what is his advice to give to those who

doubt and have lost faith today. ”I could say, like Kurt Vonnegut, that humanity has as much chance as a snowball in hell, but I have a mantra,” says Seeger as he changes position in his chair and leans forward. ”The agricultural revolution took thousands of years. “The Industrial Revolution took 100 years and the information revolution is only taking decades. “What if we use our brains that God has given us, what miracles we could create. “Look at the warship Vasa" says Seeger somewhat surprisingly, “we learned from our mistakes and we improved our shipbuilding, learn from the Vasa,” he repeats emphatically. Pete Seeger is a friendly but, above all, unpretentious man. ”I have never sought fame, It is only leads to misery”, he says pointing to all piles of letters, packages, books and records which he receives in the mail daily, “the whole house is full of the fruits of fame, we can hardly find a place to sleep”. I ask about Bob Dylan and the moment he famously played electric guitar at the Newport festival in the 1960s. ”I did not mind Bob playing electric but the sound was terrible, unable to hear the words as in Maggie's Farm, one of Bob's key songs, we talk to each other every ten years or so," says Seeger. When asked about his strongest memories of hundreds of performances, he says “I sing with the children every week here in Beacon, I love to sing

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with children, they give so much back”. He also mentions Calcutta, where 20,000 people all sang along with the Gospel song ‘Jacobs Ladder’. So what are his favourite songs among the hundreds he has written? ”You cannot ask a father to choose his favourite child," laughs Pete and the old man's face lit up, “Turn, Turn, Turn’ is one I often sing and I liked the Byrds version. ”It was a new art form then compared to when I sang it," he says cheerfully. ‘If I Had A Hammer’ is another, but often I sing a new song about two innocent men sentenced to death, ‘Waiting On The Death Row,” he says. He begins with his old man's voice singing the song at least as powerful and touching as so many songs from the past 70 years. When we go with Pete down the old Indian trail, we realize we have had the pleasure of travelling through the work of America's foremost Bard’s world for a few hours. More visitors are on their way to show their respects and pay their tribute like the next guest Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein. We say our goodbyes and thanks to the ever-smiling and genteel man at Cold Springs only petrol station. We went into Cold Springs only bar, the very same bar where, many years ago, Seeger overheard a death threat from Klan members who wanted to put him up against the wall and shot him on sight. They didn’t succeed.

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND: Pete Seeger (C), his grandson Tao (L) and Bruce Springsteen perform full version of the other America’s national anthem at President Obama’s Inaugural Celebration concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on January 18, 2009.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

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DEUTSCHE BAHN SEEKS TO RUN TRAINS THROUGH CHANNEL TUNNEL RMT to oppose plans to ease safety rules to allow German state railways Deutsche Bahn trains to operate in the Eurotunnel The growing conflict between Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the French state railway SNCF for supremacy in the rail market in Europe has intensified as DB begins testing its trains in the Channel Tunnel this October. The war between DB and SNCF has been fuelled by the European Commission’s third rail package which demands that all EU international passenger rail services must be ‘liberalised’ and opened up to ‘competition’ as of January 1 2010. This has unleashed an orgy of takeover bids and rapidly sped up moves towards the creation of huge rail monopolies dominated by France and Germany. As a result DB has said that

it wants to compete with Eurostar in running passenger services through the Channel Tunnel. Deutsche Bahn wants to run its 186mph InterCityExpress (ICE) service between London and Cologne, but current tunnel safety rules stands in its way. Currently, passenger trains using the tunnel must be able to split in half and leave in separate directions in the event of an emergency. The escape doors from the main tunnels to the emergency service tunnel that runs between them are 375 metres apart. A standard-length train could find itself stranded some distance from an escape door in a fire, forcing passengers to travel further on foot, possibly

through smoke, to reach an exit. Eurostar is the only passenger train operator that satisfies the safety regime. EUROSTAR From September 1 Eurostar, which owns the Channel Tunnel, will be a European corporation based in London, 55 per cent owned by SNCF, 40 per cent British government, five per cent SNCB. DB is expected to bid to buy out the High Speed Line (HS1) between Folkestone and London which is up for sale by a desperate ConDem government which is hoping to flog off of a public asset for around £1.5 billion even though it cost at least £7 billion to build. DB is certain to want to run

competing rail services to London before the Olympics in 2012. It has been inspecting facilities in London and elsewhere and Eurostar cannot, under EU competition regulations and rail packages, be seen to be blocking DB offers. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that RMT would join other unions across the Channel to fight any watering down of safety standards on the Channel Tunnel High Speed Rail Link. “If those standards are tampered with simply in order to appease EU diktat it would be a major scandal with potentially lethal consequences. “We are being sent a clear signal that European rail ‘liberalisation’ takes precedence

COMPETITION: Two high-speed trains one German, left, one French, arrive at the Gare de l'est train station in Paris as the rail competition war between the two countries hots up

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 :: over saftey in the Channel Tunnel as far as the EU are concerned and if the ConDem government allow this to be bulldozed through they will show themselves to be totally impotent when it comes to dealing with the European Union,” he said. WAR SUMMIT German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer, French Transport Secretary Dominique Bussereau and the heads of the rail companies Rudiger Grube of DB and Guillaume Pepy of SNCF met last month in Berlin at a rail summit. The two state-owned railways have increasingly clashed over cross-border traffic in recent years. Herr Ramsauer has complained about a "closure of the French market" to German passenger trains as DB has been trying unsuccessfully to take over public transport in Lyon and Bordeaux. In contrast, the majorityowned SNCF Keolis Group has won a number of franchises to operate rail transport in Germany. Their German subsidiary now operates a network that extends from the Dutch border at Venlo on the Ruhr and Bielefeld up to Lower Hildesheim. Meanwhile, the French have taken exception to the fact that the DB-freight activity is taking place on French territory as the main competitor to SNCF. The German railways UK subsidiary DB Schenker bought up Britain's largest rail freight company EWS in 2007, with its subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail owning approximately ten per cent of French rail freight. DB Schenker has also won the contract to run Network Rail’s large infrastructure monitoring operations from June. Serco lost the contract to the German state railways subsidiary to operate various test trains that NR uses to monitor the entire UK rail network. As a result Serco staff will be transferred to the new operators and, like former EWS workers, will be effectively employed by the German state.

RMTnews

President’s column

SOLIDARITY FOREVER! “When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run, There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun; Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one, For the union makes us strong.” Transport union representatives from around the world gathered in Mexico City last month to debate the global crisis of free-market capitalism and strategies for defending workers and their families. 630 union delegates including 98 women from 333 affiliated unions in 109 countries, in aviation, docks, maritime, rail, road and offshore energy and tourism attended the 42nd congress of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in Mexico City. On behalf of the RMT delegation, it was an honour and a privilege to meet representatives of some of the world’s finest trade unions including the world’s largest rail workers’ union, the All India Railwaymen’s Federation, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union – which organises docks and shipping on the US Pacific coast, and the Maritime Union of Australia, who’s national secretary, Paddy Crumlin, was elected as the new ITF president. RMT’s reputation among fighting trade unions like these has never been higher. Our union successfully called for ITF delegates to support our policy against privatisation and ‘liberalisation'.

delegation was privileged to meet representatives of the Mexican trade union movement. ITF Maritime Inspector Norrie McVicar introduced us to Ana Lilia Perez, a Mexican investigative journalist, currently writing on the endemic abuse of offshore workers in Mexico’s booming oil and gas industries. Her exposure of Mexico’s Interior Minister’s corrupt deals with state oil company, PEMEX, resulted in the first major scandal of the current government. As a result she has been subjected to harassment, burglaries and even death threats. The Deepwater Horizon Tragedy and the latest explosion this month involving Vermilion Oil Platform 380 are reminders of the dangers faced by offshore workers including RMT members. We were also privileged to meet representatives of 40,000 electrical workers sacked for opposing privatisation of Mexico’s state-owned electricity company. Together with the Mexican Miners and Metro workers’ unions, they held a rally for jobs and workers’ rights, which brought delegates into Mexico City’s central square in support of our brothers and sisters.

Some ITF-affiliated unions, particularly in Germany, in recent years supported privatisation of rail workers’ jobs. As a result this was an important debate that set the seal on the shameful collaboration with big business at the expense of workers’ jobs and conditions, sometimes known as ‘social partnership’.

As more and more RMT members work for transnational corporations the work of international federations such as ITF in coordinating a positive agenda for green, socially useful jobs in a publicly-owned, democratically controlled transport sector, becomes more vital.

It was saddening therefore to see some who should know better reacting to criticisms of their pro-privatisation policies by voting against RMT general secretary Bob Crow as vice-chair of ITF’s rail workers.

RMT’s tradition of trade unionism based on education, honesty and class struggle is the only antidote to corrupt social partnership unionism, whether in Mexico or Europe and as hundreds of ITF delegates affirmed, RMT is an inspiration to transport workers around the world.

Bob was however unanimously reelected to ITF’s governing Executive Board and reinforced the high esteem in which he is held by ITF unions, speaking powerfully in support of a motion from the Palestinian General Union for Transport Workers for ITF affiliates to initiate a targeted boycott of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and support a humanitarian trade union flotilla to Gaza. In addition to supporting solidarity with workers and progressive movements in Palestine, Cuba and Venezuela, our

Unless trade unions assert themselves as independent, democratic organisations fighting for the needs of workers, they will cease to exist. In a world where corporations increasingly seek to transform public transport into a ‘supply chain’ for global markets, trade unions are often the only organisations standing up against the drive for profits over human and social values. Alex Gordon

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

RMTnews

OUR HISTORY Mike Sargent of Cinque Ports branch recounts the anti-fascist spirit of rail workers in Dover during World War Two

During the Second World War Dover’s railways played an important role in the war effort and suffered much bomb damage. The Marine Station saw heavy traffic during the evacuation of Dunkirk, handling hundreds of special troop and ambulance trains. Both the Marine and Priory Stations were damaged by bombing and shelling from France during the war. Dover and East Kent also suffered from hits by V1 and V2s, though these were all primarily aimed at London. A great many rail workers lost their lives in both World Wars – as can be seen from the inscription on the memorial to their sacrifice which was placed in the Dover Marine station to honour them. It reads: TO THE IMMORTAL MEMORY OF THE 556 MEN OF THE SOUTH EASTERN AND CHATHAM RAILWAY WHO FOUGHT AND DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918 AND TO THE 626 MEN OF THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE 1939-1945 WAR However, it was not all one-sided and during World War Two rail workers did their bit to fight back, even manning the railway guns that returned the enemy fire. The high ground to either side of the Port of Dover was fortified and large calibre guns dug in there. The only British cross-

Channel guns already in place were Winnie (named after Prime Minister Winston Churchill) and—later in 1940— Pooh (named after Winnie the Pooh). Three 13.5-inch naval guns from the First World War, named Gladiator, Scene Shifter and Piece Maker, were also brought out of retirement in 1939, mounted on railway chassis and hauled by diesel locomotives. The resulting railway guns were moved by Royal Engineers and rail workers and, when not in use, were hidden in Guston railway tunnel, Eythorne railway station on the East Kent Light Railway, and other places. The ensuing gunnery duel, along with heavy German bombing of Dover strait and the Dover area, led to this stretch of the

Channel being nicknamed Hellfire Corner, with 216 civilian deaths and damage to over 10,000 buildings and much damage to shipping. The Nazi guns were finally silenced in September 1944 as one of the British guns put one of the batteries in the Pas de Calais area out of action and nearly 30,000 Germans surrendered to the advancing Allies. At last Dover was free from the almost daily shelling for years that had devastated the town. We were discussing that spirit of resistance at a Cinque Ports branch meeting and wondering how we could find out more, when one of our retired members dropped into the conversation that his father Les Higgens had been a driver of one of the artillery trains.

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

RMTnews

CREDIBLE CREDIT? Craig Johnson encourages members to join the union’s Credit Union, you never know when you may need it A few weeks ago I was watching television when an advert came on the screen for a money lending outfit. It was a slick presentation offering a quick fix for any short term money problems – but nothing in life is ever that easy. The small print on the advert spelt that out with an APR of 260 per cent! I would urge anyone seeking such "help" to ask the basic question "if I borrow this much - how much will I pay back?" These sharks offer a "service" to everyone but it is often those least able to access credit through high street banks (often those with limited and low incomes) who are pushed in the direction of these sort of money lenders. They are the very people least able to afford to pay such massive interest rates. Around fifteen years ago, as a then Labour councillor, I fronted a local authority initiative in Carlisle to expose and tackle extortionate credit and also the activities of loan sharks and it got national media coverage.

The former Labour MP for Carlisle, Eric Martlew, was extremely supportive and placed down a House of Commons Early Day Motion calling for action. It's a great pity that 15 years later many people still see these extortionate credit firms as the only way out of their financial problems...when the reality is that short term gain will undoubtedly lead to long term pain as they pay back much, much more than they ever borrowed. The main banking system in this country also has an obligation to tackle this problem - by making their loans available to people on limited and low incomes - without charging them APRs at ridiculously high rates, after all many of these banks owe us taxpayers an absolute fortune! I would also urge everyone whether on benefits, low incomes and also those on higher incomes to take a closer look at the very positive benefits of credit unions like the one RMT runs. Credit unions encourage a culture of saving as well as borrowing. Meanwhile, I have dropped a letter to the

newly elected “honourable member” for Carlisle - Tory MP John Stevenson - asking him what he can do to push for stronger regulation of the money lenders, restrictions on extortionate APRs, encouraging the main banking sector to offer credit facilities to those on limited and low incomes and what he can do to encourage credit union development. There is also a role for education here both in schools and across the community about the dangers of extortionate credit and how it exploits the most vulnerable. Mr Stevenson made much when he was elected as our MP of saying he would represent everyone in Carlisle whether they voted for him or not. I will let you know what progress I make. For more information on the RMT’s own Credit Union telephone 020 7529 8835 or email [email protected] or visit www.rmt.org.uk Contact them today – You know it makes sense! Craig Johnston RMT Council of Executives Member Manchester and the North West of England

PULLING TOGETHER pulling together

A Popular History of RMT New free union publication gives an insight into the struggles, defeats and victories of members over 150 years Pulling Together gives members an engaging and colourfully illustrated window on the history of the union up to the present day. It tells the story of how the union developed under very difficult circumstances against very powerful opponents and maintained itself as a democratic, fighting organisation that today

represents members in all sectors and grades of the transport industry. Pulling Together is available free to members from Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD with a stamped, addressed envelope or by e-mailing [email protected]

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

RMTnews

90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MERCHANT SEAMEN’S WAR MEMORIAL SOCIETY MT General Secretary attended the 90th Anniversary of the Merchant Seamen’s War Memorial Society, which was the brainchild of Mr Havelock Wilson, founder of the National Union of Seamen. The charity was originally formed to provide convalescent homes to injured and sick seafarers, and then went on to provide training in horticulture and agriculture before undertaking is current role as a provider of supported housing and holidays for seafarers and their dependants. The anniversary was held at the home of the Charity, the Springbok Estate

and was attended by representatives from the maritime sector, plus county and local authorities. The Mayor of Waverley Carole Cockburn officially opened the recently refurbished memorial, whilst Canon Ken Peters of the Mission to Seafarers offered a blessing and prayer of dedication. Guests were then invited to tour the grounds and facilities, before retiring for lunch. Mr Crow praised the charity, which the RMT sponsors, for its work in helping seafarers in distress. Mr Bob Jones, Chairman of the MNWB also acknowledged the good work of the organisation

and thanked the trustees, staff and volunteers for their continued efforts. Mr Goacher, the charity’s Chief Executive

thanked everyone for attending, plus expressed thanks to all those who had contributed to the days success.

BADGE PRESENTATION ob Crow presented Jeremy Fisher and Mike Caswell with their 25 and 40 year membership badges recently. Jeremy started on the railway in 1981 in Huddersfield in 1981 as a guard and a member of the local branch. He was transferred to Healey Mills and worked as a freight guard until he took early retirement after serving the branch in many capacities

including safety rep, LDC rep and EWS groundstaff rep on the company council. Mick Caswells was Jeremy’s workmate at Healey Mills but had previously worked on the Midland Main Line at Carlton when he joined the industry in 1964. Mick served the union for 44 years and now lives the rural life on a small holding next to the closed Midland Main Line at Crofton.

PRESTON MARKS 20 YEARS OF RMT Dear sisters and brothers, Branch Badges For Sale 2010 Small £3, New badge 20th Anniversary RMT £7, Last Years Red badge £6 plus £1 pp. £10 two badges plus £1.75 PP, £15 three badges with FREE POSTAGE. Cheques or Postal Orders payable to RMT Preston No 1 Branch should be sent to above address. Paypal: [email protected] RMT PRESTON NO 1 BRANCH SECRETARY: TREVOR JORDAN, 3 EDWARD STREET, MORECAMBE, LANCS, LA4 4BL. Tel: 07876235886 Email: [email protected].

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

RMTnews

EAST LANCASHIRE RMT BRANCH FORMED he first meeting of the newly re-formed RMT East Lancashire branch took place recently in Blackburn. Senior assistant general secretary Mick Cash spoke at the meeting in Blackburn Railway Club along with Craig Johnston RMT executive member for Manchester and the North West and regional organiser Andy Warnock-Smith.

(left to right) Mick Cash, East Lancs branch chair Joe Crawford, branch secretary Brad Irving and executive member Craig Johnston

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

RMTnews

WIN £500 WORTH OF LOVE2SHOP VOUCHERS WITH UIA INSURANCE Due to the huge success of our monthly shopping competition in 2009 we are pleased to offer RMT members the chance to take part in our 2010 competition. Simply let us know your home insurance renewal date and we will enter you into a free prize draw to win £500 worth of Love2Shop vouchers accepted at many retailers including Boots and Waterstone’s. Go to www.uia.co.uk/branchcompetition and take a few minutes to provide us with your details for your chance to win.

What’s more you will only have to enter once and you’ll have up to 12 chances to win as we’ll be drawing a winner EVERY MONTH of 2010. Closing date 31st December 2010. For full terms and conditions of the prize draw please visit https://www.uia.co.uk/Competition/Competition-TCs/

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

RMTnews

PEOPLE’S PUBS - Words by Mike Pentelow, Pictures by Peter Arkell

WILLIAM COBBETT 4 BRIDGE SQUARE, FARNHAM, SURREY working class lad who became a leading radical journalist, exposing the exploitation of his class, William Cobbett (1763-1835) was jailed for his troubles on trumped up sedition charges. Undeterred, he came out of prison, continued his campaigning, and became an MP to press his demands for the vote to be extended to working class men. The pub named after him is on the site of the small farm where he was born and worked as a labourer. When hardly tall enough to climb gates and stiles, his first job was as a bird scarer in the fields protecting turnip seeds and peas. He progressed to weeding, hoeing, and ploughing for a pittance. At the age of eight he had been employed picking strawberries for a local employer, aptly named Sir Robert Rich, and got his own back for the poor pay by eating as many strawberries as he passed on. When working at a hop garden a mile away from Farnham, still an underpaid young lad, he and his workmates expressed their protest by skiving off as much as possible and rolling down a nearby sandhill. But his protests took a more effective form when he became a journalist exposing the pitiful conditions of the rural poor as he travelled the country on horseback. His eyewitness accounts of the miserable living conditions of farm workers and others were read by thousands when published in his own journal, "The Political Register". He estimated that the farm labourers produced about 15 times as much food as they were able to buy on their near starvation wages. He described it as an unjust and "hellish system" that saw a huge abundance of food being produced but "make those who raise it skin and bone and nakedness" as well as hungry. "If such an operation do not need putting an end to, then the devil himself is a saint," he declared. These reports were published in the years leading up to the "Captain Swing" riots of 1830-1831 when rural labourers throughout the southern counties revolted against their conditions. They smashed the threshing machines, each one of which put ten men out of work, and demanded higher wages. After a long struggle it was eventually

crushed savagely by the ruling class, who hanged 19 workers, transported nearly 500 to Australia, and jailed another 400. Whether coincidentally or not, Cobbett's accounts of their appalling living and working conditions were published in book form as "Rural Rides" in 1830 just before the start of the great revolt. Clearly the authorities made a connection for in 1831 he was charged with inciting sedition, mainly for his frequent articles calling for the abolition of rotten boroughs (parliamentary seats that were bought without any election) and extending the vote to all male adults. He was discharged by a hung jury after defending himself. Earlier however he had served a full twoyear prison sentence for so-called libel in his articles which opposed the oppression of the Irish and flogging in the army (the latter which he had experienced personally as a soldier in the army for eight years, mainly in Canada). He was elected as a radical MP for Oldham in 1832 and, with the Chartists, demanded universal suffrage, annual

parliamentary elections, and secret ballots. In parliament he also called for factory legislation, the cause of Irish independence, and the relief of agricultural distress among the workers. He is buried in Farnham churchyard. “A Pub Crawl Through History, The Ultimate Boozers’ Who’s Who,” by Mike Pentelow and Peter Arkell, has now been published by Janus. ISBN 978-1-85756-7014. A review will appear in the next issue of RMT News.

RMT £25 PRIZE CROSSWORD No. 63. Set by Elk

No. 62 solution...

PORTSMOUTH BRANCH

NOMINATES AND SUPPORTS

SEAN HOYLE COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES MEMBER WESSEX REGION 12

AND ASKS FOR SUPPORTING NOMINATIONS

The winner of prize crossword no. 62 is D Collett, Sherbourne. Send entries to Prize Crossword, RMT, Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NWI IJD by September 23 with your name and address.

STRATFORD NO.1 BRANCH

NOMINATES

JANINE BOOTH FOR COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES MEMBER, LONDON TRANSPORT REGION AND SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR JANINE, WHO STANDS UP FOR A DEMOCRATIC, RELEVANT, EFFECTIVE, PROGRESSIVE UNION THAT CAN TAKE ON THE EMPLOYERS' ONSLAUGHT AND WIN

Winner and solution in next issue.

ACROSS

DOWN

Chief city (7)

French (for) bean (7)

Building in which things are made (7)

Government functionary you’d find in the 17? (8)

11 Speeches (8)

Enjoyment of inflicting pain (6)

12 Venue of 2011 RMT AGM (4, 7)

Ancient Greek city; long race (8)

13 Venue for 2010 TUC Congress (10)

They come in flights (6)

14 Favourite to win; leading contender (11)

Citrus fruits (7)

19 People who operate equipment in clothes 8 (10)

Non-urban area (11)

FOR COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES WESSEX REGION

22 Decorated with sugar-based covering (4)

16 Qualified to participate or be chosen (8)

23 Moved to another country or habitat (8)

17 Cupboard - in which you’d find 2s? (7)

AN EXPERIENCED CANDIDATE WITH A PROVEN MULTIGRADE TRACK RECORD

24 Joined together, as working people should be (6)

18 More than a couple, less than a lot (7)

25 Cockneys like their eels thus, allegedly (7)

21 Place for recording or rehearsing (6)

10 Pacific atoll, or beachwear (6)

LYMINGTON NO1

ARE PROUD TO NOMINATE

SEAN HOYLE

15 Prime number between 17 and 23 (8)

20 Impediment to cross, by athlete perhaps (6)

26 See 12

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: september 2010 ::

RMTnews

RMT SUMMER SAVINGS CLUB SAVE FOR SUMMER THE EASY AND SAFE WAY WITH THE RMT CREDIT UNION Saving for summer holidays can be a real headache. Take some of the stress away by saving over the course of the year with the RMT Summer Savings Club. We’ll add a little extra to your savings and pay out the money ready for your summer shopping spree or holiday. This account is designed for people who want a secure savings account that helps them to save for their summer holidays time when children are off school. It’s based on the traditional Summer Club principle of saving a fixed amount each month that is not accessible until the payout date. Many people like the discipline of a regular savings programme where they are not able to access the cash! Even a small amount saved each month soon adds up. Saving is made easy by Direct Debit either monthly or 4-weekly to suit your pay cycle. For our Summer Club, the maturity date will be 15th July 2009. We anticipate that we will add a bonus dividend at the maturity date. We will

pay the money direct to your bank account. There are no vouchers or hampers or anything of that kind – you decide how you want to spend your money. The bonus will be added to your savings if you complete all of your regular payments. This year we anticipate paying a dividend of 2%*. As all of your Summer Club money will be paid out each year it will be kept separately from your regular credit union savings and cannot be used against credit union loans. If you want to open a Summer Club account and are already a credit union member simply complete the form below. If you are not already a credit union member you will have to complete the form below and the credit union membership application opposite. Completed forms should be returned to our freepost address. * NB: Past bonus rate is not an indication of future bonus rate

TERMS & CONDITIONS – IMPORTANT INFORMATION - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RMT SUMMER CLUB • You need to be an RMT Credit Union member to open an RMT Summer Club Account. • You have to save at least £5 per month into a regular RMT CU account in addition to your RMT Summer Club Account. • You pay a monthly or 4-weekly Direct Debit consisting of your nominated Summer Club payment (min. £10) plus at least £5 per month to your main RMT CU account. Summer Club payments will run from June to July each year. • Summer Club accounts have to be opened by the end of August. Late applications commence the following July. • As an RMT CU member you build up regular savings with a yearly dividend and you can apply for low interest rate loans. • Your Summer Club money is separate from your regular savings account. That means you will have a guaranteed sum available for Summer maturing every 15th July, plus a savings account growing with time.

• The Summer Club secures your money so it’s there for the Summer period. This means that your money is locked-in and you can make no withdrawals until 15th July when all of your money, plus dividend will be paid out. • If you make all of your payments we anticipate a dividend bonus as accrued through the year • All of your money will be paid to your bank account on the first working day after 15th July. • If you cancel your payments the dividend is not applied and you cannot withdraw your money until after 15th July. If you think you will need access to your money before 15th July, this account is not suitable for you. • The Summer Club will continue year-on-year, so payments after 15th July start the next year’s account. Of course if you wish to cancel your payments you are free to do so at any time.

Cut here

RMT SUMMER SAVINGS CLUB APPLICATION RMT Credit Union Account Number Surname

(If known)

Address

Forename(s) Home phone Mobile email

Postcode

Date of birth

NI Number

Employer

RMT Branch Do you save monthly on 28 th ?

Or 4 -weekly (Fri)?

You can save by calendar month or 4 -weekly

How much do you save in your RMT Credit Union Account ?

min. £5 per month

How much do you wish to save in your Summer Savings Club Account ?

min £10 per month in £5 multiples

The total each period for both accounts on my Direct Debit is

the total month/4 -weekly

This is the total amount you wish to save by Direct Debit monthly on the 28th or 4-weekly

Remember that if you have a loan with us your regular Direct Debit will also include that repayment

DECLARATION I understand the Terms & Conditions of the RMT Summer Savings Club Account and that membership of the RMT Credit Union is a condition of holding an RMT Summer Savings Club Account. I understand that my monthly savings into the RMT Summer Savings Club cannot be withdrawn until the maturity date which is on or after 15th July each year.

Your Signature

Date

RMT CREDIT UNION LTD.

MEMBERSHIP NUMBER

Finance Department, Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD

RMT CREDIT UNION APPLICATION FORM – please complete your application along with the attached Direct Debit. P l e a s e u s e B L O C K C A P I TA L S and black ink. 1

PERSONAL DETAILS. Surname

Address

Forename(s) Home phone Mobile phone

Postcode

Email address Date of Birth

National Insurance Number

Marrital Status

married

Your Employment.

partner

single

divorced

Drivers Licence No.

Employer

RMT Branch

Job Description 4

Mrs

Membership Status RMT TU Member

Miss

Retired RMT TU Member

RMT Family Member This is the amount you wish to save by Direct Debit monthly on the 28th weekly if 4 weekly (Fri)

How much do you wish to save £

Normally your payments are made once a month (28th) to RMT Credit Union Ltd.

Next of Kin

.....................................................................................

Address

.....................................................................................

or date you next get paid date here.......................

.....................................................................................

We are checking new member identification electronically. To do this, we now carry out searches with credit reference agencies who supply us with relevant detail including information from the Electoral Register. The searches will not be used by other lenders to assess your ability to obtain credit.

.....................................................................................

I agree to my identity being checked electronically If we cannot verify your identity and address by this method, we will ask you to provide paper documentation instead. Full details of these can be supplied to you by calling 020 7529 8835.

I undertake to abide by the rules now in force or those that are adopted. Your signature

Date

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct Debit Please fill in the whole form including official use box using a ball point pen and Send to: RMT Credit Union Ltd., 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD

Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society To: The Manager

Originator’s Identification Number

Reference Number

Bank/Building Society

Address

FOR RMT CREDIT UNION LTD OFFICIAL USE ONLY This is not part of the the instruction to your Bank or Building Society.

Postcode Name(s) of Account Holder(s) Bank/Building Society account number

Instructions to your Bank or Building Society. Please pay RMT Credit Union Ltd Direct Debits for the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with RMT Credit Union Ltd, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

Branch Sort Code

Signature(s) Date Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions from some types of account This guarantee should be detached and retained by the Payer.

The Direct Debit Guarantee This guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that take part in the Direct Debit Scheme.The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own Bank or Building Society. If the amounts to be paid or the payment date changes, RMT Credit Union Ltd will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed If an error is made by RMT Credit Union Ltd or your Bank or Building Society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the amount paid You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by writing to your Bank or Building Society. Please also send a copy of your letter to us.

JOIN RMT BRITAINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SPECIALIST TRANSPORT UNION Visit www.rmt.org.uk to join online or call the helpline on freephone

0800 376 3706 Problems at work? Call the helpline (Now with two operators) Keep your RMT membership details up-to-date Members can do this via the RMT website, telephone the RMT helpline above, or writing to the membership department at RMT head office, Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD.