ISSUE NUMBER 7, VOLUME 16
JUNE 2013
Essential reading for today’s transport worker
NEVER AGAIN
PIPER ALPHA 25 YEARS ON INSIDE THIS ISSUE
SAVE OUR BUSES PAGE 10
SWANLAND SINKING ‘AVOIDABLE’ PAGE 11
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY PAGE 15
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contents
RMTnews
EDITORIAL
NEVER AGAIN
Page 4 NORTHERN RAIL CASUALISATION DEAL
Page 5 EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS BALLOT
Page 6 RMT WINS RECOGNITION AT CHURCHILL
Page 7 AGENCY SECURITY STAFF WIN CONTRACTS
Page 8 THAMESLINK CONTRACT IN CHAOS
Page 9 PARLIAMENTARY COLUMN
Page 10 SAVE OUR BUSES
Page 11 SWANLAND SINKING ‘AVOIDABLE’
Page 12 LEARNING IT AT NETWORK RAIL
Page 14 EAST COAST MAINLINE CHAOS CONTINUES
Page 15 THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY
Page 16 REMEMBERING PIPER ALPHA
Page 17 BLACKLIST NEAR MISS
Page 19 UNION FIGHTS UNLAWFUL ARREST
Page 21 SHARE IN THE MORNING STAR
Page 22 RMT AT SCOTTISH TUC
Page 23 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Page 24 INTERNATIONALISM AT LGBT CONFERENCE
Page 26 SAFE AT WORK?
Page 27 MOBILE PHONES HOW DO YOU USE YOURS AS RAIL WORKERS?
Page 28 RETIRED MEMBERS MEET
Page 29 KEEPING THE RED FLAG FLYING
Page 30 LETTERS/CROSSWORD 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 bdenny@rmt.org.uk 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 2011
5 years ago next month an explosion completely destroyed the Piper Alpha platform in the North Sea, killing 167 men. The Cullen enquiry that followed the disaster decided that there must be a distinct division of the Health and Safety Executive devoted to the offshore oil and gas industry. Yet now the HSE has announced that this division will become integrated into a newly created ‘Energy Division’ which flies in the face of what Lord Cullen recommended. Remember that it was the ‘Energy Department’ that looked after health and safety when 167 souls lost their lives in 1988. Ultimately the mentality that demands endless cuts to save money also costs lives. Network Rail has also been hampered by cuts to maintenance and renewals demanded by the government through their enforcers the ORR and by the cost of employing hundreds of lawyers to argue the toss with the train operators because of the crazy fragmentation caused by privatisation. Whilst the union supports the expansion of rail in projects such as High Speed 2 they cannot be excuses to bleed the entire network of investment even further. A new report The Great Train Robbery has confirmed what RMT has been saying for years, that private train companies rely on the public purse to run services. The study reveals that those firms receiving the largest state subsidies spend, on average, over 90 per cent of their profits on shareholder dividends. Yet National Express, the company that threw back the keys of the contract on the East Coast Mainline, has not only been cleared to bid for the route again but has been handed £15 million of taxpayers’ money to continue running the c2c franchise. If Network Rail was allowed to take over the franchises they could cut costs immediately and improve performance by ending duplication and profiteering
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and bring the rail network back into public ownership. Yet the government’s cuts agenda also hangs over bus services as the Bus Service Operators Grant is under threat and is set to decimate industry. One in seven bus journeys would be lost if key government funding is cut, costing the economy £3.7 billion in lost time and revenue. Many organisations are now urging the government to maintain support for bus services when details of the spending review are released later this month. On the shipping side RMT members at Orkney Ferries have held an overtime ban for over six weeks in a long-running dispute after the company offered below-inflation pay award of just one per cent - a de-facto pay cut. The union has warned that this arrogant attitude could force an escalation of the current action. RMT is launching a major recruitment campaign at the logistics company City Link following a takeover by a private equity company. There is a need to increase our density of membership in order to defend the terms and conditions of these workers. The crisis of political representation for working people is intensifying as right wing groups like UKIP continue to gain support. But organisations like this do not support trade union rights or the renationalisation of our industries that are being ripped off by the private sector. The No2EU:Yes to Democracy campaign seeks to expose the real agenda of the European Union which is to put public services into private hands and remove democracy won over hundreds of years by working people and their organisations. The labour movement needs to defend these gains or lose them. Best wishes
Bob Crow
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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RMTnews
NORTHERN RAIL CASUALISATION DEAL RMT members on Northern Rail make a stand against creeping casualisation and social dumping After RMT members at Northern Rail voted by a substantial majority for strike action to defend jobs and working conditions the union has secured agreements preventing the further casualisation of core railway jobs. The dispute which could have brought rail services across the north of the country
to a standstill was settled following extensive negotiations between the company and the union. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that as a result of members’ determination and solidarity on Northern Rail, RMT had been able to secure an end to a trial use of agency workers in one area and an ongoing review of long-
standing contractor arrangements in another. “We have also won an agreement that there will be no further extension of the use of agency staff for the duration of the franchise. “On a wide range of other issues that also threatened working conditions RMT has reached agreements that will protect our members’ rights
and livelihoods and prevent widescale social dumping. “This is an important victory on a major rail franchise that sends out a message from RMT across the rail industry that we will take action to stop creeping casualisation and the use of agencies that threaten to undermine jobs and conditions,” he said.
BELGIAN RAIL WORKERS PROTEST
elgian transport workers joined over 30.000 protesters marching in Brussels earlier this month against a wage freeze demanded by the European Union. The Belgian government has
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already implemented harsh austerity measures but the EU Economic affairs commissioner Olli Rehn announced that it was not enough and wages needed to be cut by next year or face a 780 million Euro fine.
The EU has been targeting the Belgian wage setting system for years now, but without success. Now the commission is demanding that Belgium must “fundamentally reform” its “wage norm mechanism”.
The commission is testing new powers it has acquired over the past years over the economic governance of member states and to control wage levels. Belgium has been singled out to be the guinea pig.
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EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS BALLOT MT is balloting different grades across the East Midlands rail franchise for strike action and action short of a strike over a failure to make adequate arrangements to reflect the impact of an engineering blockade coming into force in July. Due to re-signalling work at Nottingham, there will be an engineering blockade from July 20 through to August 25 2013. On-board members at East Midlands Trains have been offered some additional
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payments during the period of the blockade. However, this offer has been rejected by the union as being derisory and inferior to the offer made to drivers for the same period. There will be disruption during the blockade and staff will have to travel as passengers to other stations to pick up their re-programmed services and the union is in no doubt that severe delays will be incurred, meaning that staff will incur compulsory and
enforced overtime. To compound the matter, no formal offer has been received for station, clerical and retail grade members. RMT has consulted the membership and the feedback is that members strongly oppose the position of the company. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that RMT would not tolerate a position where members working lives are turned upside down, for little or nothing in return, to fit in with events that are out of their
control and which are set to last for much of the summer. “We also expect all staff to be treated equally and fairly in respect of any agreements. “We would hope that East Midlands trains will see the sense of our position, recognise the anger that is being generated amongst the staff, and enter into further discussions aimed at reaching a fair and equitable settlement of this dispute,” he said.
RMT SLAMS TORY TUBE PLAN MT has slammed plans set out by London Tories to allow commercial sponsorship of tube stations as “a blueprint to destroy London’s transport heritage in the name of private profit”. The union warned that the plan would see stations renamed and staff forced to wear uniforms branded in the corporate sponsors logos. RMT general secretary Bob
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Crow said that the tube map and the heritage of London’s transport services would be ripped to pieces to ram the sponsors names down passengers throats. “One minute the London Tories are trying to ban workers’ rights on the underground the next they are trying to turn the whole network into one giant marketing opportunity for
their big-business backers. “Although tube managers have rightly dismissed the proposal as unworkable that doesn’t mean that these jokers will leave it at that. “If they think RMT members are going to parade around as advertising hoardings for a bunch of tax-dodging capitalists they should think again,” he said.
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RMT WINS RECOGNITION AT CHURCHILL MT has signed a recognition deal with the Churchill cleaning company for members at eight locations within South West Trains following a meeting with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). The union made the application after building a high density of membership at the locations including Waterloo, Exeter, Woking, Guildford, Farnham, Staines, Strawberry Hill and Clapham Junction. RMT negotiators Wessex regional organiser Mick Tosh and Waterloo branch secretary Rickey Goodman met senior members of the Churchill Group at ACAS to put together a draft recognition agreement acceptable to the union. A special meeting was arranged by Waterloo Branch at
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Clapham Junction for all Churchill members. RMT general secretary Bob Crow thanked everyone for the hard work that had been put in to achieve a successful recognition agreement. “This achievement recognises the importance of this union’s campaign to achieve better working conditions and terms
DELEGATION: RMT’s black and ethnic TUC delegation included Thandi Mabodoko, Mansur khan, Frank Murray, Glenroy Watson, Mohamed Ilyas, Zimelle Maroti, Peter Lewis, Patrick Raeburn, Mohammad Mujahid, Clinton Woodburn, Mohammed younis , Gurpal Atwal, Jayesh Patel and Jason St John.
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and conditions for lower paid members,” he said. Mick Tosh said that the union would be submitting pay claim to Churchill and arranging meetings to get negotiating talks up and running. Rickey Goodman said that it would be a first of many meetings that will take place along with depot site visits to
ensure that membership levels are maintained and kept up to date. He said that the region is looking at putting a newsletter together and branches will be advised further of the process of electing one health and safety representative and two local representatives in due course.
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AGENCY SECURITY STAFF WIN CONTRACTS ecurity and safety staff employed by STM Security Group on London Overground have won contracts with guaranteed working hours after taking action short of strike action. The company initially locked out staff for three days after they took action against zerohour contracts. In the long-running dispute, RMT put forward a solution involving the creation of a roster which would do away with zero hour contracts and give all Travel Safe Officers guaranteed hours. The union was confident that this would lead to better working conditions and kerb the amount of pressure in the workplace. At first, STM cancelled planned meetings and refused to discuss the matter and, following the lock out of members, the union organised protests outside Overground House. As a result the company
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wrote to the union earlier this month confirming that contracts guaranteeing a 45 hour week at guaranteed rates of pay had been agreed. The union also negotiated a two per cent pay rise to take effect form next month and full transparency of shift allocation in the new rosters. RMT general secretary Bob Crow congratulated the members involved in this long running dispute for standing firm. “In very difficult conditions these members were prepared to fight for justice at work and they can be proud of what they have achieved,” he said. RMT regional organiser John Leach congratulated the members involved and said it was an inspiration to the labour movement. “The ancestors of this union fought for guaranteed working hours nearly 100 years ago and these members have ensured that they will not be returning to such practices,” he said.
RMT WARNS AGAINST PENSION ATTACK MT has warned Transport for London (TfL) that any attack on pensions of staff could lead to the biggest wave of industrial action on the Tube for 30 years. London Assembly Conservative member Gareth Bacon accused TfL of running "a gold-plated pension scheme" for its workforce. "With budgets so tight, and London's transport infrastructure so desperately in need of currently unfunded investment, it is time that the whole pay deal for TfL staff is reviewed,” he said.
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RMT general secretary Bob Crow warned that the union would not tolerate any erosion of workers' rights and agreements. "Any attack on pensions, passes or other hard-won conditions of service would be met with the biggest wave of industrial action on London Underground in 30 years. "If members of the London Assembly think that they can play politics with our members' working conditions and benefits on London Underground then they should think again,” he said.
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THAMESLINK CONTRACT IN CHAOS Watchdog confirms RMT warnings over the chaotic mismanagement of the Thameslink upgrade over the past two years A public spending watchdog has cast doubt on the government's ability to deliver a major upgrade to a key rail route by the 2018 deadline. Delays in awarding the contract to build new trains for the Thameslink risk putting the entire project behind schedule and calls into question the skills of Whitehall mandarins to plan for complex transport schemes, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). Margaret Hodge MP, who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee, raised fears that the Department for Transport (DfT), which has come in for criticism for its handling of a number of schemes including the West Coast Main Line franchise collapse, was "doomed to repeat history". "The case for Thameslink is clear: it is consistently among the most crowded routes in London. “However, the department will have to balance the demands of delivering this complex project alongside HS2 and Crossrail. "There has been a three-year delay trying to agree the £1.6 billion contract for Thameslink trains. “There is a risk the 2018 completion date will slip if negotiations with Siemens, the train provider, aren't concluded soon. “I am concerned at this stage
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in the project, given the lengthy delays, that the department has left itself with little contingency should anything go wrong. It needs to plan ahead and make sure it avoids another West Coast Main Line-style fiasco,” she warned. The NAO report found there continues to be a "robust" transport case for investment in the route, worth £3.552 billion in 2006 prices, because the Bedford to Brighton crossing through London is one of the capital's most overcrowded services. A contract for the trains was supposed to have been signed off by March 2010 but the DfT only selected its preferred bidder - a consortium led by Germany's Siemens at the expense of Bombardier Transportation, which builds trains in Derby - in June 2011 and the deal has still yet to be finalised. The knock-on effect could significantly delay or complicate other parts of the project and is partly behind stalled plans to re-let the franchise for the route, according to the NAO. It also means the DfT is buying trains to meet short-term demand on newly electrified routes elsewhere in the country which may no longer be needed once the upgrade is complete. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the National Audit Office was only
ON THE MARCH: RMT demands government protects UK jobs
confirming everything that RMT had said over the past two years about the chaotic mismanagement of the Thameslink upgrade right up to cabinet level. “Not only has this disgraceful shambles delayed key rail developments but it has also left 10,000 skilled engineering jobs across the East Midlands hanging in the balance. "In just over a week's time we will mark the second anniversary of the award in principle of the Thameslink contract to Siemens in Germany at the expense of Bombardier in Derby. “ After two years of
government lies and broken promises the contract remains unsigned and train building in the nation that gave the railways to the world is on a knife edge. “This scandalous political incompetence must end now,” he said. According to the NAO report it is not clear whether the programme can still be delivered by 2018. "The delays raise questions about whether the department underestimated the scale of work, time and skills and capacity it required to negotiate a complex PFI deal," it added.
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Parliamentary column
OFFSHORE SAFETY NOW This government’s worrying disregard for the regulations that guarantee the safety of workers could not be more starkly illustrated by the chaotic and irresponsible handling of the Health and Safety Executive’s reorganisation of its inspection regime for the 30,000 offshore oil and gas workers plying their specialist trades in the North Sea. This reorganisation, conducted without any consultation with the offshore trade unions or industry bodies, involves serious meddling with the safety inspection regime implemented on the recommendation of the Cullen Report into the Piper Alpha Inquiry. There is serious concern, amongst the workforce and HSE offshore inspectors themselves, that these proposals will undermine the culture of continuous improvement in the offshore safety regime which is so crucial to avoiding both small scale and catastrophic accidents, leaks and other safety emergencies in this most hazardous of the extractive industries. The inquiry into Piper Alpha, chaired by Lord Cullen of Whitekirk, reported in November 1990, making 106 recommendations to the Conservative government of the day, which was busy replacing Margaret Thatcher with John Major. Despite their internal wrangling, the Tory government accepted all of Cullen’s recommendations, key amongst them being reform of the HSE to create a stand-alone inspectorate for the offshore industry, with ‘a clear identity and strong influence in the HSE’ – the Offshore Safety Division which has just been abolished. Having been alerted to this
disturbing development by RMT, I raised the abolition of the OSD with the HSE Minister, Mark Hoban MP in the Commons and pressed him on the impact on the number of inspectors and inspections this would have on the offshore sector.
In addition, a serious gas leaks in March 2012 on Total’s Elgin platform resulted in evacuations from installations and platforms all over the Elgin-Franklin field, with the faulty platform itself only recently having been brought back into production.
The minister offered only a weak defence of skills diversification and recruitment in HSE. Whilst it is true that, in contrast to the rest of the public sector, specialist offshore safety inspectors are being recruited and that salaries have been increased, morale in this section of HSE is at rock bottom and there is a suspicion that abolition of OSD and merger with inspectors from other fields such as mining, is the price for that very recruitment and pay increase.
The deep and lasting trauma caused to families and communities affected by the Piper Alpha disaster of July 6 1988 can never be over stated, and neither should the industry or regulators ever forget the organisations lessons that were learned out of this tragedy. Piper Alpha continues to serve as a constant reminder of the need to maintain robust and effective safety standards for offshore workers.
The North Sea’s oil and gas reserves will continue to play a significant role in the UK’s energy industry in the years ahead, but some of the 40 plus year old infrastructure is starting to creak, with potentially serious consequences. In the last year alone we have seen repeated leaks, evacuations and shut downs, including on the ageing oil platform North Cormorant which has been extracting oil since the 1970s.
We will be commemorating the 167 lives lost as a result of this catastrophe as part of the 25th anniversary of Piper Alpha next month and it is remarkably insensitive for the HSE to have embarked upon these changes in this of all years. I will continue to work with all the offshore trade unions in order to fight this dangerous attack on the offshore safety regime. Tom Greatrex, Shadow Energy Minister, Labour and Co-op MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West
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SAVE OUR BUSES
Government cuts set to decimate bus industry One in seven bus journeys would be lost if key government funding is cut, according to the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT). Such a reduction would cost the economy £3.7 billion in lost time and revenue, the campaign group said. CBT and other organisations are urging the government to maintain support for bus services when he gives details of his spending review later this month. Government funding for bus services comes in the form of the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG). A recent Department for
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Transport response to a request by the CBT under the Freedom of Information Act showed that over nine years, removing BSOG would save the Treasury £1.8 billion. But the CBT added that the department figures also showed that removing BSOG would cost the economy £3.7 billion in lost time and revenue. The CBT pointed out that there has already been cuts to BSOG and further reductions would affect many evening services, Sunday buses and services in smaller towns. CBT chief executive Stephen Joseph said that if the government swung the axe at
bus funding again it could spell the end for whole networks of services. “There will be grave impacts on employment, education and communities. "We are calling on the government to protect bus funding and avoid cuts which would tip many vital services over the edge,” he said. More than 30 organisations have signed the letter to the chancellor George Osborne, including the National Federation of Women's Institutes, Royal National Institute of Blind People, the National Pensioners' Convention and the National Union of
Students. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the threat of further cuts to bus services would ratchet up the problem of transport poverty, leaving hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable members of the communities effectively prisoners in their own homes. "The scale of future cuts projected would decimate services in communities where buses are the main transport lifeline and we are joining the call for these essential transport links to be protected," he said.
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SWANLAND SINKING ‘AVOIDABLE’ RMT calls for corporate manslaughter charges against ship owners over sinking that cost six lives A report into the sinking of the cargo ship MV Swanland in the Irish Sea with the loss of six lives has revealed that the tragedy could have been avoided. Accident investigators revealed that the Swanland which sank in 2011 after suffering a "catastrophic structural failure" caused by corrosion and that the ship hadn't been properly maintained. RMT announced that the shocking and damning report into the sinking should shame the government and the international maritime industry into urgent action. The master and five crew of the Cook Islands-flagged general cargo ship were killed when the 34 year-old Swanland sank in
just 17 minutes while battling heavy seas in the middle of the night. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the way of the cargo was loaded, putting pressure on the midships section, and lack of repairs in recent years contributed to the vessel's structural failure. Other contributing factors included non-compliance with international maritime code, lack of effective safety management, financial pressures of operating the vessel in an economic downturn and safety issues concerning immersion suits and life jackets on the vessel. The report also found that
the Swanland's crew did not regularly conduct "abandon ship" drills. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the shocking and damning report into the avoidable and tragic sinking should shame the government and the international maritime industry into urgent action. "This rusting death trap of a vessel had been flagged out to the Cook Islands and allowed to dodge the most basic of safety and maintenance regimes. “The seafarers on board never stood a chance and their lives were lost in the name of profit and greed. "RMT wants to see corporate manslaughter charges against
those who sent these lads to their deaths, an end to flagging out and the dodging of safety regulations and action by the UK government to end the scandal of the ships of shame sailing out of British ports and in British waters. "RMT will not let those responsible for tolerating and encouraging the lack of basic safety that led to the Swanland tragedy off the hook. “A repeat of this disaster is just waiting to happen and warm words and lip service in response to this damning MAIB report will achieve nothing, decisive and hard line action is required,” he said.
GREAT WESTERN FRANCHISE IN CRISIS MT has revealed an emergency scheme to renationalise the Great Western rail franchise and to hand over operations to the publicly owned Directly Operated Railways. The moves are fuelling speculation that talks on a contract extension with First Group are in trouble. First Group is currently receiving taxpayers ‘revenue support of more than £200 million but in May 2011 announced that they would not be taking up an option to
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extend the contract in order to dodge more than £800 million in premium payments due to the taxpayer. As a result of the collapse of First’s bid to run the West Coast the entire franchising process has been reduced to chaos and a whole raft of current route holders have forced their way into a monopoly provider position and hold the government to ransom in order to keep trains running. It is believed that First has already taken the taxpayer for
over a billion pounds in dodged premiums and revenue support in the past two years. As a result even this Toryled government is reluctant to hand over more public cash and DOR has set up a new arm – GW Railway Ltd – and submitted applications to run the Great Western route. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the public sector will be sweeping up another mess created by the shambles of rail franchising. “First Group has already soaked up over a billion pounds
in taxpayer bailouts and it just makes you wonder what shed loads of cash they are trying to lever out of the government in the current talks. “This nonsense could be ended right now with the Great Western route renationalised, East Coast left to operate in public hands, the rest of the franchises brought under public control and the whole lot brought back under one national organisation run in the interests of public service and not private greed,” he said.
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LEARNING IT AT NETWORK RAIL RMT learning development worker for Network Rail Emily King outlines learning opportunities for members working for the company Over the coming months Network Rail employees should start to hear about the new programme of IT, English and maths that Network Rail has agreed to roll out for all staff called Learn:IT. The programme has been developed after the union initiated discussions with the company on how they could support their staff in gaining skills and qualifications in the core subjects of IT, English and maths. The union has always argued that there is a need among Network Rail employees for support in up-skilling in these areas, and that because of the nature of the work that their employees do for the company, namely shift—work, they are unable to access this support in the traditional way at evening classes or local colleges. To demonstrate this need, plans were made to run pilot courses across the country. This would provide anonymous data on the levels of ability in English and maths among staff that could be used to build a picture of the skills level across the company. The key issue for the union in running the pilot course was 12
that participants should not be expected to attend in their own time or without pay – taking on learning is a big commitment and there needed to be an incentive for members to get involved. As releasing groups of workers posed problems for line managers, Network Rail’s Maintenance Director, who at the time was Steve Featherstone, agreed to fund a payment for each participant on completion of a course – in other words, deferred paid-release; each participant attended the course they chose in their own time, and was paid a lump sum at the end of the course equivalent to what they would have been paid had they been released. The pilot courses were a great success. 97 per cent of participants gained a qualification in English or maths and the feedback received was very positive: “It was a friendly atmosphere and very relaxed” “Excellent tutoring” “Great atmosphere and everyone there wanted to learn” The main concerns reported before starting a course was that there would be tests; that participants would feel stupid
and worries about going back into a classroom environment. The experienced tutors, all from local colleges and fully trained in delivering English and maths, with the help of dedicated ULRs, were able to put everyone’s mind at ease within the first few sessions. Once they had started the courses, participants reported that: “It was a non-judgemental environment with many people in the same boat as me” “The teacher put me at ease, everyone was friendly who attended the course with me and they felt the same as me.” All the pilot courses were delivered in the workplace to avoid any travelling time for participants and make it as easy as possible to attend. This was reflected in the attendance rates – no unknown absences were recorded. This was of huge importance to the colleges running the courses who depend on good attendance to ensure they remain viable to run and demonstrated to Network Rail that their employees were serious about making the most of this opportunity. Following the successful pilot courses, it was easy for the union to build the business case
for Network Rail rolling out the scheme to all its employees. There is no cost to the company for the delivery of the courses as Government funding is available – the company only had to agree to fund the cost of releasing employees to attend. It was not considered viable by Network Rail to continue funding lump sum payments, so the union pushed for paidrelease. After lots of discussion, a solution was found that both sides were happy with. A programme of IT training that would have different pathways that learner’s could choose, according to what training they wanted or were identified as needing. This programme has been given the name Learn:IT. The first pathway will be just ‘Learn:IT’ – IT training from a basic level following an individual plan based on previous knowledge and experience. The second pathway will be ‘Learn:IT Plus’ – this will be IT training, but with embedded English and/or maths. Each learner will undertake a confidential assessment with the course tutor at the start of the course and if a need to up-skill in English or
RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2013 :: maths is identified, there will be the opportunity to incorporate this in the individual’s learning plan. There will also be an ORBIS pathway, that will concentrate on developing the IT training for use of i-Pads and an Employability pathway that will incorporate training in CV writing, interview skills etc – all using IT as the method of delivery. Each learner will gain a nationally recognised qualification on completion of the course appropriate to the pathway they choose. Learning plans will be developed for each individual and everything discussed between a learner and their tutor or Union Learning Rep will be strictly confidential. Using IT as the delivery method means that whatever pathway is chosen, no one external will be any the wiser as to whether the learner is brushing up on English and maths as well or not. Crucially, the new Learn:IT programme will be delivered in
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ULR: Network Rail union learning reps
work time and in the workplace. An external provider has been procured to deliver the programme and they will run classes of any size – including one to one. This means that even if there are only three people at your workplace wanting to do a course, it can, in theory, be accommodated. It also means that anyone needing a little extra support can get it on a one to one basis from their tutor.
So, after a lot of hard work from RMT Union Learning Reps and participants on courses across the country, the union has secured a programme of training, with paid release, that members have been asking for. There is without doubt a positive impact on member’s lives from gaining knowledge and skills in IT, English and maths. There is also a business benefit for Network Rail and this has been used to bargain
for paid release and delivery in the workplace – both crucial elements in enabling our members to take part in this training programme and enjoy the benefits they will gain. For more information on these developments at Network Rail, you can contact Emily King, Development Worker (Network Rail) on 07876 441 6920 or e.king@rmt.org.uk
JOIN RMT
BRITAIN’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 In the light of draconian anti-trade union laws that have been used against the union, members should keep their personal data up to date. It also important to note that in order to keep members informed your union requires your mobile telephone number and email address. 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.
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EAST COAST: The government took over the running of the line through a publicly-owned company when National Express East Coast ceases to operate in 2009 when transport group National Express walked away from the rail franchise.
EAST COAST MAINLINE CHAOS CONTINUES
Company that handed in the keys of the East Coast franchise four years ago given green light to bid for the contract RMT has revealed that National Express, the company that threw back the keys as their contract on the East Coast Mainline that collapsed into chaos four years ago, has been cleared to bid for the route again. The news came as the government speeds up plans to reprivatise the service that is currently being successfully run in the public sector. In a Commons answer to RMT Parliamentary Group member Jeremy Corbyn, transport minister Simon Burns confirmed that “National Express and its subsidiaries are permitted to submit for the pre-
qualification process (PQQ) to run passenger rail services in all franchise competitions including the East Coast Mail Line”. Labour MP Andy MacDonald secured an adjournment debate in the Commons earlier this month as part of the campaign to force the retention of the East Coast Mainline in public ownership. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that despite throwing back the keys and abandoning a major transport artery in total chaos only four years ago, National Express had now been given the green light to bid for the route again showed that the
government was hell-bent on re-privatisation before the next election. “The East Coast in public ownership is currently plowing hundreds of millions of pounds back into the exchequer as opposed to robbing the taxpayer blind in the name of profit as the private companies have been doing on our railways for a generation. “The news that National Express is back in with a spin of the roulette wheel on the East Coast shows once again reveals the madness of casino franchising and reinforces the case for public ownership of the entire rail network,” he said.
New RMT research has revealed that Virgin and Stagecoach have paid almost half a billion pounds in dividends to its shareholders while operating the West Coast Line. This could have instead been used to finance an average year on year fare cut of 7 % to help hard pressed passengers if the service had been publicly owned. Meanwhile the publicly owned East Coast through Directly Operated railways also paid almost twice as more (£602m) than its predecessor National Express (£370m) over a four year period.
NATIONAL EXPRESS “REWARD FOR FAILURE” AT C2C National Express, the company that threw back the keys on the East Coast, has been granted a gold plated extension to their c2c franchise. The first of the emergency franchise extensions to be confirmed after the collapse of the West Coast competition last year is set to cost taxpayers almost £15 million. National Express operator c2c had been paying premiums of more than £12 million a year, but now it's to receive a subsidy of nearly £2.5 million instead –
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amounting to what is effectively a taxpayer bail-out of nearly £15 million. The Department for Transport has decided to extend the c2c rail franchise to September 2014 – ripping up their own competition regulations and leaving the taxpayer to pick up the cost of what is nothing more than monopoly tendering behind closed doors without the slightest shred of transparency. The franchise, which was due to expire last month, also has an option to extend it until April
2015. The company has been left the opportunity of the bonus ball as well as the rollover as National Express is currently one of four companies shortlisted to run the new 15year Essex Thameside franchise that will follow the c2c extension. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the scandal of rail privatisation had been taken to new heights with the rail companies bullying their way into monopoly tendering
positions where they can screw the Department of Transport for cold-plated extensions. “Tendering regs have been ripped up and these shabby deals are being stitched up behind closed doors with companies like Nat Ex who have shown themselves totally unfit to run rail services after their chaotic reneging on the East Coast. “Once again it is the taxpayer and the passenger who will pick up the tab for this latest outrage on our railways,” he said.
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THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY
Report finds that rail privatisation is a rip off The Great Train Robbery written for the TUC by the Centre for Research on Social-Cultural Change shows that private train companies depend on the public purse to enable them to run services. And when train companies do make a profit, barely any of it is re-invested in the railways, says the study. It reveals that those firms receiving the largest state subsidies spend, on average, over 90 per cent of their profits on shareholder dividends. This contrasts sharply with the East Coast Mainline, which is currently state run and which re-invests all of its profits into improving the service. The Great Train Robbery looks at many of the key objectives behind the decision of John Major’s government to privatise the railways in 1994 under EU rail directive 91/440 including cost effectiveness, extra investment and innovation. The report confirms that train operating companies are entirely reliant upon public subsidies to run services. The top five recipients alone received almost £3bn in taxpayer support between 2007 and 2011. This allowed them to make operating profits of £504m – over 90 per cent (£466m) of which was paid to shareholders. It also shows that the average age of trains has risen since rail privatisation, from 16 years in 1996 to 18 years old today. Just £1.9bn was spent on rolling stock between 2008 and 2012, compared to £3.2bn between 1989 and 1993 before privatisation.
Over 90 per cent of new investment in recent years has been financed by Network Rail and comes mainly from taxpayer funding or government-underwritten borrowing. Significant upgrades to infrastructure, such as the development of the West Coast Mainline, have been paid for by Network Rail. The report points out that even where there has been private sector investment in new technology it has been underwritten by the state through subsidies to train operating companies and guarantees to rolling stock leasing companies. The Great Train Robbery shows how train operating companies paid Network Rail just £1.59bn in track access charges in 2012, compared to £3.18bn paid to its predecessor
Railtrack in 1994. This represents an ‘indirect subsidy’ from taxpayers as train companies are getting track access on the cheap. It also means that the full extent of taxpayer subsidy is far greater than is often reported. Britain has the most expensive rail fares in Europe. Long distance, day return and season tickets are all around twice the price of similar tickets in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Average train fares in the UK increased at three times the rate of average wages between 2008 and 2012. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said that the study exploded the myth that rail firms brought added value to rail. “In reality they rely upon taxpayers to turn a profit,
virtually all of which ends up in shareholders’ pockets, rather than being used to improve services. “Rail privatisation has not brought the improvements its cheerleaders promised – the average age of trains has increased and most new investment is funded by the state,” she said. CRESC director Professor Karel Williams said that it would make sense to abolish the train operating companies which would cost the taxpayer nothing if it were done as the franchises expired. “Train and track operation could then be integrated under a new not-for-profit company, National Rail, under cash constraints which enforced operating efficiency,” she said.
NET PROFITS AND DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION RATES FOR THE TOP FIVE RECIPIENTS OF PUBLIC SUBSIDY IN 2011/12
Total train operating company net profit (TOC) 2007 - 2011 Total TOC dividends 2007-2011 Total percentage of profits issued in dividends
Arriva Trains Wales
First Scotrail
First Trans Northern Pennine Rail
Southeastern
Top five subsidised
£59.4m
£84.3m
£167.4m
£110.5m
£82.4m
£504.1m
£59m
£83m
£140m
£117m
£67m
£466m
99.4%
98.4%
83.6%
105.90%
81.3%
92.4%
Source: The Great Train Robbery
NETWORK RAIL V PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ROLLING STOCK 2008 – 2011(£ MILLIONS) Network Rail Private investment Total Percentage funded by Network Rail
2008 5,270 549 5,819 90.6
2009 6,208 425 6,633 93.6
2010 4,983 468 5,451 91.4
2011 4,756 312 5,068 93.8
Source: The Great Train Robbery - A copy of The Great Train Robbery can be found at: http://www.tuc.org.uk/greattrainrobbery
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REMEMBERING PIPER ALPHA RMT News talks to RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy about the disaster that took the lives of 167 men The Piper Alpha platform once stood proud in the central North Sea situated 110 miles North East of Aberdeen. It was one of the biggest and best producers ever and in the UK sector and in July of 1988 it was pumping over 100,000 barrels of oil a day to shore. On the evening of July 6 1988 it was a calm and clear mid-summer evening with the moon reflecting on the sea. The Piper Alpha platform was pumping around 119,000 barrels of oil to shore and had approximately 33 million standard cubic feet of gas flowing over the platform. At around 21.30 the platform suffered a series of events which would culminate in what is to this day the worst ever offshore disaster in the world. On the night there were 226 people on board the platform and they were being watched over by the emergency stand-by vessel the Sandhaven. In just a few horrifying hours after the event, 165 of the platform personnel and two brave crewmen from a rescue craft launched from the Sandhaven would be killed. This year marks the 25th anniversary of that tragic event and RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy remembers the disaster. “I was working on the Brent Delta platform on the night. I’d gone there in November 1986 after the Chinook disaster which claimed the lives of 45 workers, most of whom were off Brent Delta. “I think the lads onboard Delta were only just about over that event when Piper happened. 16
“It was 9pm and I’d just finished my obligatory 15-hour shift. “It was the only way to make any kind of living at the time, as after the 1986 oil price crash wages were at an all time low which for me was £4.25 and hour! Three hours on the end of a needle gun or else painting deck heads didn’t seem that bad at the time and given we rarely had radio reception in our fourman cabin, (no TV’s back then), the three hours a night got your time in. “I had a shower and checked my phone card, which you had to buy at the time, and I had about four or five minutes left on it. “So I headed off to sit in the queue for the phone and on the way I passed the radio room. “Alex the radio op’ shouted; ‘Jake, there’s something happening down on the Piper, reports suggest there could be as many as six guys dead after an explosion!’ “I went to the phone and called home, then on the way back to my cabin I stopped to listen at the radio room to all the chatter on the emergency channel. “I only listened a few minutes as I remember thinking it was getting serious and I didn’t need to know all this before I went to bed. “I went up to my cabin and as I pulled the bunk curtains shut I told the lads what I’d heard at the radio room, there was silence. “The morning brought an even greater stunned silence around the platform and as I headed for breakfast there was a crowd around the radio in the
MEMORIAL: Relatives at the Hazlehead Park memorial statue for a Piper Alpha memorial service in Aberdeen
lounge outside the mess, some with tears in their eyes and a few gasping in disbelief – over 100 dead or missing – one lad said. “It was a day or two before the newspapers started arriving and with them came the first images of what was left of Piper. “The question for most of us was how could a platform just disappear? “Then the lists of names of those confirmed dead and missing started to be produced and with each day more grief as those you knew and had worked with were added to the list; it was a desperate time and the grief was overwhelming. “A couple of trips later there was a gas blast on the Brent Alpha and pictures were circulated around. “Then the Ocean Odessey drilling rig had a blowout killing one and any remaining grief began to turn to anger as workers, myself included, started to question the whole safety regime of the industry. “By the time a massive blast ripped through the gas compression module our own
platform on January 1 1989, the ‘battle lines’ were being drawn,” he said. Lord Cullen chaired the inquiry lasting over a year into the disaster, an inquiry which would change operations in the UK sector forever as it highlighted the fundamental failings of the industry to protect workers. In November 1990, it concluded that the initial leak was the result of maintenance work being carried out simultaneously on a pump and related safety valve. The inquiry was critical of Piper Alpha's operator, Occidental, which was found guilty of having inadequate maintenance and safety procedures. But no criminal charges were ever brought against it and the company left the North Sea not long after and never returned. The Kirk of St Nicholas in Union Street, Aberdeen has dedicated a chapel in memory of those who perished and there is a memorial sculpture in the Rose Garden of Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen. Thirty bodies were not recovered.
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BLACKLIST NEAR MISS Former OILC general secretary Ronnie McDonald describes how the blacklisting of offshore workers may have saved his life In early 1988 I found myself blacklisted by AMEC yet again for trade union activities having been an OCA shop steward on a couple of Brae Field hook-ups. I did manage to get offshore employment elsewhere, but I had no intention of taking this passively. I contacted the trade union signatory to the OCA agreement and brought his attention to what was being done in his union’s name. As time passed, word came that I would be considered for employment on the next hookup. And so it was that on the afternoon of July 4 1988 I was instructed to mobilise next morning to Shell’s Tern hookup. Even after 25 years the dread is very real as I remember the other phone call received that day. Wood Group had offered me a place on the Piper Alpha maintenance contract just
procured from Occidental. I nearly said yes. Only the on-going rumpus to get reemployment on the hook-ups caused me to pause. How close did I come to death? Actually, refusal of Wood Group’s offer was as much due to my experience of previous employment with them. Then it was a stingy uncaring outfit with a history of arbitrarily cutting wages. It was on this basis that the Occidental contract had been procured as remuneration for Wood Group operatives was significantly less than the outgoing contractors’ employees had enjoyed. Of course, all the contractors were at it: a big Dutch auction driving down pay rates to hardly more than four pounds an hour in some cases and bring your own hardhat and boots. Buy your job by paying for your own survival training, no travel time, pay your own
fares, not knowing when, the next pay cut would come. As for safety, the bosses had decided to gamble with the lives of their offshore employees. Wood Group in 1988 epitomised everything that was rotten about the offshore employment regime. It was with not a little relief that I told them to stuff it. The East Shetland Basin in the evening of July 6; my mate Jim and I had just landed an 800 tonne module onto the support frame of the Tern jacket, effectively kicking off the Tern hook-up. With the weather benign and the moon shining the expectation was that work would continue through the night. But at around 21.30 operations were suspended due to heavy radio traffic to the south. Piper Alpha was the source. News came down from the radio shack in fits and starts, some of it not believable, but by midnight the sheer
incredible enormity of the tragedy was evident. In a couple of hours 167 of our fellow offshore workers had been killed. Not able to take it in, I said to Jim, “You know, I was asked to go Piper yesterday”. In sadness and shock, he replied, “I’m not long off it”. He had been run off due to the previous maintenance contractor losing out to Wood Group. In the days following I recollect Jim was deeply affected. We all were, but he more so. He had served on Piper Alpha for four years and many of the dead were good friends. Others, neighbours in Aberdeen, had left behind families known to him. The process of change was at first imperceptible, but did gather pace: the collective awareness that the whole rotten regime had to change and that offshore workers had a part to play in changing it.
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LEGAL
UNION FIGHTS UNLAWFUL ARREST Paula Porter, head of criminal law at Thompsons Solicitors, says the government’s criminal legal aid reforms threatens specialist representation for wrongly accused union members When RMT member Laura Barker attempts to pay for a couple of cereal bars and a soft drink at the buffet of an East Coast Mainline train during her restaurant host shift, she could not have imagined it would result in her arrest and detention in a police cell for over 16 hours. Laura’s card was rejected and as she searched for an alternative she put the cereal bars in her coat pocket. After the second card also failed (the processing equipment was faulty) she was distracted by work tasks and forgot about the bars. She was having employment related difficulties with her line manager at the time, and rather than bringing the oversight to her attention, she called British Transport Police to report that she had stolen the cereal bars. As the train pulled into Newcastle Central Station, BT police and East Coast management were there to meet Laura. Her attempts to explain what had happened to the police were ignored. In what would have been a frightening ordeal for anyone, but made worse by Laura’s mental health conditions, including severe anxiety, panic attacks and claustrophobia, she was arrested and taken to Newcastle Central Police Station. There she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, had a DNA sample taken and
was forced to undergo a drug test. It was a humiliating and distressing experience. Over the following hours Laura suffered a number of panic attacks, vomited, was accused of being drunk, was denied her medication, even though the Custody Sergeant was aware of her conditions, and was described by an officer to a social worker as having learning difficulties. No further action was taken by police after Laura was finally released on bail. But RMT instructed Thompsons’ specialist criminal law unit to represent her. My colleague Craig Hunn pursued a complaint against BTP for unlawful arrest and Northumbria Police for unlawful detention and now the BTP has admitted that her arrest was unlawful. As a result Thompsons is fighting to have Northumbria Police destroy Laura’s photograph, finger print and DNA samples. Its specialist criminal law unit has extensive experience of representing union members accused of work-related crime and its lawyers understand well the impact that false and malicious criminal allegations can have on someone’s career. But now the government’s plans to cut £220m from the criminal legal aid budget and change the way such aid is provided to defendants threatens
the future of the RMT’s criminal law service. If the reforms go through then many hard working people like Laura – the very people the coalition claims to be on the side of - will be denied the right to choose which lawyer represents them. Forcing criminal law firms to tender for national contracts based on the lowest bid is likely to mean the end of specialist services such as that provided by Thompsons. As a result, the government is creating a twotiered criminal justice system, with the wealthy able to instruct a lawyer of their choice while ordinary workers have no choice but to be allocated a solicitor randomly by a call centre. The union members we represent are typically teachers, nurses, firefighters, ambulance drivers, prison officers, rail workers and paramedics – professional people of good character and without experience of the criminal justice system. They have been suspended from employment on full pay and the majority are determined to clear their name and return to work as soon as possible. Their situation, like Laura Barker’s, almost always means that there are employment issues in their cases which call for specific expertise. Few general crime solicitors have experience or knowledge of the interrelationship between a criminal investigation and
future employability. The reality is that those who hold positions of trust run a higher risk of being falsely accused. Just being arrested at a police station rather than attending voluntarily could have significant implications for someone’s ability to return to work. The overwhelming majority of people represented by Thompsons through their union’s legal service are dealt with as “no further action”, or are acquitted. It is inconceivable that, given the scale of the work being proposed, that general crime law firms, or the large, corporate providers expected to enter the market by undercutting other bidders, will have the time, opportunity or inclination to specialise in work-related allegations. Without the ability to choose a lawyer with such expertise, miscarriages of justices will be inevitable. The fundamental flaw in a tendering process based on price alone is that a proper market, governed by the usual rules, cannot prevail: there is no choice and there is no true competition. The proposals are an unreasonable, unnecessary and a dysfunctional way to organise and fund legal representation for people suspected (but not proven guilty) of committing a crime – including of a theft of cereal bars worth less than £3.
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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2013 ::
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SHARE IN THE MORNING STAR Morning Star editor Richard Bagley explains how branches can take out shares in Britain’s socialist daily newspaper Working people face the greatest threat in decades, in assaults on welfare and services, pensions, jobs and pay. A mass transfer of wealth is taking place from the majority into the hands of a small minority who want to avoid tax and ramp up their profits. The European Union is ploughing full steam ahead with its drive for privatisation of every part of member states’ economies and beyond. In transport, the aim of privatisation couldn’t be more blatant — it is about boosting shareholders’ returns at the expense of everyone else. The Morning Star newspaper - Britain’s only daily national
that stands four-square behind working people and our communities - is part of the solution. It was founded as the Daily Worker in 1930 amid the ravages of the Great Depression. Today, the case for the Morning Star, co-operatively owned by its readers and with its heart in the labour movement, remains just as strong. Time and again we have seen how vicious the corporateowned press can be. They have little interest in portraying trade unionists, one of the biggest democratic forces for good in society, in a fair light. The Morning Star does, day
in, day out, but it has to be better to take on the millionaire media. To get there we need you. RMT is already a shareholder of the People’s Press Printing Society co-operative that owns us. Now we are asking individual members and branches to take the step of becoming part-owners and get involved.
On the back page of this edition of RMT News you’ll find a form to buy shares in the only daily paper guaranteed to watch your back when the chips are down. With your help we can raise the funds to build a media force strong enough to confront the rich and powerful and turn back the tide. They’ve had it all their own way for far too long.
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RMT AT SCOTTISH TUC RMT delegation takes part in three days of debates, representing the concerns of transport workers in Scotland and beyond
BUILDING THE UNION
his year’s conference of branch and regional secretaries met in Bournemouth and those who travelled down to the south coast enjoyed a well-attended and highly informative event. John Whittingham was in the chair and was joined by Mick Tosh, regional organiser from the host Wessex Region, in opening the first session. The introductory remarks
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reinforced the positive role that the conference plays as a forum for branch and regional officials to share experiences with the aim of learning from each other. The conference executive discussed the possibility of introducing a training element into the weekend and also looked at the feasibility of making use of the unions expanded facilities at the Doncaster Centre.
The Scottish TUC assembled for their 116th Annual Congress recently at the Concert Hall in Perth. Over 320 delegates represented 627,338 Scottish Trade Unionists from 38 affiliated trade unions and 20 trade union councils, together with delegates from the black workers, youth, disabled workers and the LGBT conferences. The RMT delegation consisted of nine representatives from the general grades membership, four from shipping and offshore membership, one woman delegate and one black and
ethnic delegate. Ex-officio representatives were the general secretary, the president, two Scottish Council of Executive Committee representatives and regional organisers Jake Molloy, and Ian Macintyre who led the delegation. In accordance with the Council of Executives instructions the delegation supported or opposed the agenda items previously sent to the delegates. RMT opposed an item on Whisky Tax which was remitted by the general council and opposed the amendment on Council Cuts which was carried. Our amendment to the motion on the economy was included in a composite which the question of the STUC coordinating with the TUC to further consider the practicalities of a general strike and Bob Crow moved in a rousing speech. Bob also spoke in a debate on trade union rights, emphasising support for the repeal of all the anti-union laws and welcoming the merger of the United Campaign to Repeal the Anti-Trade Union Laws with the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions. RMT president Peter Pinkney
In his comments, Mick Tosh made a call for support for the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs festival, held just down the road from Bournemouth towards the end of July. Mick also gave a run down on the anti-McNulty campaigning activities being spearheaded in the region. General secretary Bob Crow took delegates through the current work programme of the union at national level, the development of the new RMT website and the growing educational investment at Doncaster as evidence that, despite the hostile economic and industrial landscape, the union is building for the future. Bob re-emphasised the importance of building from the grassroots upwards, utilising the skills and energies located at branch level and giving all of activists the skills and training
needed for the fight ahead. Nicola Hoarau introduced a session on RMT’s growing credit union and the alternative that it offers to the pay day loan companies and other products available on the high street and on-line. The credit union continues to grow as members recognise the huge financial benefits compared to the legalised loan sharks with their 4000 per cent plus APR’s and their aggressive hounding of those most vulnerable in these days of austerity. Nicola explained how branches are absolutely essential in promoting the credit union. Andy Hutson from the union’s lawyers Thompsons gave a full briefing on the legal changes being bulldozed through by the government which will hit workers, and those seeking legal aid, hard
RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2013 :: also gave a stirring speech in the transport debate with delegates from the union speaking in favour on various items included in the composite. An RMT motion on employment tribunals was included in a composite and was carried unanimously and an amendment on the Piper Alpha anniversary was moved by Jake Molloy and carried unanimously. Emergency motions on the restructuring of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), attacks on offshore safety and opposing the re-franchising of the East Coast Mainline were also carried. The majority of the RMT delegation took part in the many debates, especially those delegates who attended the STUC Congress for the first time. Bob Crow as usual spoke at various fringe meetings and Ian Macintyre was re-elected onto the general council. The union led from the front and emphasised union policy during the debates and beyond, especially its support for the Morning Star by paying for the free issue to all delegates on the third day of Congress.
and effectively closing off the right to legal redress for many. Andy explained the relentless attack on workers' rights with legislation which has recently or will shortly come into effect which applies to both employment tribunal and personal injury claims. From July this year employment tribunal fees come into effect and a claim with a employment tribunal could cost up to £1,200 to pursue to a hearing, unfair dismissal claims will be capped and personal injury claims will be taxed to the tune of 25 per cent. Conference addressed a number of motions covering subjects from badges to branch financing and the meeting closed with a rallying call for a strong attendance at next year’s event in Fort William.
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President’s column
CHAIRING AGM My first AGM as president is fast approaching and will probably be over by the time you receive this edition of RMT News. I have attended many AGMs in various guises-as a delegate, as the executive committee representative and EC member accompanying the young members’ delegation. All were interesting and different in their own way. This time it will be a whole new ball game as I am in charge. It will be difficult not to make contributions to debates, but I will have to live with that. My role will be to make sure the rules of debate are abided by, to make sure the rule book is followed and to make sure everything runs smoothly. This is an immense task but I will be assisted by various members of head office staff. This has got me to thinking just how important a role ALL staff in this union play. From the cleaners to regional and office managers, they are invaluable to the smooth running of this union and we literally could not function without them. They make sure we work in a clean and safe environment, make sure decisions are acted upon, are an invaluable source of knowledge and enable the activists and leadership have the best tools to represent our members. Our union rightly prides itself on being a member-led union, but we also need to make sure that we appoint the best staff to make this possible. I like to think of it as a partnership, working together as one unit to get the best results. Our motto ‘Unity is Strength’ is ably demonstrated by the fact that we all work together, and continually prove that, in my opinion, we are the strongest most progressive union in the country. Another difficult and strenuous part of the AGM that has my admiration is the work put
together by the branch that hosts the conference. They have to make sure there is a suitable venue and that all delegates, the leadership, and invited guests, get instructions to get there. They have to make sure everyone has a place to stay or at least point them in the right direction. Also all the various leisure time activities have to be arranged. I have had some wonderful times in the past. Visits to historical places, places of political interest, trips out on river boats, and of course, great AGM dinners. All these things take a massive amount of effort and time. We also need to remember that all these things are done voluntarily. People giving up their own leisure time to help put it together in the best possible way. This year the conference is in Brighton, a place that I like very much. It deserves its name ‘London by the Sea’, and I am certain that Greg, Garry, and all the members of Brighton branch will do us proud. I hope that I will be able to cope half as well as some of the great presidents of the past, some who have had to deal with issues that have nearly tore this union apart. They dealt with the conferences in a cool calm manner and made sure that at the end of the week, or in the past end of two weeks, everyone went back to their workplaces singing from the same hymn sheets. Hopefully this year will be the same and at the end we leave united and take the decisions to the work place, and work towards a better society. So to all staff, reception committees, presidents of the past and the future and I would like to say a big thank you for making everything come together and work.
Peter Pinkney
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INTERNATIONALISM AT LGBT CONFERENCE RMT’s annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Conference speaks out against persecution in Uganda International solidarity was a key theme of the RMT’s annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Conference meeting in Blackpool. Prime minister David Cameron was called upon to stand by his words and his government’s pledge to stop deporting LGBT people back to countries where they face persecution, torture, and death. Conference heard how human rights’ groups continue to document cases where LGBT asylum seekers have been deported back to countries
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where they face persecution, torture, and death, in spite of David Cameron’s pledge to stop the deportation of asylum seekers who have had to leave particular countries because of their sexual orientation said Paul Penny, Stratford No 1. “It is not uncommon for LGBT asylum seekers to be incarcerated in UK detention centres for up to three years and longer because of the backlog of cases being processed by the Home Office. “The use of detention in the UK has increased in the last ten
years. There is no time limit on detention and there is no need for detention to be sanctioned by a court. “Asylum seekers can be deprived of their liberty for indefinite periods on the say-so of an immigration officer,” he said. RMT general secretary Bob Crow paid tribute to the fact that conference had doubled in size over recent years. He also commended the internationalism of the event, reminding delegates that people could be persecuted in other countries for
discussing some of the issues that were on the agenda. Outlining the union’s work Bob explained that the expansion of education classes at the union’s national education centre in Doncaster forms an important part of the union’s strategy to organise to lift everyone’s conditions regardless of grade by getting every branch organised. “We are under massive attack,” Bob said, in reference to the shake-up of the legal system and the introduction of fees for industrial tribunals. He
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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2013 :: explained that the union is taking on its own in-house solicitors so that it can face the challenges that the new system will throw up. Janine Booth of RMT’s Council of Executives applauded the fact that the conference had been increased to a two day event in line with the other equality conferences. The pledge for the union to send full delegations to all TUC equality conferences was also welcomed. “These are major steps in increasing the involvement and visibility of all our members and shows the importance that union gives to promoting equality and fighting discrimination,” Janine said. The union needs to develop a strategy to help eradicate transphobia, one of the most under-discussed forms of the crime, said Jo Parry, TfL No 1. The investigative journalist Patrick Strudwick addressed the conference as a guest speaker. He explained how he went undercover as a reporter for the Independent newspaper investigating so called “gay
cures”. His work brought him in contact with psychotherapists – who are part of a movement based in the United States – which believes that being gay is a pathology and a perversion that can be treated. Patrick explained how the psychotherapists sought to give him therapy by seeking out past events in his childhood which could be seen as the trigger for being gay. As a result of his work one of the psychotherapists that he had encountered was eventually found guilty of malpractice. Conference linked up via Skype video with one of the most prominent and courageous advocates for LGBT rights in Uganda, Frank Mugisha, in what proved to be one of the highlights of the event. In a moving question and answer session, Frank – winner of the 2011 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and 2011 Rafto Prize – spoke about the advocacy work of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), and the relentless determination of the LGBT community in
Uganda, which continues to organise, take action and fight back against discrimination, persecution, and state and religious-sponsored homophobia. Frank thanked the delegates for the support they had shown in December 2012 when RMT LGBT activists staged a
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demonstration outside of the Uganda High Commission in London and delivered a petition letter calling on President Yoweri Museveni, and his parliamentarians, to renounce the notorious AntiHomosexuality “Kill the Gays” Bill, and stop persecuting LGBT people in Uganda.
New membership form The new RMT membership form allows members to inform the union of their sexual orientation if they so wish to be informed about activities for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender members. Any information in this section of the form will be kept confidential, will not be visible to anyone accessing the membership database and will not be included on leavers/joiners or other print outs provided to branches. In order to amend your details go to RMT Home Page, click on ‘Members’ on the top bar, then either login or register as a new user, then click on ‘Membership Detail’ on the menu on the left hand side of the screen, then click on the menu option, ‘My Personal Details’ and choose ‘(Edit)’ above the detail. Members can also phone the helpline.
WHAT’S NEW ON RMTv Catch the latest video updates on RMT’s own on-line station at www.rmtv.org.uk CHANNEL 1 RMT IN ACTION RMT at London May day 2013: RMTv joined with the annual International Workers' Day march in London and caught up with RMT general secretary Bob Crow and others. Bob Crow May Day Message: Ahead of International Workers' Day and the annual May Day celebrations RMT general secretary Bob Crow gave a short interview to RMTv. CHANNEL 2 NEWS BULLETINS CHANNEL 3 HISTORY CHANNEL RMT 2012 Charles Watkins' Memorial Lecture: RMT's guest
speaker to deliver the 2012 Charles Watkins' Memorial Lecture was labour movement academic Professor Roger Seifert, whose lecture was entitled Strikers, communists, tramps, and detectives – lessons from the 1966 seafarers' dispute. CHANNEL 4 – RMT EXTRA US Teamsters Demonstration at National Express AGM: RMT joined a 20 strong delegation of US Teamsters at a protest against union-busting outside the AGM of global transport giant National Express today, May 9, 2013. Transit Workers of NYC marches on May Day 2013: The Transit Workers Union of NYC
marched on alleged union busting law firms on the morning of May 1st, 2013. They briefly occupied the lobbies of two of these law firms, before returning to Bryant Park. TWU Young Workers: May Day, New York City. TWU Young Workers march on union busting properties all over New York City, rising up for workers everywhere. Also, RMT members can catch up with archived footage from this year’s Engineering grades and Traincrew and Shunters grades conferences at www.rmt.org.uk
GET THE LATEST FROM RMT AT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/RMTUNION WWW.TWITTER.COM/RMTUNION
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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2013 ::
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SAFE AT WORK? RMT News is offering copies of a new history of health and safety at work to reps The Con Dem government is pushing ahead with the most vicious and damaging of policies in order to finish off what Thatcher started and completely dismantle our public sector, writes WEA /TUC course organiser Monica Gort. Lord Young has published his report Common Sense – Common Safety in which he seeks to downplay genuine health and safety issues and fails to address the fact that every year 20,000 people die because of their work. The HSE itself is looking at a 35 per cent cut which of course will have an enormous impact
on its ability to enforce safety at work in this country, and will send a strong message to employers that they can continue to get away with killing, injuring and making ill their workers. So this book comes at a crucial time highlighting many of the issues relevance today; long working hours, poor working conditions, education having to be paid for, imprisonment for daring to challenge the establishment, lack of enforcement – the list goes on. Dave is someone who has always stood by what he
believes in and this comes through in this book where he successfully places health and safety within the political context of the time as well as integrating the history of the TU movement fully within the history of legislation. This book is incredibly well researched and provides an important contribution to the history books and is an invaluable source of information
for reps and anyone else with an interest in health and safety. I know of no other book that tackles the issues that Dave has addressed and so competently. Any RMT health and safety rep that wishes to get a copy of Safe at Work? can send in an article of up to 350 words on how you have successfully changed your workplace to p.clyndes@rmt.org.uk or phone 020 7529 8817.
CELEBRATING TRADE UNIONISM RMT members can attend two major trade union festivals in July, the Tolpuddle martyrs weekend and the Durham miners’ gala RMT members will be welcome at the annual Tolpuddle festival in Dorset this year on July 19 to 21 to celebrate and remember the six farm workers transported to Australia in 1834 for the ‘crime’ of forming a union. Known for its friendly atmosphere, the event plays host to a mixture of great music, political debate, a kids' area packed with fun, poetry, drama and most of all the chance to meet old friends and make new ones.
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The Durham Miners Gala on July 13 has developed into the largest gathering of trade unionists in the country. Highlights include wave after wave of banners, each typically accompanied by a brass band, which are marched to the old Racecourse, where political speeches are delivered. For more information on the Gala go to http://durhamminers.org/ For more information on the Tolpuddle martyrs weekend go to www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk
RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2013 ::
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MOBILE PHONES HOW DO YOU USE YOURS AS RAIL WORKERS? RMT is helping the industry gauge attitudes to mobile phone use We all know that using a mobile when driving a train can impair performance, lead to a SPAD – or even worse. Indeed, there’s already an education programme in place to address the potential risks in the cab environment. However, train driving isn’t the only safety critical role on the railway. There are other roles where the use of a mobile phone, or other electronic portable device, could create problems that we could all do well without: • Trackside: Using a mobile could impair decision-making and lead to track workers moving outside safe positions of work, or even be struck by a train.
• Train dispatch: Distraction from a mobile phone during train dispatch could lead to a failure in executing the dispatch procedure correctly, resulting in a SPAD. • Signalling: The use of a mobile phone whilst in a control room risks an error that could lead to a failure or incident, or distract others from doing safety-critical work. As part of an industry-wide project, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and URS Ltd are investigating the requirements for a programme designed to reduce the incidence of inappropriate use of portable electronic devices by any safety critical role.
The outcome will be an effective, standardised and fitfor-purpose education campaign and materials that can be used by industry to augment their existing strategies on mobile phone use. RMT is cooperating fully with RSSB and the rail industry in this research project, T989. RMT are represented on the research steering group by K Morrison, Council of Executives, Julian Thomas lead union health and safety rep and the health and safety Officer. The project is starting with a survey of the attitudes and behaviours regarding mobile phone use by staff roles across the industry. We need your help by completing a survey on how you use, and think about using, mobile phones and other portable electronic devices at work. The easiest way of completing the survey is by going online to: www.surveymonkey.com/s/ RSSBMobilePhoneUse The survey interested in hearing from station staff, control room staff, track workers, Mobile Operations
Managers and any safety critical roles that are affected by the use of a mobile phone or other portable electronic device, such as an iPad or tablet computer. The survey should take about 15 minutes to fill in. Your answers will remain completely anonymous, but you don’t need to answer every question if you don’t feel comfortable doing so. Please note that once you have clicked on the ‘Done’ button at the end of the survey, your answers will be automatically submitted to the research team. It is important that URS receive as many responses as possible in order to develop this programme so please take some time to fill out the questionnaire. We would appreciate it if you could complete the survey by July 12 at the latest. If you have any questions about the project or the survey please contact James Brown: email: james.brown03@urs.com phone: 01159 077192 Or Paul Clyndes: email: p.clyndes@rmt.org.uk phone: 020 7529 8817
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RETIRED MEMBERS MEET Best attended retired members conference meets in Doncaster The retired members section of the union continues to grow with around 40 delegates attending the 2013 annual conference in Doncaster. As a result of this increase in participation the conference venue had to be changed as it was becoming impossible to accommodate all the delegates into Unity House. Therefore it was agreed that the 2013 national retired members’ conference would be held at the Doncaster trades and labour club. The conference was opened by the elected chair Tony Donaghey who welcomed all delegates. He pointed out that while this conference generally raises issues that affect millions of pensioners it also had an obligation to fight for all aspects of the working class. This point was particularly relevant considering the indiscriminate attacks the UK coalition government was waging on the young and those who need state assistance the most. RMT general secretary Bob Crow outlined the affects the Tory Lib Dem government austerity programme was having on pensioners, the unemployed and those at work. He said that anti-union legislation and changes being made to employment law which would make it more difficult for trade unions to defend workers and were clearly designed to allow employers to sack workers more easily. These changes, he said, undo the improvements made to workers terms and conditions many had fought for over 35 years ago. He assured conference that RMT would continue to fight against these attacks and
that plans to defend RMT members were already being put in place. A presentation was given by Sharon Allen from Union Learning who outlined the importance of retired members being computer literate and encouraged all delegates to advertise the ‘silver surfer course’ so that they or other branch members could learn about the internet etc. Conference debated six motions from retired member branches and regional councils addressing many issues affecting pensioners. Two of these resolutions dealing with Liverpool care pathway and palliative
care and care for the elderly will be submitted the annual general meeting taking in Brighton at the end of the month. The retired members section of the union continues to expand and there was a delegation of retired members from Scotland attending for the first time. While retired member branches still need to be set up in Scotland this is a significant development showing greater participation across the country. If you are interested in contacting your local retired members’ branch secretary please call 020 7529 8806 or email p.norris@rmt.org.uk for more details.
LONG SERVICE AWARDS ong service awards were presented to staff and officials recently at a ceremony at Unity House. RMT general secretary Bob Crow presented national secretary Steve Todd with his award after serving the union for forty years. Bob’s personal assistant Adrian Scott and Andy
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Warnock-Smith also received 40-year service awards. Craig Stewart, who works in the south east regional office received his 25-year award. Bob thanked them all for the unstinting service they had given to union which added up to nearly 150 years of experience between them.
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KEEPING THE RED FLAG FLYING RMT young member Barry Weldon reports from an RMT youth delegation to the Jim Connell Festival in Ireland I was privileged to attend the Jim Connell Festival held in the beautiful Irish town of Kells, County Meath to represent the young members of our union. The festival opened with Councillor Brian Collins giving a brief history of Jim Connell, author of the socialist anthem The Red Flag. Jim Connell was born in County Meath in 1852 and worked in Dublin as a docker until he was black listed for his attempts to unionise the docks. He moved to London after failing to find work and this was where he wrote his famous song. Part of the festival included a Jim Connell School held in the town’s resource centre, which had a packed schedule with speakers from various trade unions, politicians and historians. One of the speakers Gerry McCormack from the Irish union SIPTU gave a presentation on the plight of his members who had been made redundant from Vita Cortex, a manufacturer of upholstery for aircraft seats and furniture. The staff had been told they were being made redundant but the employers reneged on a promise of redundancy payment citing insolvency as the cause. The staff staged a 161 day sit-in which attracted media attention as well as a support from Alex Ferguson who told them to “stick in there”. They finally won redundancy payments which made history as the owner had to take out a personal loan to pay the money he had promised them.
Stan Pearce from the Durham Miners Association shared his experience of working in the pits and the dangers at work before trade unions fought to get recognised health and safety measures in place. One of the highlights was listening to the unmistakable Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, the former MP for Mid Ulster. Bernadette gave a talk on her socialist roots and what makes good trade unionism, followed by a question and answer session which was a lively debate. On Mayday Sunday there was a parade of various British and Irish unions to the Jim Connell memorial in Crossakiel on the spot where he addressed a crowd of 600 in 1918. There were speeches from various union leaders including Bob Crow and the ceremony was closed with everyone singing The Red Flag with music from the RMT Band.
It was a fun packed weekend with so much to learn. I particularly enjoyed meeting other young activists from the Irish trade union Mandate. I would encourage everyone to try and attend this colourful festival, particularly young members, as the education weekend is excellent. It gave me so much to think about and learn as well as the chance to understand trade union history and meet the leading members of our union.
GLASGOW NO5 BRANCH SUPPORTS
KIM MACRITCHIE FOR CATERING COMPANY COUNCIL SEAT COVERING GLASGOW, EDINBURGH AND CARLISLE
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LETTERS A SOLUTION TO THE DEBT CRISIS
SAVE OUR NHS
Dear editor, We are told by the political establishment that there are only two options available to the economic mess, more austerity or greater national debt. But there are historical precedents of another way to solve the crisis which the same political establishment for their own reasons do not seem that keen to discuss. A sovereign government does not have to borrow its currency off international banking cartels that effectively create the money out of thin air and charge interest on it. It could just issue that money itself interest free for its own needs. The most famous issuing of currency as national credit was the Greenback Dollar utilised by Abraham Lincoln when it became clear that the war against the confederate south was not going to be a short campaign. The interest payments demanded for money borrowed from the bankers would have bankrupted the US economy. Less well known is the Bradbury Pound which was issued by HM Treasury interest free just prior to the outbreak of WW1 to prevent a run on the banks. Obviously it depends what a government does with the money. If it bails out the banks fraudulent losses it is of little use. However if it is used to revitalise our infrastructure and create skilled jobs it would kick-start our ‘real’ economy. In fact the issuing of our currency interest free coupled with separation of the retail and investment banks and a repudiation of fraudulent debt would break the leverage that financiers have over politics and would revitalise our democracy. Below is an e petition to sign to have this debated in the House of Commons. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49574 Yours, David Duboff
Dear editor, While many criticise the National Health Service, I like many other RMT members have nothing but admiration for this service. Last year I was admitted into hospital in Warrington with jaundice, after a short stay I was transferred to the Royal Liverpool University hospital. After treatment I was cured but during this operation it was discovered that I had a cancerous tumour on my pancreas. After tests it was decided to remove this tumour and the tenhour operation took place in December last year. The operation was a total success and now I have to have chemotherapy to kill any cells off, at present I have had 12 sessions only four left and I feel fine. If it was not for the National Health Service, I may not be here today to write this letter. I was treated with compassion, with the doctors, nurses and surgeons and all the staff involved at the Liverpool Royal Hospital and I cannot thank them enough, during my stay, and now I am under the Macmillan support, to get me through my ordeal. Yours, David Dean
£50 PRIZE CROSSWORD
Last month’s solution... The winner of last month’s prize crossword is M Harris, Denbigshire. Send entries to Prize Crossword, RMT, Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NWI IJD by July 19 with your name and address. Winner and solution in next issue.
ACROSS 1 Skill as a sailor (10) 8 Pear-shaped fruit(7) 9 Brother of parent(5) 10 Sailing vessel (5) 11 Try (7) 12 End (6) 14 Emotionally confuse (5) 16 Deferred wage (7) 17 Small sailing vessel (5) 19 Proclamation (5) 20 Herb (7) 21 Energy and ambition (3,2,3,2)
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DOWN 1 Showing fair play (13) 2 Covered (5) 3 Knowledgeable coat (6) 4 Sinking one's own ship (7) 5 Out of touch (12) 6 Peddle (4). 7 Insect (6) 12 Smart (6) 13 Japanese therapy (7) 15 Cat, goat and rabbit (6) 17 Rate (5) 18 Mass of ice (4)