THE SISTER: SER WOMEN’S NEWSLETTER
Issue 1
The Sister:
SER Women’s Newsletter
ORGANISING WOMEN IN THE SOUTH EAST REGION
01/05/2014
IN THIS ISSUE
R.I.P. Bob by Amanda Pulsford
Although I find it truly tragic We must continue without your magic Be rest assured your legacy Has awakened something inside of me. Better conditions and better pay What's been awakened is a need for justice We'll stand by this every day I do hope that you will trust us Because we know it's what you To stand united both brother and sister wanted Bound by the fact we'll always miss you. We'll all stand up and be counted. We'll fight the fight and talk the talk Now's the time to let you rest Let those around us dare to mock Never something you did best We'll carry on to the bitter end In our minds, we'll always see Whilst always thinking of you, our friend You Bob Crow..... R.I.P.
RMT Women’s Conference Report First time delegates Amanda and Sue tell us how they got on!
Page 2
Save the Guard! A personal account of why the Guard is so important for passengers.
Page 3
THE SISTER: SER WOMEN’S NEWSLETTER | Issue 1
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RMT Women’s Conference by Sue Saunders
Hello my name is Sue and I had the pleasure of attending the RMT Women’s Conference with Amanda Pulsford this year. It was our first time to Glasgow and we found it very much like London but the people were very friendly. Friday 6th: The conference was opened by our late leader Bob Crow RIP who was a brilliant man. He fought for the rights of the working class and justice within the workplace. Bob talked about equality and recognising women in the union. He said that unless you have equality, you will never get the things you want in life.
We discussed about having a woman’s seat in the RMT structure and the participation of women at a higher level. We heard two speakers one of them being Katy Clark Labour MP who had been a MP since 2005. She was saying that women have a loud voice in the RMT. Saturday 7th: We both found this day very interesting. Janine Booth gave an excellent talk and PowerPoint presentation on the ETF. Which covered ending low pay, workplace stress and bullying. She also went on to talk about Finland and how they fair better regarding
Bob talked about Emiline Pankhurst and the fight for women’s rights. When Bob left everyone introduced themselves. Bob addressing conference.
the amounts of weeks maternity pay they get extra compared to the UK. We then had an excellent talk from two of our sisters who visited Delhi 27th-28th January with 204 other delegates from all over the world. They went onto say about Qatar Airways and how their contract prohibited them from getting married in the first year and that ITF are taking violence against women very seriously.
To attend the women’s conference in 2015 you need to be nominated by your branch as a delegate – you can contact Jess Webb on 020 7529 8821 or j.webb@rmt.org.uk for more information about how to become a delegate for next year.
THE SISTER: SER WOMEN’S NEWSLETTER | Issue 1
I want to keep Guards on the train because... by Sue Saunders
My fear is in the society that we have today we need to feel protected. There are too many assaults going on and this will just escalate if there is not a Guard present on our trains. It is a fact that there are a lot of very vulnerable people out there. This includes my son Peter who is disabled. As a mother I fear for him every time he leaves his Dad’s to travel to Gillingham. At present there is a Guard on the train for his particular journey but if they take the Guards away, I feel he will be a target for violence and abuse. There should be a Guard for the public to turn to when they are in trouble or feeling unwell. There are too many public sector cutbacks keep our Guards on the trains and keep our trains safe, for all our sakes.
WOMEN’S EVENT The SERC Women’s Officer is organising a networking and education event for women members in the region. The event will take place at Maritime House in Clapham on the 2nd September 2014 from 1pm. The day will consist of workshops, guest speakers and networking opportunities with the aim of building contacts for women members in the region, supporting women that hold Rep and Women’s Officer roles and planning future organising of women in the region. A BBQ and refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Emily King (contact details on page 4)
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THE SISTER: SER WOMEN’S NEWSLETTER | Issue 1
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“Dear Sister…” Women’s Officers in your region have set up an email account as an easy way for you to get in touch. We would also like you to email us with issues that you face in the workplace to share on our ‘Dear Sister’ page. We will print your email along with our response and advice, so that it can be shared with other members in the region who may be facing the same issues. You can also contact us for confidential advice, just indicate in your email that you do not wish it to be shared. We will double check before anything goes to print.
Please get in touch!
rmtwomensoutheast@gmail.com You can also contact the South East Region Women’s Officer, Emily King, on 07876 441 690, the Eastbourne Branch Women’s Officer, Amanda Pulsford, on 07811 975 093 or the Gillingham and Strood Branch Women’s Officer, Sue Saunders, on 07949 636 954. If you are the Women’s Officer for your branch please email the above address and let us know so we can include your contact details in the next edition of The Sister.
We want to hear from YOU about what you want to discuss in the workshops at the Women’s Event in September! We want to make the women’s event at Maritime House relevant and informative so have set up a short questionnaire to find out the issues affecting you and your colleagues in your workplace. Your responses will go towards steering the content of the workshops, with the aim of producing a Women’s Officer Guide for the South East Region that contains hints and tips on how to support and organise women members.
WORKSHOP SURVEY Your input will be gratefully received. Please take five minutes to visit the link below and complete the questionnaire. Thanks in advance!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3S8HWDF ORGANISING WOMEN IN THE SOUTH EAST REGION ORGANISING WOMEN IN THE SOUTH EAST REGION
THE SISTER: NEXT ISSUE OUT SOON!
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