New CoE members

RMT News – Essential reading for today ’s transport worker 5 JOHN LEACH: This is the second time John has been elected to sit of the Council of Executives, serving between 1999/2001. He joined London Underground in 1985 on the station staff side and has always been active in the union in some capacity, including as a branch secretary and a local rep. He says it is an exciting time to come back onto the executive in order to continue the improvements in services for members made over the last few years. “In particular it is important to focus on the campaign to end PPP on the Tube and for the rail network to be taken into public ownership. “The reality of privatisation is that members’ pay and conditions suffer as a result,” he says. Another issue close to John’s heart is equality. “That does not mean paying lip service to it but real action. “The cost of childcare on working families is nothing short of devastating,” he says. John says that the trade union movement needs to be arguing for financial help and other assistance to help parents cope. Meet your newly elected Council of Executive members New north west organiser elected JOHN TILLEY of Central and North Mersey branch has been newly elected as one of the Regional Organisers for regions 2 and 3 Combined, Manchester, North Wales & North West. Andy Warnock Smith of Warrington and District branch was also re-elected. The period of office runs from January 1 2005 to December 31 2009. PETER TREND: Peter works in rail infrastructure and is based in Derby. He joined British Rail in 1979 to work on the Permanent Way and has seen many changes. He has worked for a number of contractors, including Serco and Balfour Beatty, and has now been taken back in-house after Network Rail took control of all rail maintenance. This is the first time he has been on the Council of Executives and says he is still learning the ropes. He hopes to use his three years on the executive to help fulfil the aspirations of the membership. Health and Safety is a number one priority for Peter, who has gained a number of professional qualifications in this area with the help of the union. “I intend to pass on this knowledge to frontline reps whenever possible,” he says. He says that the growth of the annual RMT health and safety conference is a breath of fresh air and hopes to see it go from strength to strength. Peter says that bringing Network Rail back in-house was a step forward but sub- contractors were still heavily involved in the industry and need to be squeezed out. Another important issue for Peter is the need for national bargaining. “We need national pay bargaining to replace the divisive fragmentation that presently exists. “There is no rationale for duplicating negotiations and national bargaining in the industry would lead to less conflict and more cohesion,” he says. JOHN LEACH: joined London Underground in 1985 John Leach and Peter Trend have been elected to sit on the union’s executive committee for three years. PETER TREND