BUSWORKERS UNITED

RMTnews :: june 2005 12 Busworker delegates called for continued efforts to win industry-wide improvements based on the union’s Bus Workers’ Charter at this year’s grade conference. Bus workers are an integral and key part of a specialist transport union, RMT general secretary Bob Crow told the union’s 62nd bus conference The coming period would be critical for all transport workers, with the government poised to pursue a damaging policy of running down and ultimately closing rural railway lines. “We need bus and rail to complement one another in a growing and joined-up social transport sector, not compete with each other in a declining spiral run only to benefit the profiteers of the private sector. “You can make a commercial case that a railway should close – but the railways, like buses, are not a commercial case, they’re a social case,” said Bob. Delegates registered their opposition to the threatened closure of branch rail lines and the replacement rail services with buses (bustitution) and referred the issue to the union’s AGM. ‘Bustitution’ was a short- sighted con that would result in people losing transport links altogether, said Pete Edwards, Exeter No 2. “We need more rail, not less – there are already too many cars on the roads, and closing rural rail lines is no solution, said Graham Geliher, East Midlands Bus. “Take away a railway you don’t just close the services, you lose the infrastructure too – what a waste,” said John Thompson, Plymouth No 5. BUS WORKERS’ CHARTER All pay claims should be submitted in line with and based upon the Bus Workers’ Charter, delegates agreed. Regional organiser Phil Bialyk said the charter had been a useful tool in putting claims together, and had shown the industry that the union was serious about working towards unified pay and conditions for the whole industry. ”We all want the same thing, and we need to use the Charter to help us get it, said Trevor Munton-Willis, Exeter No 2. “We need to revitalise this excellent charter,” said Pete Edwards. Calling for a reprint, Danny Ferguson, South Devon Bus, asked how many members had joined since the Charter was launched and had not yet seen it. The Charter should be reprinted in RMT News once a year, suggested Sandra Wulf Poole and District. The union should also find ways of co-ordinating industrial action across bus group subsidiaries in future disputes, conference agreed. ”Concerted, united action means a bigger chance of winning bigger victories,” said Pete Edwards. The difficulties of taking action under the current anti- union laws were immense, but the aim of co-ordinating action wherever possible was the right one, said pointed out Paul Dyer, North Devon Bus, HEALTH AND SAFETY The union should consider central funding for paid release for reps to attend RMT health and safety forums, referring the item to the union’s AGM. “When members are prepared to stick their necks out and become health and safety reps they should be given every help,” said Danny Ferguson, South Devon Bus. John Thompson called for a review of the way delegations to conferences were funded: “We should not have to choose between them because of money,” he said. The union should negotiate with all bus companies that elected health and safety representatives be trained to conduct risk assessments, and to be involved in risk assessments affecting their members. ”We know that one of biggest problems is bus seats and that companies would still rather hide a problem than consult a rep to fix it,” said Danny Ferguson. However, warned, Graham Geliher, East Midlands Bus, “it is important not to assume responsibility for doing risk assessments and let the company off the hook altogether”. Paul Dyer, recommended the Health and safety Executive’s pamphlet, Five Steps to Risk Assessment. DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS The union should collate information from branches on the effects of long hours spent in the cab, and any on cases of deep vein thrombosis that have occurred, delegates agreed. There seemed to be an increasing number of incidents of DVT amongst members, and a BUSWORKE RMT busworkers meeting in Newquay were united in their determination to roll back low pay and improve working conditions and to oppose the ‘bustitution’ of train services Peter Edwards Keith Sanders-Hole