PARLIAMENTARY COLUMN

The recent defeat in parliament of the 90-day detention clause in the terrorism Bill may well be seen as the day the tide finally turned towards a more progressive politics returning to the mainstream of the labour movement. The important vote for a trade union freedom bill at the TUC and the victories on trade union rights, council housing, public services pensions and manufacturing at Labour Party conference has also created a sense that our movement is moving in a progressive direction. Indeed, it is no coincidence that some government ministers are now proposing to attack trade union representation at party conference because the trade unions are now winning the argument and the votes. Examples of these stirrings are also appearing in the press. For instance, even The Evening Standard, not known for supporting trade unions, printed an editorial echoing tube drivers concerns on safety. I was happy to throw my weight being the recent parliamentary motion laid by Labour MPs congratulating tube drivers for refusing to work faulty Northern Line trains on safety grounds. This situation was created by infrastructure consortia Tube Lines sub-contracting critical safety work to Alstom. It is even more alarming that, despite the debacle over the failure of Northern Line trains’ emergency braking system, Metronet intends to sub-contract train maintenance to Bombardier. Anyone would have thought that the blame culture created between Tube Lines and Alstom over Northern Line trains would have been enough to show that fragmentation of Tube maintenance is dangerous, and potentially disastrous. The RMT ballot against sub-contracting and to protect conditions is important to RMT members but is also vital for the safety of the Tube. The Evening Standard has been forced to reflect the overwhelming views of commuters and the public that PPP is a ludicrously expensive cock-up. Therefore, I and other Labour colleagues shall be continuing to press the government for an early review of the PPP to ensure maintenance is bought back in-house. Nowhere are the benefits of bringing services back in-house clearer than the success story that is South Eastern Trains. Two years in the public sector and SET services have massively improved, this is a clear indication what can be achieved. The other issue where the union has got it spot on – and will have the full backing of the public over safety – is its campaign to defend the sub-surface railway fire regulations that were introduced after the Kings Cross Fire. It is extraordinary, especially in light of recent terrorist attacks, that this is even being proposed. It is bizarre that transport workers and emergency services are praised after attacks but when they voice concerns over fire safety, the support is not so forthcoming. RMT had already run a successful campaign on this crucial issue and I am sure that it will be successful again. We also understand that proposals to break up Network Rail and hand over maintenance and signalling operations to Mersey rail have hit the buffers. This is good news for everyone, fragmentation and so-called ‘vertical integration’ in the private sector will not produce a better service. However, it will create more confusion in the name of trying to create a market where one does not exist. Of course, we have many challenges ahead, not least the fight over pensions and proposals that people have to work till drop. That is not what our forefathers envisaged when the labour movement was being built. But is it is important that we are positive about our achievements and what we can achieve. If we stay confident and united perhaps we can turn the tide. Finally, I would like to wish all RMT members a very happy Christmas and prosperous new year. John Austin MP for Erith and Thamesmead Parliamentary column TURNING THE TIDE september 2005 :: RMTnews 9 RMT members at South Eastern Trains plan to take one-day strike action in early December over plans to cut 100 ticket- office jobs. The dispute centres on the company’s plans to replace ticketing equipment in booking offices with automated machines, and follows SET’s announcement of plans to reduce ticket-office opening hours and remove 100 station staff. RMT members voted by a margin of eight to one to strike over the plans, which have also been opposed by thousands of SET passengers. The plans, imposed without proper consultation or agreement, is a massive attack on jobs and services which would leave stations severely understaffed or not staffed at all for long periods. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the company had fair warning that RMT members would not accept its plans to cut ticket-office opening hours and remove station staff. “The company is threatening to throw away the massive progress made in the two years since Connex was thrown off the franchise and it was returned to the public sector. “The company can avoid industrial action by heeding the overwhelming message that its passengers and workforce want to see more staff on stations, not fewer, and shelving these unnecessary cuts for good,” Bob Crow said. O ver 30 MPs have signed early day motion 297 (below) expressing dismay at the news that the Strategic Rail Authority is considering scrapping sleeper services to Cornwall. RMT members have been involved in a letter-writing campaign to Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling against government plans to cut the vital ‘Night Riviera’ sleeper train service from London to Penzance. The union has also produced stickers demanding an end to the proposals. This train is a vital link to South West England for business and leisure travellers and the loss of the service would be felt keenly across the region. For instance, it is still the only way to get from Cornwall to London before 0900 hours without staying overnight in the capital and the government’s own figures suggest that it is well-used. You can also register your opposition against the closure of the by signing the on-line petition at the website http://www.petitiononline.com/sleeper/petition-sign.html EDM 297 RAIL SERVICES TO CORNWALL Julia Goldsworthy MP That this House is dismayed by news that the Strategic Rail Authority is considering scrapping sleeper services to Cornwall; is deeply concerned that other changes under consideration include reduced branch line services within Cornwall; is further dismayed by reports in the Times on June 9 2005 that Cornish services are being targeted first because they are seen as less politically sensitive; and calls upon the government to recognise the value of such services for businesses and visitors by ensuring that any future franchise guarantees the retention of existing services to safeguard vital access to and from Cornwall. SAVE THE NIGHT RIVIERA SLEEPER TRAIN South Eastern Trains members plan strike action