WOMEN ON THE RAILWAY

december 2005 :: RMTnews 31 Irish artist John Keenan presented general secretary Bob Crow was a bust of Irish trade union leader James Connolly recently. John, from Abbeydorney in Kerry, took up sculpting in his retirement and found he had a flair for the art. Bob said that he was honoured to receive the bust of Connolly, who took part in the Easter Rising which led to Irish independence. “Next year RMT will be holding our AGM in Dublin, where Connolly gave his life for the cause of Irish freedom, and in 2007 we will be in Connolly’s birthplace of Edinburgh so it is a fitting gift to inspire our union,” he said. Current and former head office staff, executive committee members and friends gathered in London recently to celebrate the retirement of Unity House legend Jim Hegarty. Jim also collected his 25-year RMT badge in recognition of his long service which began on February 4 1980 as an office assistant at NUR headquarters. Prior to starting with the union, Jim was much travelled and worked for a number of years in Australia. During this time he was a member of the Australia Workers Union and the Painter’s and Decorators Union, Perth and Tasmania. As a result, Jim could always turn his hand to the many jobs that have come his way at a number of Unity House’s and at Maritime House. He saved the union a fortune over the years when dealing with emergencies and did not rely too heavily on outside help. Unity House union rep Craig Stewart paid tribute Jim and pointed out that he could had invented the term “work/life balance” as he was always active and off somewhere for an adventure. Presenting the retirement gift of a skiing holiday, general secretary Bob Crow said that Jim was always willing and helpful and gave good advice whatever needed doing. “Whilst most of us only have the energy to sit in front of the TV of an evening, Jim is out and about as a skiing teacher and his catch-phrase on the slopes is still ‘break a leg!’,” Bob said. When I joined the railway in 1986 there were very few women in the industry. It appeared harder for women to progress and be accepted into the higher grades. The reason I say ‘appeared’ is that after reading ‘railwaywomen’ by Helena Wojtezak, I now find that life was relatively easy. The difference is between having a job where you were required to attend church on a Sunday, to today’s culture, where you are expected to work a booked Sunday. Unions were opposed to female employee’s and wages were 14 shillings a week, 70 pence to you youngsters. Mind you, this was in the 1800’s and we have come a long way since then. Large gender pay gaps were in existence everywhere and, unfortunately, still are for some industries. In 1914 there were 178 railway companies. Imagine our unions of today negotiating with these? Victorian women were barred from ‘men’s work’ - a position which some men today would still support, given half a chance. But we have moved on from the days when women were given specific jobs, to today when women occupy positions in all grades. From railwaymen receiving their wives’ wages for any work they undertook, to women having the possibility of earning more than the men, dependent on their grade. The first report of a woman booking clerk was in 1858 in Edinburgh. It was reported that, although startling, it was commendable. It is also startling to read that London Underground reckoned they could save money by employing women in booking offices, and, after only two weeks, reconsidered this decision. There is also a very interesting chapter on the introduction of trade unions, and how the NUR was formed in 1913, with startling revelations regarding inclusion or exclusion of women. There are also references to women in shipping, acting as booking clerks and stewardesses during the First World War. This is a short review as it would take away from the whole content of the book. Helena has to be commended for the time she has taken, and the research she has done to make this a compelling read. For those younger readers amongst us, it is worth remembering that one shilling is equivalent to five pence! I recommend this book to all, from the start I was unable to put it down, even though I am not an avid reader. A must read. Janet Cassidy is an RMT member and the current chair of the Scottish TUC Women’s Committee. WOMEN ON THE RAILWAY Janet Cassidy looks at a new history of women on Britain’s railways, Railwaywomen JIM JETS OFF IN STYLE CONNOLLY HONOUR AUTHOR: Helena Wojtezak launching her new book at the RMT stall at TUC