PARLIAMENTARY COLUMN

may 2005 :: RMTnews 9 Back to campaigning in Parliament W hen you examine the details of the election results constituency by constituency you will find that on average members of the RMT Parliamentary group gained better results at the polls than most other Labour MPs. The reasons are obvious. In addition to the fantastic campaigning support from the union and its membership, RMT parliamentary candidates were campaigning on a clear programme of the union’s policies which included public ownership of the rail industry, an end to privatisation, and decent pay, conditions and pensions. As the union’s national march proved, the demand for bringing rail back into public ownership and control proved to be a popular issue on the doorstep. Opinion poll after opinion poll have demonstrated not only widespread support for this policy but also large scale opposition to privatisation not just in the rail industry but public services overall. The question in this new Parliament is whether the government is listening. In his first speech after the election result, the Prime Minister said that he would listen and learn from what was being said on the doorsteps in the campaign. However, within days he announced that his third term in office would be “unremittingly New Labour” and he went on to appoint a series of ministers who are drawn from a narrow circle of what can only be described as New Labour zealots, transferred in from the SDP or the Tory party. The Prime Minister’s programme for the new session of Parliament set out in the Queen’s speech does not provide much evidence of a government listening or learning. Not only does it fail to address the question of public ownership of the rail industry but it has a continuing and underlying theme of privatisation of public services. Even the justice system is now not immune from the privatisation threat as the government has committed itself to further privatisation of the prisons and probation service. In health and education services the use of the private sector and the promotion of private control of services threatening to gather momentum in the coming period. Within the long list of legislation proposed in this session of Parliament which is to last 18 months there is little sign of the Warwick agreement reforms promised to the trade unions before the election. Lurking behind the legislative programme is the continuing fear that the Government is to press ahead with the mass job cuts in the civil service and the planned reduction in public sector pension benefits. In addition, the government is proposing changes to incapacity benefits which will require close scrutiny if we are to head off cuts in benefits and the introduction of a regime which will penalise the sick and disabled. Throughout this new session, the RMT Parliamentary group will continue to work with the union to monitor legislation and issues as they progresses through Parliament and will be speaking up to represent the interests of RMT members, seeking to amend the legislation wherever possible and if necessary oppose anything which in our judgement and the judgement of the union undermines the rights and quality of life of RMT members and their families. RMT members can rest assured that our union will have once again a strong and powerful voice in this Parliament. John McDonnell MP For Hayes and Harlington RMT Parliamentary group convenor RMT GUARDS at Merseyrail are to strike on Saturday May 21, Saturday May 28, Friday June 10 and Saturday July 9 after decisively rejecting unacceptable strings attached to the company’s 35-hour week proposals. In a ballot of the 170 members, the company’s offer was rejected by 104 votes to 13 – a margin of eight to one. “Our members have once more voted decisively to reject an offer from Merseyrail that gives with one hand and takes away with the other,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. “The offer that emerged from the mediation process was essentially no different from the one they have already taken strike action over. “Merseyrail still want our members to pay for their 35- hour week by losing rest days and they have found that just as unacceptable now as it was in March. “We have been waiting for four years for this issue to be resolved, and the company has no-one to blame but itself for the disruption its intransigence is causing,” he said. RMT reported ‘serious breaches’ of safety rules by Centra Buses in the company’s attempt to break strike action in south London earlier this month by employing unqualified agency staff. The union asked the health and safety inspectorate to pay an emergency visit to the Croydon depot over fears that agency drivers without appropriate passenger carrying vehicle licenses (PCVs) are being used by Centra. There were also reports that agency drivers have been instructed to remain with vehicles and available to drive for up to 24 hours, in clear contravention of driving hours regulations. The union fears that Centra is placing the public in serious danger by flouting safety rules rather than negotiate a settlement to the dispute behind the stoppage. The RMT claim is for a basic £500 weekly wage, equal contracts and pay for all employees, no zero-hours contracts, adequate annual leave, sick-pay from day one of employment, full rostered earnings for victims of assaults, fair allocation of overtime and an end to victimisation. RMT reacted angrily to the Strategic Rail Authority’s insistence that halving rail services linking Sunderland and the Metro shopping Centre at Gateshead are ‘a good idea’. RMT general secretary Bob Crow slammed the drastic cut to an important rail link, and questioned how the SRA could describe it as a ‘good idea’. “It is even more astonishing because the latest cut is due to happen exactly a year after the Trans-Pennine Express services from Sunderland to Manchester York, Leeds and Liverpool were axed. “I am not sure what the city has done wrong, but it appears that the SRA is determined to send Sunderland to Coventry, because year on year it is being isolated from the rest of the national rail network,” Bob said. Parliamentary column MERSEYRAIL GUARDS SET FOUR STRIKE DATES IN 35-HOUR WEEK DISPUTE Centra Buses breach health and safety rules to break strike SUNDERLAND RAIL SERVICES UNDER THREAT