PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

www.rmt.org.uk :: march 2006 :: RMTnews 25 I am proud to be part of the leadership of this union, which I think tries to be as democratic as possible in our quest to represent and defend the interests of transport workers. However, RMT is under constant attack in the media and as a direct result of privatisation, EU diktats and so-called globalisation. Perhaps it is asking too much to expect some support from our government, even though it is supposed to be a Labour government. The Labour Party arose from centuries of heroic struggle to represent workers in the political as well as industrial arena. Yet this so-called New Labour government has clearly been a disappointment for millions of trade unionists. Nevertheless, I was still shocked to read that former transport minister Stephen Byers used a trade union conference organised by public service union UNISON on Tyneside last month to launch an open attack on the constitutional link between Labour and the trade unions. He claimed that Labour must “ensure that the priorities of a small, unrepresentative number of people are not allowed to distort our programme". So let’s examine the democratic programme of RMT, which was a founding member of the Labour Party. We call for the return of our transport network to public ownership – a high priority in the manifesto of Tony Blair’s first government. What happened to that? This union called on Labour to remove the famous anti-union laws that contravene international law. Yet New Labour has clung on to the lot. RMT has declared its support for public services against attacks from Brussels. Yet this government supports an EU Services Directive which is an outright attempt to eradicate hard-won workers rights and conditions and throws migrant workers into the lion’s den in a race to bottom under the guise of open markets and competition. This union believes in peaceful means of resolving issues, but Blair has taken us into illegal wars and clearly intends the repeat this bloody cycle in Iran. It is increasingly clear that trade unions, with over seven million members, speak for the concerns of ordinary Labour voters whether it is about illegal wars, pensions, public services or rail renationalisation. The only “small and unrepresentative group” seems to be the tiny cabal around Tony Blair which continually ignores votes at Labour conference, such as in support of rail renationalisation, if they happen to disagree with it. As Tony Benn warned, "if the links with the trade unions were altered, it would destroy the Labour Party," noting that "those who advocate it know that very well". Regardless of these setbacks, this union will continue to defend its members, listen to you and consult you. I did exactly that last month at the RMT women’s conference when the union launched the women’s charter. Perhaps if Mr Byers listened to working people a little more often, you never know, he might even make a speech reflecting the views of the majority of people in this country. Tony Donaghey President’s column Listening to working people Female South Korean train attendants shout slogans at a rally at the Seoul railway station last month. Stewardesses on South Korea's bullet trains have been barred from working on Sunday because they refused to wear uniforms in a protest about job security, back wages and better working conditions. Their headbands read, 'Unity and fight'. OCUS transferred to the Bahamas as that flag state has not accused the vessel of the same crime. The case is to be heard next month. The Brest court prosecutor on the same day asked for a £187,000 fine from the master of the Etly Danielsen, surprised off Penmarch in 2003 trailing 12km of oil. KOREAN TRAIN ATTENDANTS UNITE