PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: may 2010 :: RMTnews 21 This year to mark international workers’ day I was privileged to help re-launch a novel by a former member of the National Union of Seamen, published in 1936 at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, as fascism stalked Europe and unemployment, poverty and depression disfigured Britain, before the welfare state, the NHS or nationalisation of railways. “May Day” by John Sommerfield, has been republished in quality hardback courtesy of London Books. On Saturday, 1st May RMT hosted the launch at the Marx Memorial Library in Clerkenwell. London Books revives out-of-print, popular, literature and “May Day” is of great relevance to trade unionists and especially to transport workers in Britain today. RMT members can order copies as part of a special offer in RMT News (page 26). The book launch reminded me of our union’s 2004 AGM decision to promote ”classic trade union and socialist literature” to RMT members. Back then a young TV-historian by the name of Tristram Hunt wrote an article in The Guardian newspaper, sneering at the notion of our union promoting the classic socialist novel, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist. My predecessor as RMT President, Tony Donaghey wrote to The Guardian, expressing shock at Mr Hunt’s hostility to working class culture. As Tony wrote: “The history and literature of our movement are important for a whole range of reasons, not least because understanding and discussing our past helps us to fight the bread-and-butter battles of today and prepare for those of tomorrow.” Mr Hunt - a close friend of Lord Mandelson - turned up again recently, parachuted in as a (very) New Labour candidate for Stoke- on-Trent Central at the general election. Let’s hope the people of the Potteries don’t find their new MP manipulative or elitist. RMT members Daren Ireland (Liverpool 5), Mick Tosh (Portsmouth) and Bill Rawcliffe (York) showed their commitment of time, energy and passion by standing as candidates in the 2010 general election. They showed that our union is not afraid to put our arguments for jobs, equality and socialism to fellow citizens across Britain. Bill Rawcliffe’s stand as a representative of 1,500 sacked Jarvis workers was particularly important in Doncaster North. Anyone who wants a treat should go on-line to YouTube and watch Bill’s impressive performance demolishing the uncomfortable cabinet minister, Ed Miliband at the election night count by searching for ‘Billy hammers Miliband’, a rare treat. Finally, myself and RMT Executive member Mickey Thompson were proud to move a motion of solidarity with Greek workers at last month’s meeting of the European Transport Workers’ Federation railway section. The people of Greece are now suffering the consequences of a crisis caused by neo-liberalism, reckless financial speculation and the imposition of ruthless deflationary policies as a result of European Union treaties. The financial 'loan' organised by the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund is to secure the debt of private banks, not to support the people of Greece who are being required to pay through massive cuts to public sector jobs, pensions and salaries and public services. We applaud the Greek trade union protests against these attacks on workers and their families. In the coming months we should be prepared to stand up and emulate the example of the Greek trade union movement who are showing the bullies of the EU and the IMF that they are prepared to defend their society. Alex Gordon President’s column MARKING MAY DAY Ministers also agreed to create a 'stability fund', allowing the EU Commission to borrow up to £50 billion a year on international markets using the EU budget as collateral. If a receiving country fails to pay back the loan, all 27 EU member states would be forced to pay into the EU budget to cover the default, meaning that British taxpayers would be liable for about 13 per cent of any losses. Chancellor Alistair Darling said that "our exposure for the additional amount of money could be £8 billion". The legal basis for the extension of the stability fund will be Article 122 of the Lisbon Treaty, which allows money to be sent to countries in the event of a natural disaster or other "exceptional event" beyond its control. The European Council had previously claimed that the use of Article 122 could not breach the EU Treaties now- shredded 'no bail-out' rule. The European Central Bank also announced it would break its own rules and buy eurozone government and private debt. This is part of the political process of transferring budgetary powers from member states to unaccountable EU institutions. However political unrest is growing as a result. Even euro- supporting conservative newspapers like the German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung are dismayed by the developments: “All the principles of monetary union were sacrificed…now all stability rules will be broken in order to save the euro. More debt will lead us into the abyss”. PAME member Giorgos Didimopoulos, protesting in Athens, summed up the mood in Greece: “We fought against Persians at Marathon, the Germans during the Second World War and we will fight the IMF because in reality foreign forces are in charge of us now”.