JARROW MARCHERS REACH LONDON

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2011 :: RMTnews 7 A group of union-backed protesters reached Trafalgar Square in November in the final leg of their re- enactment of the 1936 Jarrow March. The marchers walked from north-east England to London in protest against youth unemployment. They followed in the footsteps of 200 jobless men who completed the feat in 1936 carrying a petition calling for action to create jobs. RMT general secretary Bob Crow, spoke from a truck supplied by the Fire Brigades Union. “We need to show people that there is an alternative to the sort of society that abandons millions of people and leaves them in poverty.” Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn said that a "cancer" lay in the City of London. "We won't accept the crumbs on the table," he said. Protesters handed a petition to 10 Downing Street demanding a government job-creation scheme, apprenticeships, the reinstatement of the Education Maintenance Allowance and the reopening of axed youth services. The march, organised by protest group Youth Fight for Jobs, also called for an end to university tuition fees. Spokeswoman Claire Laker Mansfield said: "Young people have shown that far from being lazy or scroungers, they want a future with decent jobs and education. "The marchers have received huge support up and down the country and we think it is unfair that in the 21st Century, young people are facing long-term unemployment. "There are almost a million young people out of work, and the jobs market is not getting any better," she said. N etwork Rail has agreed to extend the no compulsory redundancy deal for maintenance workers to 2013 as part of the Phase 2 b/c reorganisation and working practice changes. Assistant general secretary Mick Cash welcomed the move agreed after extensive negotiations. “We have made it quite clear to the company that we will not accept compulsory redundancies so the extension of the no compulsory redundancy guarantee is a significant development in our efforts to maintain job security for our member in these difficult times,” he said. Network Rail has agreed to sit down with the union each September to review the likely staffing levels required for the forthcoming financial year in respect of both maintenance and works delivery activities. Dependant on the levels of work, staffing levels could increase The union is participating in a detailed safety examination of the company’s Phase 2 b/c reorganisation. Network Rail has committed to further improve safety by supporting: • Health and Safety reps • A blame-free culture • Reporting of accidents and near misses and use of the worksafe procedure free from the fear of sanctions • RMT involvement in safety consultation The full Network Rail proposals can be viewed on the RMT website at www.rmt.org/members R MT members on the Tyne and Wear Metro working for DB Regio and Nexus have voted by large margins for strike action and action short of a strike in the dispute over pensions. In the ballot on both DB Regio and Nexus, which covers South Shields Ferries as well, over 80 per cent have voted for strike action with an even larger majority for action short of a strike. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the ballot result came in as it was revealed that top bosses’ pay had gone through the roof, opening up a gap between rich and poor not seen since Victorian times. “Meanwhile the men and women who provide essential public services are expected to stand back and watch the pensions they have built up down the years take a battering. "It also appears that Tory minister Francis Maude, who is behind the attack on our members pensions, is in line for a personal pension pot of £731,000 and an annual income of £43,000 when he hangs up his axe - all funded by the taxpayer. “The hypocrisy of this government, who are looking to hammer nurses, teachers and transport workers while they fill their boots at our expense, is breathtaking. "Our members on Tyne and Wear Metro have shown that they are not going to sit back and take this outrageous attempt to consign them to a life of poverty in their old age,” he said. MARCH: Bob Crow addresses Jarrow march supporters in Trafalgar Square demanding real jobs for young people JARROW MARCHERS REACH LONDON NETWORK RAIL EXTENDS NO REDUNDANCY DEAL TYNE AND WEAR METRO MEMBERS BACK PENSIONS FIGHT