ORGANISING ROAD FREIGHT WORKERS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2012 :: RMTnews 14 C onference president Pete Daniels, who announced that he would be standing down after many successful years in the hot seat, outlined the turbulent times in the road freight industry with continuing problems at major players like UPS, City Link and Freightliner where the ballot of MSO’s for industrial action was on-going. Senior assistant general secretary Mick Cash pointed out that even in the toughest of times it is a proven fact that where there is union organisation there are better pay and conditions and the union needs to get that message across in our recruitment campaigns in the Road Freight sector. Mick outlined the range of government attacks on worker’s rights, homing in on the continuing increase in the retirement age and specifically how that effects those whose job involve driving and heavy lifting as a matter of course. Working on beyond a civilised retirement age, with that kind of wear and tear on body and soul, not only punishes Road Freight staff but also denies the million young people registered unemployed the opportunity to get a foot on the jobs ladder. Questions to Mick from the floor brought up the issues of bogus-self employment and the abuse of the Swedish Derogation to get round agency workers rights at DHL. Other contributors reinforced the point that cutting hours and forcing staff onto what are effectively zero hours contracts is now rife in the road freight industry as employers use the threat of unemployment and the over- arching atmosphere of austerity to hammer down terms and conditions. An aggressive new management team has been swung in at City Link with the sole intention of driving down costs. Mick Cash told the conference that an over-riding priority must be to work on a strategic plan with the Organising Unit to expand membership density and profile in road freight to head off the growing wave of attacks. Donald Graham from the organising unit fleshed out the organising strategy in a working paper, mapping density and setting out clear recruitment targets. The paper was received enthusiastically by the conference. Guest speakers to the conference included Graham Chesters from RMT Union Learning who took the delegates through the background to the work of the ULF and explained how branches and activists can get directly involved in taking the project forwards at local level. Pete March, on behalf of the Council of Executives, gave the report back to conference on progress with last year’s motions and sparked off some further lively contributions from the floor. Moving on with the agenda, motions to the 2012 conference covered a number of subjects. Leeds Goods and Cartage raised the issue of drivers being threatened with disciplinary action for not taking vehicles out on the road that are clearly unroadworthy and defective. In debate it emerged that defects are not being signed off as repaired and safe by a competent person leaving drivers facing the risk of intimidation and bullying by managers if they object. The motions calling on the union to raise these issues with the employers to get the practice stamped out were carried unanimously. An emergency motion dealt with other unions attempting to gain a foothold with employers on the basis of signing away the right to negotiate on terms and conditions for RMT in return for recognition. The successful motion asked that the union take a formal complaint to the TUC calling for the practice of another union offering what are effectively sweetheart deals in order to undermine effective RMT organisation to be stopped within the road freight industry. The conference wound up expressing its thanks and appreciation to Pete Daniels for his years of hard work on behalf of the road freight sector. Kevin Hughes from the union’s solicitors Thompsons reminded delegates and visitors that it was the 80th anniversary of the annual conference. He set out a series of parallels between events in 1932 and 2012 including austerity, cuts and mass unemployment with the working class paying for the mistakes of the financiers and bosses. “With a world banking crisis and disturbing events in Europe triggered by the failures of politicians and big business maybe things are not so different,” he said. ORGANISING ROAD FREIGHT WORKERS Delegates to the annual RMT Road Freight Transport conference assembled in Doncaster last month at a time of major pressures on the industry and those who work within it