RMT WOMEN ARE AT THE HEART OF THE RESISTANCE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2012 :: RMTnews 18 The urgent need to resist the “pure madness” of vicious government cuts was a key theme running through the RMT women’s conference, held in the Dorset resort of Weymouth last month. The disproportionate impact of austerity measures on women workers was underlined repeatedly by delegates, who resolved to recruit, organise and build resistance to the attack on the transport industries and welfare. The publication of the government’s ‘command paper’ on the railways on the eve of the conference underlined that rail workers faced a massive fight, and conference chair Janet Cassidy welcomed a 60 per cent leap in the number of delegates who had registered for it. Thompsons Solicitor Mark Grey gave a stark reminder of how women workers were bearing the brunt of the cuts. Women were disproportionately hit by cuts in benefits, child-care, pensions and the very front-line services they were being sacked from. The Equality Act, introduced by Labour, had been blunted by the present government’s failure to implement provisions with the excuse of cutting ‘red tape’, but it was a “total myth” that discrimination regulations restricted economic growth, said Mark There was no need for austerity cuts at all, said executive member Janine Booth, reminding delegates that the country’s £70 billion deficit was dwarfed by £120 billion in taxes dodged annually by the rich. There were welcome signs that working people were fighting back, not least with strike action against pension cuts, but resistance needed to grow. It was a source of great disappointment that the merger with TSSA would not, for the moment, be going ahead, added Janine. The “pure social and economic madness” of the government’s hatchet plan for the railways was highlighted by assistant general secretary Pat Sikorski, who reminded delegates that it threatened 12,000 jobs. McNulty had identified that Britain’s fragmented and privatised railway was the most expensive in Europe – but his ‘cure’ would make it far worse. Every grade would be affected by the cost-cutting drive which, if not defeated, would unleash a race to the bottom in pay and pensions for those deemed ‘lucky’ enough still to have a job. McNulty was part of the government’s drive to make working people pay for the economic crisis, and to boost profits for privateers who had already drained billions from the industry. “We need to brace ourselves and get organised to resist it, with a national campaign,” said Pat. Scotland had its own and equally nasty McNulty in the form of Scottish government proposals to splinter Scotrail, noted Janet Cassidy. Government cuts were already having a detrimental effecting on the transport RMT WOMEN ARE AT THE HEART OF THE RESISTANCE Resist McNulty and government cuts and tackle workplace sexism head-on was the call from RMT women meeting in Weymouth