YOUNG MEMBERS MEET

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2012 :: RMTnews 21 Around 30 delegates heard RMT lead Health and Safety Rep Ross Marshall address the tenth RMT young members’ conference. Ross chaired the first ever young members’ conference in 2002 and spoke about the differences between then and now and how they had to battle initially against scepticism about holding such events. Having won over the doubters he said that the RMT young members conference was the most progressive in the trade union movement and was the only such event to have changed TUC policy. This point was reiterated by RMT general secretary Bob Crow when he said “if it wasn’t for a resolution from the young members’ advisory committee that went to our executive, there wouldn’t be a motion-based young TUC conference taking place across the length and breadth of Britain. London regional organiser Steve Hedley told conference that young members “will be the people in the years ahead that are going to be picking up the baton in this union, which is a proud, democratic and fighting union and carrying that baton forward”. Steve spoke of how, with over one million unemployed youths in this country and with the ConDem government introducing new pension laws that will make people work until they drop, it was up to the young members to stop these attacks through massive, co- ordinated campaigns. Assistant general secretary, Pat Sikorski emphasised the importance of young people getting involved in the union. Dimitris Palmyris (right) from the World Federation of Democratic Youth had flown in from Cyprus specifically to address the conference. He told delegates that “as an organised front of the workers and especially as the youth of a workers trade union, you inevitably play an important role in the struggles of the working class of Britain, by your example”. “I am saying this because what is presented to us today as a universal truth is that there is no need to organise, no need to be in the trade unions, student unions, any kind of structure that can possibly threaten the imperialistic interests and their repression against peoples, workers and the youth. “The reality is that the need for organisation, the need of the youth to rise up and struggle for their rights in an organised, massive way, with clear objectives and goals is absolute. “It is our only weapon against a world that is becoming more and more aggressive, more and more barbaric,” he said. There were also speeches from Ian Pattison from Youth Fight For Jobs as well as guest speakers from Thompsons Solicitors and RMT Learning and RMT Credit Union. There was a lively debate from delegates discussing a number of motions. Conference decided unanimously to call on RMT to continue to publicly support all strike action taken against the pension attacks and the government cuts and counter the government anti- trade union propaganda. Delegates called on the union to co-ordinate, as far as possible, any future strike action the union takes with strike action taken by the public sector unions and to support a general strike against the government’s cuts agenda. Young members also voted to request that the union should aim to adopt a policy of avoiding wherever possible, a reduction in the complement of grades in any negotiations and conduct a survey to establish the amount of unfilled vacancies within our industries. Highlights of this year’s conference can be seen at www.rmtv.org.uk YOUNG MEMBERS MEET RMT’s well-attended young members’ conference meeting in London celebrates tenth anniversary