YOUNG MEMBERS PROTEST

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2013 :: RMTnews 18 We are in the business of breaking down barriers that prevent members getting involved in union activities. Young member’s on the national young members advisory committee said that the biggest barrier to youth participation to the recent TUC demonstration in London was the cost of accommodation. So setting up camp where we could eat and socialise by a blazing camp fire and have a bed for the night for free made complete sense. Despite the rain the camp was a roaring success with members coming from a variety of regions, one even brought some of her home made beer. The fire was blazing all night and we filled ourselves on toasted marshmallows and wood oven pizzas. There was a real festival atmosphere without the mud and we had indoor facilities. It was a great to meet up with like-minded young people and tie up loose strings for the demo. This was the first time it had been done and we hope that we will be able to do it again this summer. Young members are full of great ideas and have vocal young reps in theadvisory committee which will ensure ideas become reality. Nothing is too farfetched and we will continue to push the boundaries. Young members played a key role in organising the demo and marched as part of the RMT contingent. We are concerned about the de-polarisation of the main political parties and the Lib Dems have lost generations of young member votes. However Labour is proving to mirror them. So we decided that if it sounds like a Tory, it is a Tory. Our slogan was ‘No Con Dem cuts, No Labour cuts’. We created the ‘Tory spotting’ image with Ed Miliband, on t-shirts on the day as well as huge boards. The aim was to put pressure on Labour and get people talk- ing about the issue. We also helped design the ‘lying rats’ image all were heavily photo- graphed and well received. Young members also rose at 6am to fix a large banner produced by the union on Waterloo bridge reading: “Build the Future, General Strike Now!” In future we hope branches can pre-order our materials as we ran out quickly. We also need branch coordinators to help set up and collect materials for members. RMT members need to realise that we just can’t turn up for the start with everything set up, we are there for the day for an important reason. There’s a lot to do to make it a success, if we all do a little it’s a lot easier and more fun. The march could have been extremely bland so please promote the hard work the young members have done in your workplaces and let’s get more young members involved. Young members plan and organise various activities throughout the year and next year we are taking the Snowdon Horseshoe challenge in a build up for the Three Peaks mountain challenge which involves climbing the highest mountains in Scotland Wales and England raising money for the Railway Children charity and a cancer charity. For more info / to get involved contact: a.pottage@rmt.org.uk Pictures from the day are downloadable in high resolution from: http://www.flickr.com/ photos/rmtorganisingunit YOUNG MEMBERS PROTEST Young members Jayesh Patel and Daniel Burn set up camp in Maritime House for the October 20 demonstration last year