LGBT MEET

This year’s LGBT conference was opened by the Bristol branch secretary Gary Abbot who warmly welcomed us to Bristol, a City well known for diversity and inclusion. Acting general secretary Mick Cash paid a full and emotional tribute to Bob Crow and said that he hadn't expected to be travelling the country addressing the various RMT conferences. Mick explained that in 2002 when he and Bob were elected, the equality conferences didn't exist. Conference chair Roger Hackett reported on committee activity over the last year, noting some of the excellent hard work done and outlined plans for organising across the regions. RMT members had held protests outside several embassies of countries where LGBT people are discriminated against. EC member Nick Quirk gave a report on the progress of motions from the previous LGBT conference and reported some positive news that Network Rail and TOCs were finally realising the importance of equality reps, a welcome development that branches need to build on. Nick reported that he will be asking the union to write to the International Transport Federation after the ITF reported that it would not set up an LGBT group. TUC LGBT committee chair Maria Exall outlined the work of her committee and the role of its conference and how it takes up LGBT issues that cross industrial sectors. Maria said she was disgusted that the current government is using LGBT issues as a pretense of ‘liberal’ policies pointing to the stark change in Tory leader David Cameron who voted against LGBT rights until he got into office. Bruce Robin from union solicitors Thompsons discussed many aspects of employment law and rammed home the point that there has been an 80 per cent drop off in tribunal claims since the introduction of tribunal fees by the government as working people are priced out of the workplace justice system. Bruce also covered subjects including TUPE and redundancy law among other areas of interest. Alan Pottage of RMT’s organising unit spoke about recruitment and said that the union’s strategy only worked because it was led directly by the members. RMT equalities officer Jess Webb said that the union needs to think about education and suggested that all the advisory groups hold a weekend of empowerment, focusing on how to write resolutions and understand the union structures. Conference passed four resolutions to be sent to the union for discussion. Motions agreed included affiliation to Rainbow International LGBT Activist Solidarity Fund and to International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. Conference also called on the union to campaign against local authority councillors encouraging anti-gay propaganda and called on the union to map the profile of LGBT reps and advisory members to allow the committee to target areas of under-representation. Out Stories Bristol collects and preserves stories of LGBT history in the city. Co-chair Cheryl Morgan explained that trans people essentially didn’t fit into the traditional views of gender. Brighton was the chosen venue for conference next year and conference concluded with Barry Weldon being elected as chair, Paul Penny as vice chair and Roger Hackett as liaison committee member. LGBT MEET Finsbury Park branch delegate John Stack reports from RMT’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advisory committee RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: sept 2014 :: RMTnews 18