RMT AT STUC/LETTERS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2015 :: RMTnews 25 R MT joined over 300 delegates representing 38 trade unions and 20 trade union councils at the Scottish TUC Congress at the Ayr race course recently. The RMT delegation discussed all 114motions, amendments and agreed composites and regional organiser and delegation leader Jake Molloy reported from the STUC’s General Council. The delegation consulted the instructions from the Council of Executives and discussed the motions in an open and transparent way and decisions were taken accordingly. RMT delegate Andrew Elliott of North Clyde branch took part in the debate on Progressive Workplace Policies and George Lonie of Glasgow Shipping branch seconded a motion on Scottish Ferries. Graham Wallace from the CofE and Mike Bainbridge of the Offshore energy branch also took part in debates. RMT general secretary Mick Cash moved a composite motion on ScotRail and public ownership supported by regional organiser Mick Hogg. RMT president Peter Pinkney seconded a composite ‘motion on relations between Cuba and the US and an emergency motion on Longannet Power Station was supported by Davie O’Donnell of Fife and District branch. All RMT delegates were active in supporting the various fringe meetings, especially the on the People’s Assembly against Austerity, attacks on our Trade Union Rights chaired by our RMT political advisor Phil McGarry and the Campaign against Euro-Federalism addressed by Mick Cash. Various policy documents were approved by Congress, such as on the case for a Scottish Defence Diversification Agency to the political attack on Workplace Representation and opposition to TTIP. Dear editor, In the May issue of RMT News Jeff Kirk seems to have a misunderstanding of the term democratically elected majority. In the UK general election the Conservative Party won the most seats, an overall majority, one seat in Scotland and 311 in the rest of the Union. They then form a government, that’s how it works. However my main point is on Jeff’s understanding of the term ‘regime’ as supplied by the Oxford English Dictionary in his response to comments made by the general secretary in describing the SNP, and its final point ‘authority at the expense of personal freedom’. So let’s have it right, the SNP are world beaters in authoritarianism. There is barely an area of public or private life in Scotland in which members of the Scottish Parliament have not had a significant impact. Informed more by campaign groups and professional bodies than the electorate, the Scottish government has shown itself to be a world beater in some of the pettiest authoritarianism around. In March 2006, over a year before the smoking ban was implemented in the rest of the UK, smokers in Scotland were turned out of public places. The SNP also argued for a total ban on cigarette vending machines. Another SNP move was to the Alcohol Bill passed in 2010. Its sole objective was to ensure Scots were priced out of excessive drinking, including a ban on discounts, happy hour and ID if you look under 25 and the real goal was a minimum price for alcohol. The SNP now has its Sectarianism Bill to try and ban football fans from shouting crude chants at football matches. A Hearts fan was arrested in a dawn raid by police and a Rangers supporters was recently handed a four month prison sentence for singing a well-known song on the street before the match. Where are the free speech advocates for that attack on personal freedom? So yes the SNP is at the forefront of ‘authority at the expense of personal freedom’ and you don’t need to be a Daily Mail reader to see its implications. Some radical progressive agenda. Brendan Glynn RMT AT STUC Dear Editor, Regarding the pro-Scottish National Party letter from brother Jeff Kirk in the May edition of RMT News. We could argue about how well the Labour Party has represented ordinary working people over the years but maybe we can agree that we spend a lot of time defending the NHS, the welfare state and equality laws which would not exist without progressive political parties and unions in the past? Brother Kirk claims that the SNP is to the left of Labour and is not authoritarian, I beg to differ. SNP governments have brought more power to the centre than most people realise, they have created national police and fire organisations which are subject to policies which do not take any account of local feelings. Police Scotland has imposed armed police on communities which did not want them deployed on a routine basis. As for being progressive or left wing, the policies of freezing council tax and free university tuition fees have helped the middle classes whereas council services and further education colleges have been cut, these two sectors being more important to poorer people than better off ones. The SNP has a pro-business economic policy. It wants corporation tax cuts and is supported by Donald Trump and Brian Souter -no friend of RMT –and Rupert Murdoch (brother Kirk mentioned the gutter press). Left of centre SNP voters should look in detail at SNP policies and not their speeches. IAN BROWN, EDINBURGH NUMBER 1 BRANCH AUTHORITARIAN SNP SNP SOCIALIST?