PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2015 :: RMTnews 21 President’s column Well my three years are almost up and it is amazing how fast it has gone. It seems just a brief moment since I wrote my first column and said that I was in your hands. Of course an awful lot has happened in those three years, lots of good things but also some terrible things. However, RMT is still strong, still growing and still punching well above our weight. Many unions would wish they were as well organised as us. This is down to you, the members. You are the most important part of this great union. People ask me if I am sorry to be going and of course I am, but it is right that I move in. Our union should be proud that the leadership is made up of lay members that return to work when their time is up. They need to be back amongst the rank and file and passing on their experiences. Although it is sad for me, I always knew this day would come. It is different for full time officers who have to stand for election every five years – at least I am spared going through another election! I consider myself lucky and privileged to have served as your president. This is a position that has enabled me to meet wonderful people across Britain and the world. The thing that has struck me most about this is that wherever I have gone they all face the same troubles as us. Workers everywhere are facing austerity, attacks on their conditions and increasing privatisation. This proves that our real enemy is the capitalist system and it is imperative that we keep our international contacts to fight it. Now more than ever we should stand shoulder to shoulder with them. We live in a shrinking world where fewer and fewer companies control everything and every worker's struggle is our struggle. The tragic early death of Bob Crow has to be the lowest point in my presidency. This was a terrible blow, not only to our union, but the whole trade union movement and progressive movements everywhere. I miss him very much both as a friend and as an inspiration. We have been able to carry on because of the great legacy that he has left us. I want to pay tribute to all members and staff who worked so hard above and beyond the call of duty to keep our union together during that terrible time. I mustn't forget two other good friends who died in office while I was president. The first was John MacDonald, Relief Regional Organiser for the north. He was a brilliant organiser and if I had ever been in trouble, John was the man I would want to represent me. The second was Brian Munro, Council of Executive member for London Transport. Brian was a young man who was taken far too early. He stood for the Council of Executives several times and it was a great sadness to me that when he finally got elected he was to serve for such a short time. But what a time, he crammed so much work for the membership into those seven months. Both John and Brian battled their illnesses right to the end with great bravery. Although we all mourn our three comrades and all others both within our union and other warriors in the battle for a more equal society, foremost in our minds must be the families. Finally, I would like to thank all the EC members and officers who worked alongside me, and all office staff. The kindness and support of everyone I met, some only for a fleeting moment, I will never forget as long as I live. The union is in good hands, and as long as we remain true to ourselves and our beliefs, we will continue to be at the forefront of the struggle. Solidarity, thanks and best wishes to all of you, comrades in deed. Peter Pinkney THE LAST POST pensioners and others were now having to choose whether to ‘eat or heat’ arising out of the greedy excesses of the major energy companies who continued to rip us all off. “It is time to re-nationalise them along with British Telecom, the Post Office and Royal Mail and the rail network,” he said to cheers. • The People’s Assembly in Scotland calls for: • Paying the Living Wage irrespective of age • End Wage Restraint • No more outsourcing of our NHS contracts • End Competitive Tendering • No interference in Collective Bargaining • An end to rail privatisation • Support CalMac kept in public ownership Phil reminded the crowd of the need to campaign for the repeal of Thatcher’s anti- union laws and to oppose the latest attacks contained in the Trade Union Bill. “This latest proposed Bill is the most vicious and vindictive proposal ever written and Cameron and his cronies have no mandate to bring this forward in Scotland and is totally illegal under the Human Rights Act and the ILO Convention, Articles 86, 87 and 98,” he said. He said that the Human Rights Act was clearly enshrined in the “Scotland Act” and he called upon the First Minister to oppose this Bill in Scotland. He warned that RMT would defy these draconian laws. “It is our right to organise, agitate, and educate and represent our members without government restrictions or interference,” he said. It was great to see RMT members participating and waving our flags, a great day out was had by all.