PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2016 :: RMTnews 27 of black and workers struggles adding that this year’s RMT Black History Month event should be dedicated to educate RMT members on the history of the role of Robeson and members of NUR/RMT in the Spanish war against fascism. Conference discussed other issues including domestic violence, how BEMAC should fit into the union and honouring long serving activists. Retiring London Underground engineering branch activist, Frank Murray was presented by general secretary Mick Cash with a 30 year long service award for his service to the union and as one of the founder members of BEMAC. Chair of conference Jennifer Kissi-Debrah said: “Thank you for all the time you have put in to this committee and the union Frank. You will now have more time to mentor the rest of us coming up behind you. We appreciate you and we love you.” Mr Cash added: “Thanks for all your work for the union over the last 30 years. Credit to Frank and credit to all of you who made this conference bigger and more successful.” requesting flexible working. Janine Booth also moved our motion on sexual assaults on trains and stations. Unfortunately this is a serious matter, that affects both our members and passengers alike. RMT calls for the TUC to vigorously campaign for the renationalisation of the railway industry with adequate staffing on trains and stations. Ann Joss also spoke calling for the TUC to encourage Network Rail to make gender equality a reality. Woman represent 51 per cent of the population, yet Network Rail had stated they want 20 per cent of their future leaders to be female by 2019. Mary Jane Herbison was successfully re-elected to represent RMT on the TUC woman's committee for another year. President’s column Recent leaks regarding offshore tax dodging from Panama law firm, Mossack Fronseca should remind us all about the real society we live in, not just in the UK but globally. The level of hypocrisy we are seeing is breath-taking, with 12 current or former heads of state outted, as well as more than 60 associates and other politicians implicated and this is only one company. I realise that we will be told that it has not been proven that tax laws have been broken. But to see individuals who have been proclaiming one thing and all the time doing another is sickening, especially the likes of our own pillar of the community David Cameron who had stated when asked previously about offshore tax havens “they are not fair and not right” and now he just says he will not benefit in the future!. It’s also heart-breaking seeing what’s happened to our steel industry over many years and now is the time to re-nationalise and not just for the short term, to stop thousands of worker being thrown on the scrap heap. We must stop buying artificially cheap steel from abroad and support our own industry and this goes for many other sectors. What’s the point of buying something a little cheaper if we then have to support thousands of workers with welfare? Yet you will not get any help from the Tories or the EU. This is what the European Commission announced last month: "EU State aid rules do not allow public support for the rescue and restructuring of companies in difficulty in the steel sector". This doesn’t apply to ailing banks of course. But David Cameron has no problem spending nine million pounds of taxpayers’ money to send a 14-page pamphlet to every household in the country to brainwash us into voting to stay in the EU. That is why RMT has launched its campaign for a vote to leave the EU in the referendum on June 23. EU policies further entrench privatisation and fragmentation promotes social dumping and attacks on workers’ rights. That is exactly why Cameron, the City of London, the CBI and financial vultures like Goldman Sachs all support staying in. Labour movement giants like Bob Crow and Tony Benn understood this only too well and if they were still around it is clear how they would have voted and that’s good enough for me. "Politics isn't about right and left...it's about right and wrong and righting those wrongs" Ella Hewitt In Solidarity, Sean Hoyle HYPOCRICY RULES