PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

President’s column RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: september 2016 :: RMTnews 25 At this year’s AGM our members gave their overwhelming support to Jeremy Corbyn’s new style of politics. As the first Labour leader in 80 years to have been a local councillor, Jeremy understands that supporting people must start at the grassroots community level. Many games are still being played by treacherous politicians and insincere trade union leaders. Watching real leaders of our movement, like Ronnie Draper, General Secretary of the Bakers, Food & Allied Workers' Union and lifelong Labour party member, being denied a vote in the leadership election – along with thousands of RMT and other union members members – is really galling, equally galling is how others conduct themselves. Some of the other general secretaries that were waxing lyrical regarding Jeremy not so long ago, seem to be less than enthusiastic or even moved to support Owen Smith claiming, the “leader needed to be credible”. Owen Smith more credible than Jeremy?...leave you to make your own mind up there. At the TUC conference and I’m sure I will hear many an insincere statement from some in the movement, playing to the audience, with no real desire to see a Socialist government that may derail their own gravy train. There are so many challenges ahead:-RMT offshore members are being culled, or working longer for less in the most hazardous of conditions. Seafarers are fighting unregulated competition, which has led to many being replaced with non UK seafarers on lower rates of pay. Bus workers have long struggled to survive on low wages and now we see unscrupulous employers’ lengthening routes and shortening rest breaks. Ancillary workers are treated by employers as if they are of less worth and the minimum wages is all there want to pay. Taxi and road freight members have to work long hours, with the challenge of unregulated minicabs and Uber encroaching on their “Plying for hire” rights. Train Operating Companies have long been working hand in glove with governments, to ensure maximum profit is produced for the shareholders and they want our members to pay the price with their jobs. You only need to look at the latest shenanigans going on at Southern, Govia Thameslink Rail. The company received £1.2billion pounds of taxpayers money last year as a subsidy and when they fail to run the company properly, another £20 million is allocated of your money to try and sort things out. And this all happens one day before it’s announced “revenues surge” to £3.4 billion and profits to £99.8 million, you couldn’t make this up. And there is Network Rail. The latest report from the government-friendly think-tank ASI states that NWR should be broken up and sold off for a predicted £8 billion…the lessons from Rail Track all but forgotten. All this has gone on under previous governments, Labour, Tory/Lib and now the Tories again, I believe the best chance of saving all of our industries and services is with a Jeremy Corbyn-led Socialist Labour Party in power. “In every trade union are to be found men occupying high official positions who prior to their appointment were militant and progressive minded men; but alas! What a change comes over these erstwhile militants when the mantle of responsibility is cast over their shoulders. What hitherto was bad becomes good; what was arbitrary becomes reasonable; what was near progressivism becomes extreme; what was wholesome criticism become unwarranted attacks. Be reasonable and have implicit trust in your officials is the lamentation of all the little minded Caesar’s who are at the head of the Labour army” [JT Brownlie]. Finally, I would like to thank all the branches and members that took the time to send messages of solidarity to myself, Donna and the girls and to our senior assistant general secretary Steve Hedley and his family regarding the intrusion on both of our family holidays by the press Gutter journalism from the Sun and Mail newspapers is nothing new and I know Bob Crow and his family lived with it for years…but we must not allow their lies to go unchallenged, so watch this space. In Solidarity Sean Hoyle the braking system. The judge held that it was reasonable for the members to have made the disclosures in the criminal trial and that because this was the reason for their dismissal it was automatically unfair. The judge also held that their dismissals were substantively unfair for, among other reasons, a failure to conduct a reasonable investigation and inconsistent treatment. Both members have now been awarded compensation for their losses. The union, the legal department and Thompsons Solicitors stood by these members throughout the process and offered continued support. This is an important victory for RMT members and workers everywhere as it demonstrates that employers cannot simply get away with dismissing members for disclosing information that is in the public interest, ie whistleblowing, in the context of legal proceedings, and shows how the union will stand by its members in such circumstances. going to have a big impact on our members across the country, but the union is still financially sound and still increasing its membership. The general secretary and both assistants are committed to this conference and are in regular attendance to hear the issues that concern branch secretaries as they respect their role. Our Education programme is in its third year and has gone from strength to strength with delegates now asking for longer sessions on certain subjects aiding the Branch secretary in their duties. Conference will be in Inverness next year and plans are already on the go and I know that Inverness branch will do us proud. It would be good to see newer branch secretaries in attendance and maybe others that haven’t attended before would receive some good Highland hospitality, we may even request that Nessie makes an appearance. LAST CHANCE FOR A SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY