PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2016 :: RMTnews 21 President’s column RMT has long been a union that firmly believes in international solidarity with all workers and recently I had a firsthand opportunity to experience this. At the end of September I travelled to Najac in France with Wessex NEC member Paul McDonnell, to attend the Annual General Meeting of SUD Rail. SUD-Rail is a militant fighting union that has many similarities to ourselves and we were able to listen to delegates talking about the same problems we have already experienced or may well do in the future. Unions sharing stories of victories and defeats can only help us all, with our struggles that lay ahead. I also had the privilege along with NEC member John Reid, of representing us at the World Federation of Trade Unions [WFTU], in South Africa. The 17th Congress of the WFTU took place in Durban; with 1,500 delegates from 111 countries. There were 112 different speakers and the whole conference was a democratic, open, internationalist and class-oriented trade union event held in the interest of workers around the world who are fighting for a society without exploitation of man by man, for a society with full rights for the world’s working class…well that’s what they told me…hope it’s true. After I delivered my speech, the Zulu delegates showed there appreciation [maybe that it had ended] by singing and dancing, this was followed by the conferences observing a minutes silence in memory of Bob Crow, someone they all wanted to talk about. Our own Trade Union Congress could learn a lot from the WFTU, from class struggle workers solidarity and their complete opposition to the capitalist system. And before any of my friends give me that look, I will remind you that Rule one of our own union states in our objectives “to work for the supersession of the capitalist system by a socialistic order of society”. Now a little closer to home, we all know that Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected as Labour leader with an even stronger mandate than before, so I’m sure all those lovely members of the PLP will put their knives away and support the leader to get the Tories out and a progressive socialist Labour Party elected. I’m not holding my breath. I will remind those who refuse to respect the result, because they believe that Jeremy cannot win an election, of something I read recently. It is worth remembering that weeks prior to Clement Attlee’s famous 1945 landslide election victory, which heralded a government providing the welfare state, nationalisation of key industries and the NHS, Labour party chairman Harold Laski sent his leader a letter stating that he should consider resigning, as his leadership was a “grave handicap to the hopes of victory”. The SOS 2020 campaign to save seafarers jobs is a much needed initiative; by 2020 there will be few if any UK seafarers if we don’t start training and stop deregulation now. For an Island nation it would be a complete scandal if our seafarers are allowed to disappear. We will be calling for: • Equal rights in employment, equality and immigration law for UK seafarers. • Domestic cabotage, (transport between UK ports) protections for UK crew and flag. • statutory annual target for training new UK Ratings. • Safe ships in safe seas – higher safety standards in UK shipping. • Protect Royal Fleet Auxiliary from privatisation. Finally, I would like to send a message of solidarity to all our striking members out there at the moment…Safety before profit, must always win. “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds” Bob Marley In Solidarity Sean Hoyle CLASS SOLIDARITY ACROSS THE WORLD