PRESIDENTS COLUMN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2017 :: RMTnews 21 Now that new anti-trade union laws are in force in Ireland making legal industrial action much harder, the Jobstown story struck a chord with me. In April, 18 working class people from the community of Jobstown, Dublin will face trial for “false imprisonment” for the “crime” of peacefully protesting against Troika austerity in the form of water charges. Their protest – against the then-deputy Prime Minister Joan Burton – became emblematic of a mass working class movement which forced the suspension of the water charges. Outrageously they are being dragged to court following dawn police raids on their homes last year on trumped up charges which carry a maximum life sentence. A 17-year old boy has already been convicted of this offence. The accused include a member of the Irish Parliament Paul Murphy, from the Anti-Austerity Alliance and the Socialist Party, and two elected councillors from the same party. If Paul Murphy is sentenced to more than six months in prison he will be stripped of his position as MP, thus depriving the community of their political voice. Thank you to Sarah Sachs- Eldridge for bringing this to our attention jobstownnotguiltygb@ gmail.com We are now in conference season and I have already attended our young members and women’s events. I can say that things are looking bright with many able members stepping up to take over from the old guard in the not too distant future and wouldn’t it be great to have more diversity in senior positions. Currently we have no women or black and ethnic regional organiser/senior officials. For the first time we have two women on the national executive committee Michelle Rodgers and Kathy Mazur. But when they finish their term of office at the end of this year, we could have only white males in all positions and while we all are elected on merit, it wouldn’t really reflect the diversity within our membership would it? As a member led union, only you can change this. Finally, I see from WikiLeaks that MI5 and the CIA have been using the Samsung F800 television to spy on some people…John Reid former NEC member often told me that he thought we were bugged…you never know! ‘No attempt at ethical or social seduction can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party. So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin’ Nye Bevan Yours in solidarity Sean Hoyle JOBSTOWN NOT GUILTY! • Removed the 30-minute unpaid meal break and all Groundstaff breaks are now paid. • Campaigned to introduce principles of rostering including 32-hour rest period. • A timetable agreed to ensure all Groundstaff will receive 33 days’ annual leave with the removal of the matrix for calculating annual leave entitlement. • A guarantee protection for TS salary’s going forward who end up on an operative salary The union has considered these improvements and the views of the negotiating team and a referendum ballot is currently underway with a recommendation to vote Yes as these are the best terms that can be achieved through negotiation. The German-owned firm said that the decision to phase out coal-fired power stations had resulted in a 78 per cent year-on-year reduction in the number of coal trains operated by DB Cargo. The problems facing the UK’s steel industry have also led to a 33 per cent decline in the number of DB Cargo trains running in the first nine months of 2016. At the time RMT said that it was a “devastating blow” to the rail freight industry and called on the government to intervene to save jobs. The government has published a rail freight strategy underlining its commitment to rail freight, including ensuring more capacity on the network. But the union accused the Tories of a “shocking lack of support” for the freight sector. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said:“This is devastating news brought on through a combination of cut-throat practices in the UK rail freight industry and a shocking lack of government support for this key section of our transport infrastructure”. President’s column