WOMEN’S COURSE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2020 :: RMTnews 20 Since 1915, women have joined the union in their droves, in fact, there are 13,500 women in RMT at the moment. Each year, an introductory course to being a trade union activist, life in the union, the structure of the union, the Women's Charter and Organising women members. Guest speaker Alan Pottage from the Organising Unit shared his experience, knowledge and willingness to collaborate with all grades in the fight to organise workers, the length and breadth of the country. Beverleigh Thomas of Waltham Cross & District branch said that the course was very informative. “We were able to share our working life and our personal experience with RMT to an in-depth level. “I also always enjoy being at the education centre, not only are the courses great and informative, but you get to meet great people from across the country,” he said. Delegate Rosemary Ampaw remarked that she had learnt how to come together, support one another and deal honestly with challenging subjects. “I was very pleased and excited about learning something new and would definitely recommend the course,” she said. RMT HAS claimed a victory for common sense as it appears the Government’s volunteer ‘Journey Makers’ programme has been shelved. A leaked email from one of the volunteer programme’s providers admitted that due to disagreement between unions and Government the project “has been shelved for now”. The Transport Secretary had only recently promised “an army of Journey Makers in purple tabards” to be deployed at major stations and transport hubs to perform vital crowd management and passenger safety roles and to enforce the wearing of face coverings. The scheme unravelled after RMT expressed frustration and dismay over use of barely trained and unpaid volunteers amid the confusion over the function and roles of these volunteers. Reports found that railway staff had even been asked to dress up in purple tabards and pretend to be volunteers to try and preserve some credibility for the government’s programme. RMT senior assistant general Secretary Mick Lynch said that it had appeared that the government had seen sense and shelved this half-baked shambolic volunteer stunt. “It is crystal clear that the employers, the staff and the public themselves have seen the ‘Journey Makers’ scheme for what it is - a piece of PR puffery cooked up in the Downing Street bunker by Boris Johnson's advisers. “The idea of unleashing thousands of volunteers onto the railway in their purple vests when safety, security, experience and team working are paramount was always barmy. “The government must now confirm that this scheme is shelved for good and ensure that they work with rail unions to put the safety of passengers and railway workers first,” he said. RMT CLAIMS VICTORY OVER ‘PURPLE VESTS’ VOLUNTEER STUNT WOMEN’S COURSE RMT tutor Jennifer Aggrey-Fynn reports on a course tailored for RMT women which took place before lockdown.