PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2020 :: RMTnews 25 Like many I was saddened by the general secretary’s wish to retire at the 2020 AGM. However, the supreme government of our union dealt with appeals against the NEC in a fair and matter of fact way. Despite some out there accusing the NEC of not having the conviction to defend the decisions along with the general secretary, he had made it clear from the off that he would be the one to defend it and I applaud that because after all he is part of the NEC too. I have nothing but gratitude and respect for every delegate that attended the conference, which was testing and trying for all who was there and made it a success with all the difficulties that faced us. However the actions after overshadowed what is our supreme governing body and that is unacceptable . It’s been a very tough year and the accusations that are thrown around do not help in such situations. The amount of individual complaints have risen far quicker than the union has been able to deal with, but that is not a fault of the GS or the NEC, it’s that in a year where a pandemic has taken hold of all our lives making what should be simple much more difficult. The independent inquiry will hopefully point to the behaviour that has developed over many years without the need for a witch hunt and rid us of these attitudes. Hopefully we will be able to report soon and how the process will be implemented. As there are many asking where we are at! Something that currently plays out in our union is factionalism of groups and individuals who make unsubstantiated claims of not just myself but other elected officials which is a sad state of affairs for our union that the whole trade union movement are watching the greatest members-led union rip each other apart for what. All this energy should be put into fighting for those members whose jobs are being robbed from them with the cloak of the Coronavirus pandemic! With activists and officers having to fight on many fronts to protect our members, I ask every member to consider is the negative and nastiness really necessary and if they feel it is then use the structure that was agreed by the general secretary to address your concerns and stop the false unsubstantiated claims that are being portrayed as factual to non-active members who must be questioning why they are subscribing to RMT. As we enter the election for general secretary we must all remain respectful and responsible for our actions and I welcome the fact we have four candidates and hopefully each one will respect our democracy and want to work as part of the NEC moving forward. We do not have to agree, that’s why we run campaigns and ballots so dignity can prevail. With honest, robust and respectful debates as all those standing show respect to us the membership let’s keep them free from the social media shit storm that has been the norm over the last couple of years! We must be able to unite and move forward together if our democratic structures are going to remain and you the members with a single vote will decide do not feel pressured by fractions. It’s your vote you choose who you want to bring us together and then we move on! So kindness is what I want you all to show and feel it’s going to be a long process. I want to wish every candidate good luck and hope that branches utilise zoom to make sure that the candidates get to address branches rather than just filling in the nomination because that's an affront to our democracy. Merry Christmas all Solidarity Michelle President’s column BE KIND AND UNIFIED public transport publicly owned and accountable and properly planned and integrated - saving billions through ending the inefficiency and profiteering of privatisation. We also need maximum modal shift from the freight carried on roads by HGVs, which creates major safety, social and environmental impacts, to rail freight which has proven environmental and economic benefits. RMT also believes that a fully staffed public transport network is essential to enable the massive shifts away from private vehicles which are required to decarbonise, and this is even more vital in light of Covid- 19 as staff have a key role to play in restoring passenger confidence in public transport. In terms of the rail network, a recent report by the passenger watchdog Transport Focus found that “staff play a central role in helping passengers feel safe and secure when travelling by train” and there was a “strong sense than the ideal response to the pandemic would be to see more staff on trains and at the station, rather than less”. RMT will fight any attempts by government and train companies to use Covid-19 as an excuse for cutting staffing across our public transport networks. RMT believes that Covid- 19 has proven, without any doubt, that privatisation is fundamentally at odds with a sustainable public transport network. The Welsh government has already recognised this and has recently announced that it is renationalising Wales’ rail passenger services. The DfT must now follow suit, and use its Transport Decarbonisation Plan to create a sustainable, affordable and accessible public transport network in public ownership. p o p in t in o m c w s im h a f n e