PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2021 :: RMTnews Well I hope you enjoyed your break as much as I did although I know that a lot of you wouldn’t have had Christmas with your families. I will be back to the coal face myself soon as this is my last year to serve you as RMT President. I reflected over the past two years and although there are a couple of things I have done which will shape my free time at the end of my term, I realised my tenure has been taken up with elections, Covid Pandemic and a troubled organisation! However there is a lot to be said for all the work those we don’t see in our offices have done on our behalf and this year they will be working even harder as the election for a new general secretary is under way followed by an election for president and new NEC members. Combined with another lockdown thrown upon us, it will make their work load more difficult. However, because their passion is our union, they just get on with it! So I will wish all of you a happy new year and let’s prepare ourselves for the workload our rank and file will face with the onslaught of cuts and redundancy with increased pressure of workloads. Let’s start to convince our members that their don’t have to accept second best and that we can have pay increases, better terms and conditions because like our hard working staff you the rank and file have worked bloody hard too! You were essential to keeping our country moving and deserve recognition for your part for the company bonuses the shareholders dividends you genuinely generated. So fight and stand proud to get your small, well deserved share. I also want to thank the support of the six NEC members that left last year. Your work and experience helped tremendously tot deal with the workload. You provided moral support and our union has been enriched with your commitment to deliver for the members and now we have six new NEC members hitting the ground running. But they know there is support amongst there fellow colleagues so we grow and become more diverse. It would be right to mention another two women join me on the executive and that makes me proud. I am also looking forward to learning from all the members and the diversity they all bring. I have asked the equality groups to share my column only two have taken me up so please get in touch and enrich our members with your knowledge experience or struggle, we need to share. Finally we need to be building a fighting strike fund. One that’s so big our members would not be starved back to work. This could be achieved in a year if all 80,000 plus members made an effort over the next 12 months to put a little extra in. Remember part of being in a union is to protect each other. The government will be playing hard ball with our term and conditions we need to be ready to fight back! In Solidarity, Michelle Rodgers President’s column WELCOME BACK WALSALL BRANCH NOMINATE MICK LYNCH FOR GENERAL SECRETARY BIRMINGHAM ENGINEERING BRANCH NOMINATE MICK LYNCH FOR GENERAL SECRETARY HULL RAIL BRANCH NOMINATE MICK LYNCH FOR GENERAL SECRETARY CARLISLE CITY BRANCH NOMINATE MICK LYNCH FOR GENERAL SECRETARY BURTON-ON-TRENT NO.1 BRANCH NOMINATE MICK LYNCH FOR GENERAL SECRETARY DERBY RAIL & ENGINEERING BRANCH NOMINATE MICK LYNCH FOR GENERAL SECRETARY POOLE & DISTRICT BUS BRANCH NOMINATE MICK LYNCH FOR GENERAL SECRETARY NORTH STAFFS BRANCH NOMINATE MICK LYNCH FOR GENERAL SECRETARY