TUC GOLD BADGE FOR MILLIE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2021 :: RMTnews 14 The TUC Women’s Gold Badge award is made to the rank-and-file woman member who is considered to have the best record of trade union and community/voluntary work over a period of years. This year RMT national executive committee member Millie Apedo-Amah, a train guard for 27 years, won the award. Millie interacts with passengers every day and explains that her job was about looking after the best interests of the public and making sure they have the information they need to get to their destination. “I regularly deal with upset and angry customers and I need to be able to respond professionally,” she explained. She is quick to point out that a train guard had to be prepared for an emergency, whether it was a fire, an accident or even a terrorist attack. She described how one day on the job when the train driver had a heart attack and she had to put the brakes on, position the train into an emergency position and secure it. She insisted that it was just one example why it is just not safe to run trains without a guard. “The railway industry is trying to cut costs by switching over to ‘driver-only operation’. But both the drivers and the guards know this isn’t safe – and it doesn’t give better customer service. That’s why we’re campaigning with our union to keep guards on the trains,” she points out, a sentiment shared by RMT members! TUC GOLD BADGE FOR MILLIE RMT member Millie Apedo-Amah receives this year’s TUC Women’s Gold Badge award