ORGANISING FREIGHT MEMBERS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2022 :: RMTnews 23 A fter a year which saw a massive shortage of road haulage drivers making headlines across Britain, RMT’s National Freight and Logistics Organising Conference resolved to create a new organising strategy to accelerate recruitment and maximise leverage. Opening the meeting in Motherwell, conference president Steve Watters hailed the union’s success in achieving 100 per cent membership at his own workplace, Freightliner Coatbridge. But he expressed disappointment that the union “missed a great opportunity” in not taking sufficient advantage of the driver shortage to drive up membership and wages. He also reported on the progress of the TUPE transfer at Coatbridge. Last autumn Freightliner announced that it would be leasing out the terminal for a 10-year period, effectively becoming the landlords instead of the employer. Members at the terminal will now become employees of Russell Railroad Ltd. Mr Watters said that “a lot of hard work was done” to protect members’ terms and conditions in the course of the transfer. Reporting back to the conference on behalf of RMT’s national executive committee (NEC), Paul McDonnell drew attention to the need to recruit younger members of the sector’s workforce - not just to membership, but to union activity too. “We can’t operate as a union unless we start getting the youngsters involved,” he said. Appealing for members to come forward as a workplace reps, Mr McDonnell also encouraged freight sector members to stand for NEC positions in their regions, to ensure the sector had a strong voice. He also emphasised that the union needed strength in the workplace to exercise serious leverage in negotiations with employers. “The officers will fight for everything we want, but unless the army’s there behind the they’re not going to get it,” he said. Addressing calls for an organising strategy across the sector, RMT senior assistant general secretary Steve Hedley said: “If we’re going to get this organised properly, the first thing we need is bodies and resources from head office”. He went on to suggest the conference could send reps who had successfully organised in terminals like Coatbridge down to depots struggling with recruitment and organisation: to “have conversations” and develop reps as well as simply recruiting. Tom Wilson, South Hants said: “In the other industries where we organise we have clear campaigns - like Save our Seafarers and Keep the Guard on the Train. They unite members across companies behind those slogans. It shows members where the fight is.” RMT Scotland regional organiser Mick Hogg respond to delegates comments: “I’ve listened to some of the comments as to what you guys are experiencing on the freight side, and the lack of representation of the freight sector on the NEC, on the officer front and even the national officer front. “I came from the freight side, the EWS side, and I was persuaded to put my hat in the ring. I certainly believe that freight within the union is not given enough attention particularly with the climate change agenda, which is big news as far as society is concerned. He also emphasised the importance of defending freight terminals against any future threats of closure. “We need to remain vigilant in ensuring that freight is a priority, and the terminals don’t just remain in place but go from strength to strength.” A motion from South Hants and Eastleigh Workshops branch called for a recruitment campaign at at Pentalver Transport, “with an aim to achieve recognition”. Tom Wilson emphasised that a key challenge would be gaining access to the sites, and went on to say: “It’s alright joining people - it’s getting them to be a rep. We need to show people we’re there to support them and explain a bit more about the union.” Robert Green, Birmingham emphasised the importance of building the union at Pentalver’s Cannock site in the West Midlands. “We need to get in there as they’re trying to divide and conquer,” he said. Discussing an organising strategy for the sector, delegates emphasised the need to map where members are, adopt a slogan to unite the workforce and show potential new members the benefits of joining the union. Delegates agreed that the conference should take place in the greater Birmingham area next year, as part of efforts to recruit and mobilise freight and logistics members in the Midlands. ORGANISING FREIGHT MEMBERS