YOUTH IN UNITY

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march/april 2024 :: RMTnews 8 Industrial unity must override any petty differences within the union, was the message from RMT young members conference in Wigan recently. Up to 50 delegates were in Wigan for the annual conference where young members from across the railways and maritime industries decide their priorities for the coming year. Keynote speaker RMT senior assistant general secretary Eddie Dempsey gave an in-depth speech about the need for tolerance within the union and respect for people’s differences while trying to maintain and foster unity. "We need to get our people in our organisation wherever they work into a position where they can and are prepared to take effective[strike] action if they need to. "We recruit somewhere up to 14,000 new members every year in order to stay still. There are new people coming in and our organisation changes all the time. "The activist layer of the union who are really engaged have to stay closely in tune with our members and where they are at, so, you to have a great amount of tolerance. "I have my own strong political beliefs - lots of people do. But we must recognise that others have different ideas, so we have to build unity in a way that doesn't alienate people. We have to be kind to each other, understand where people are coming from to bring them along with you," he said. Mr Dempsey recalled times as an activist where he worked with a member who had totally different views but the same determination to work for the benefit of the members. “We live in a time where differences between people are highlighted so sharply in debate and online. In the union we organise people on the basis they are workers and that is it. “I think being the union is the strongest way to build unity with people. “But taking part in a strike and being in comradeship with people from those different backgrounds and cultures, will bring them along and change their minds, I’ve seen it happen time and time again,” he added. Mr Dempsey also warned that the mainstream media and employers try to exploit differences between the lay union membership and the elected leadership of RMT. He said to laughs from the audience: “They describe people like me as a baron. A baron? "They portray us an evil group of people sitting in head office moving chess pieces on a board and all the members dance to our tune and do whatever we think but that is not how we work”. Reflecting on how industrial disputes play out, Mr Dempsey said that strike action was “tactic” and not an end in itself. “In industrial disputes, we of course have the ability and willingness to take strike action as well as taking a step back and negotiating,” he said. Expanding on the need to be adaptable and the fact rail companies are indemnified against losses by the government, he added: “We need to be able to change our tactics. It is taxpayer money - they spent billions subsiding these companies during our disputes. “Our cleaners who were contracted out also saw their employers indemnified against losses. “The Transport ministry is YOUTH IN UNITY Packed young members conference discusses industrial unity