SUPERVISORY AND CLERICAL GRADES UNITE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may/junel 2024 :: RMTnews 8 Delegates were welcomed to the city on behalf of the host branch by Clayton Clive, Manchester South branch secretary. He outlined the deep radical history of the city and especially of the venue that the event was being held in, The Mechanics’ Institute, where the Trade Union Congress first met in 1868. Conference president Sean Hoyle told delegates that the recent success of the ticket office campaign had created a pause rather than a total victory and that the battle to save ticket offices was ongoing. Karen Ingham, Leeds City explained how the LNER ‘Simpler Fares’ pilot scheme for selected journeys along the East Coast route – which it argues is enhancing the customer experience – is in fact achieving the opposite. “The DfT’s intention in introducing these changes is to extract even greater amounts of money from travellers, and to drive them away from using booking offices. It’s about people paying more money for a worse service.” she said. RMT regional organiser Craig Johnston spoke about the ongoing problems with Avanti West Coast. “They are able to rob tax- payers of money, provide an appalling service and treat their workers like rubbish,” he said. Addressing the union’s campaigning work Craig added: “What was successful about the ticket office campaign is that we won recognition that people can change things by campaigning and we also saved the Railways Pension Scheme and those in the union who helped save the scheme have to be commended”. RMT assistant general secretary John Leach explained the significance of the disputes on the train operating companies over the last year and also gave an important update on the new legislation where minimum service levels can be enforced and how that could affect ongoing strike action. “These are disputes that we are still involved in, the longest in the union’s entire history. “They are not over and could involve further strike action,” he told delegates. He said that the work of the union involved a lot more than the national dispute, despite the publicity it had achieved. Explaining how work was being carried out on numerous fronts he added that “we are a united union and we have come through this together. “The union is constantly engaged in all sectors. The win on pensions was a very important win and mostly have left the schemes intact. “The union is on an alert footing as a general election is about to happen. We are demanding that everyone who wants our vote will have to stand up and be counted and be relied upon to deliver things for working class people,” he said. SUPERVISORY AND CLERICAL GRADES UNITE RMT’s organising conference supervisory, clerical and other salaried grades meet in Manchester