KEEPING TICKET OFFICES OPEN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may/junel 2024 :: RMTnews 24 RMT’s industrial organising conference of station and associated Grades met in Portsmouth recently and conference president Keith Miller opened the proceedings by congratulating delegates on winning a major victory in keeping ticket offices open through their campaigning work. RMT national policy officer Sophie Ward and RMT assistant general secretary John Leach gave a presentation on the Save our Ticket Offices campaign outlining some of the challenges ahead and how the union would be gearing up for future campaigning. “It was the commitment of our members to get out there and mobilise that was key. In addition, local people thought of their ticket office as a community asset,” Sophie Ward said. AJ Oluwarotimi, national executive, reported on the progress of the union’s work arising from the last year’s motions. The motion on the proposed closure on ticket offices was the beginning of the successful campaign to keep ticket offices open AJ said. Josie Partington, Blackpool moved an unanimously backed motion praising the social media work and general media strategy of the union in defending ticket office and station staff jobs. “Particular praise goes to the social media strategy, which we need to carry on,” Josie said. Ross Marshall, Central Line West called for action against the massive rise in assaults that station staff have been facing. He said that official figures show that 2023 was the worst year record while at the same time there are fewer British Transport Police on the railway. Delegates unanimously backed his call for the union to facilitate a national summit of unions, employers and police, to reverse this alarming trend and make the railway safer. RMT data protection officer Mick Carty also explained why it was important to understand the nature of data protection and its history, role and function in protecting members. He told delegates what steps the union is taking to protect the information held on members and outlined how crucial it was that reps and activists are fully compliant. A recurring theme of the conference was the way that companies are making cheap fares available online only as a long-term strategy to pull people away from using ticket offices. Josie Partington gave an example of where although Transport Focus had advised Northern Trains and other train operating companies to reinstate ticket office sales of cheaper advance purchase on the day Northern had not been carried this out so they remain only available online. KEEPING TICKET OFFICES OPEN