BRANCH TALK

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2026 :: RMTnews 26 RMT branch officials from across the country met in Southend-on-Sea to discuss priorities including dealing with assaults at work. RMT regional organiser for London & East Anglia Kathy Mazur said that running a branch was a challenging role which needed union support. “Through working with local branches, the union has increased regional membership by over 10,000. “We could not have done this without the input of members who play important roles within branch structures,” she said. British Transport Police representatives Alan Bowell and Jay Bibby gave a presentation on how the BTP was acting across the South East. They reported that there had been a nearly 30 per cent increase in staff assaults across the country and how they had reduced that figure locally. Police sergeant Bowell introduced Operation Fortitude launched on C2C and Greater Anglia train lines which had been designed to reduce assaults. “We work directly with RMT and Kathy Mazur to develop the campaign for a safer railway. “We need to reduce assaults, strengthen the relationship with staff and enhance safety by increasing presence on the network. “That means patrolling known assaults hot spots, using spit kits, reducing investigation times and staff training to reduce incidents,” he said. He reported a nearly 10 per cent decrease in assaults on the lines at a time when violent attacks were increasing nationally. He also encouraged staff to report assaults at work to increase the chances of prosecution of violent passengers. Carmen Carder, South East Essex said that agency staff that had been assaulted or witnessed incidents were not getting paid to attend court. Ross Marshall, Camden No1 said that the BTP did not have the visibility required to deter assaults and pointed out that the Crown Prosecution Service were also dropping cases. Conference thanked RMT’s South East Essex branch reception committee and secretary Fiona Thompson for the work involved in hosting the event. BRANCH TALK RMT branch and regional secretaries discuss assaults and recruitment BTP officers Alan Bowell and Jay Bibby with regional organiser Kathy Mazur