essential reading for today’s transport worker - rmt · 2013. 7. 26. · rmtnews:: january 2006...

Essential reading for today’s transport worker

www.rmt.org.uk

ISSUE NUMBER 1, VOLUME 7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

JANUARY 2005

CLEA

NERS

DEM

AND

JUST

ICE

FARE’S FAIR?PAGE 14

METRONET VICTORYPAGE 5

TUBE BOSSES TEAR UPPEACE DEALPAGE 13

www.rmt.org.uk :: january 2006 :: RMTnews

3

Happy new year to all RMT membersand I hope you have had a chance to

put your feet up over the festive period. As an all-grades transport union, RMT

has launched a campaign against theappalling rates of pay for cleaners onLondon Underground.

The vast majority of these workers earnaround just £5 an hour, yet mayor KenLivingstone claims that no-one can survivein London on less than £6.70 an hour.Therefore, in the interests of social justice,cleaning contracts handed out by Transportfor London must stipulate minimum payand conditions.

There is also a simple answer to theescalating dispute with LUL over theintroduction of the 35-hour week forstation staff. All LUL have to do to is returnto an agreement hammered out under theauspices of the TUC, which agreed thesuspension of strike action and theimposition of unsafe rosters. This wouldhave allowed normal industrial relations tocontinue. Unfortunately, due to an internalrow within LUL that deal was scuppered.

RMT signed up to the deal with LUL ingood faith last year yet now we find theyare cynically using it as an excuse toremove hundreds of station staff with noagreement or safety validation.

Our members were hailed as heroes inthe aftermath of the July bombings, but allthe while the company has been planningto slash the very station staff that thepublic depend upon in emergencies.

These are cuts that would leave stationsseverely understaffed, posing a danger bothto our own members and to the travellingpublic.

With warnings from the security services

pub opening hours recently extended, nowis not the time to strip Tube stations ofstaff.

Therefore, the union will be balloting allRMT Tube members for further actionwhich could lead to closure of the network,thanks to the blatant safety breaches by

rail inspectorate into these breaches is athorough one.

The media have colluded to undermineRMT action in defence of a safe Tubenetwork by engaging in the usual campaignof vilification, exerting psychologicalpressure on myself, other union officers andthe executive.

This includes harassment at the airport

on my return from a holiday byphotographers who had been giveninformation about my flight details. Thissort of harassment shows a complete lack ofunderstanding about the democraticstructures of this union.

RMT negotiates with over 400 companiesevery day of the year so officers and staffcould never take a break if they waiteduntil there was no activity.

Assistant general secretary Mick Cashhas been elected to deputise for me in eventof an emergency and the executivecommittee is always on hand.

So it would make no difference if I wasin Egypt or east London during a crisis, asexperienced personnel are always available.

The union is also battling to defendmembers’ conditions at Virgin CrossCountry, where management has seen fit toslash Sunday-working enhancements.

Meanwhile, Central Trains has avoidedstrike action by conductors after making animproved offer to compensate for bankholiday working.

Pensions are also clearly under attackwith plans to extend retirement from 65 to69 and increase members’ contributions inmany schemes.

As far as the railways pension isconcerned, RMT has made clear that thereshould not have been a ‘pension holiday’taken from 1995 and contributions shouldnot go up more than 10.6 per cent.

RMT has won improved leaveentitlements for seafarers working for theRoyal Fleet Auxiliary and the union hascontinued to campaign for an end to theEU-inspired privatisation of Cal Mac lifelineferry services in Scotland.

Regardless of the outcome of thatcampaign, RMT will be fighting to defendjobs and conditions of service.

So, as you can see, it has already been abusy year yet we are only into January.This month we also launch our new-lookwebsite which will bring the union evencloser to you, the members. So let’s make2006 another year of success in developingour democratic union in the interests ofthe membership.

Best wishes

Page 4 DOCKLANDS LIGHT RAILWAY

Page 5 RMT WINS OUTSOURCING OFMETRONET MEMBERS

Page 6 SWT DOUBLE WHAMMY!

Page 7RAIL ROLLING STOCK RIP-OFF

Page 8 DEFEND NORTHERN RAIL SERVICES

Page 9PARLIAMENTARY COLUMN

Page 10RMT ORPHAN FUND

Page 11NEW RMT WEB SITE

Page 12NEW BODY TO INVESTIGATE RAILACCIDENTS

Page 13TUBE BOSSES TEAR UP PEACE DEAL

Page 14FARE’S FAIR?

Page 16 TUBE CLEANERS DEMAND LIVINGWAGE

Page 18A CREDIT TO THE UNION

Page 19WEST HAM SECURITY ALERT

Page 20SHIPPING NEWSPage 22GREAT EU RAIL SELL-OFF

Page 24HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES?

Page 25PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Page 26A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Page 27FIGHTING ROYAL MAIL SELL-OFF

9CROSSWORD/LETTERSPage 30HOW TO JOIN THE CREDIT UNION

contents EDITORIAL

RMT News is compiled and originated by National Union of Rail,Maritime & Transport Workers, Unity House, 39 Chalton Street,London NW1 1JD. Tel: 020 7387 4771. Fax: 020 7529 8808. e-mail [email protected] The information contained in thispublication is believed to be correct but cannot be guaranteed. Allrights reserved. RMT News is designed by Bighand Creative andprinted by Leycol Printers. General editor: Bob Crow. Managingeditor: Brian Denny. No part of this document may be reproducedwithout prior written approval of RMT. No liability is accepted forany errors or omissions. Copyright RMT 2005

JUSTICE FOR ALL

LUL. Let’s hope that the investigation by the

that terrorist attacks are ‘inevitable’ and

RMTnews :: january 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk

4

Open six days a week Mon to Fri - 8am until 6pm, Sat - 9.30am to 4pm

e-mail: [email protected]

Legal helpline: 0800 587 7516Seven days a week

Members HelplineFreephone 0800 376 3706

London’s Docklands LightRailway has tabled an

improved pay offer, including atwo-stage no-strings paypackage worth 5.25 per cent, amajor advance in travelconcessions and a New Year’sbonus of £100.

However, members rejectedthe offer in a referendum due toother outstanding issues.

Therefore, the union is nowinvolved in intense negotiationsto reach a satisfactory deal.

The latest offer followed aballot for strike action, after thecompany reduced an earlieroffer of 3.4 per cent to 3.25 percent.

However, the new offer willgive staff a 3.5 per cent increasefrom January 1, with a furtherincrease of 1.75 per cent inJuly.

Staff who do not currentlyreceive travel concessions willbe reimbursed with 25 per centof their season ticket costs fromJanuary, rising to 50 per cent in2007 and 75 per cent in 2008.

The offer would also giveDLR staff full pay immediatelyupon satisfactory completion oftraining, rather than the currentfull year on reduced rates.

RMT London regionalorganiser Bobby Law said thatthe union was heading towardsclinching a great deal but wouldnot shy away from taking astand.

“Winning an offer of threequarters of travel costs withinthree years for those who donot already get concessions isalso a major step in the rightdirection which other employersshould take note of,” he said.

Election resultsASSISTANT NATIONAL SECRETARY

Term of office January 1 2006 to December 31 2010Peter Hall, Liverpool Shipping Branch, elected.

COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES

Terms of office January 1 2006 to December 31 2008

General Grades, Region 1Francis Cochrane, Glasgow and District Engineering Branch, elected

General Grades, Region 2Peter Rowland, Manchester South Branch, elected unopposed

General Grades, Region 3Jack Jones, Holyhead No 1 Branch, elected

General Grades, Region 9Paul Burton, Orpington Branch, elected

General Grades, Region 10Derrick Marr, South East Essex Branch, elected

Shipping Grades, Region 1Malcolm Dunning, Dover Shipping Branch, elected unopposed

Shipping Grades, Region 2Peter Hall, Liverpool Shipping Branch, elected

Shipping Grades, Region 3Mark Carden, Southampton Shipping Branch, elected unopposed

Shipping Grades, Region 4Andy Gordon, Aberdeen Shipping Branch, elected

As Peter Hall is taking up the position of Assistant NationalSecretary, there will be another election to fill the Shipping Grades,Region 2, position.

IMPROVED OFFER ATDOCKLANDS LIGHT RAILWAY

Tube infrastructure consortiumMetronet attempted to transferall fleet staff to Bombardier, oneof the other companies thatmake up the consortium.

RMT immediately made clearthat such a move would havebeen the thin end of the wedge,with p-way and signal workersnext on the list to go to BalfourBeatty, another of theirconsortium pals, and the rest ofMetronet operational staffeventually split up and packedoff to other consortiummembers.

That would have leftMetronet as nothing more thana contract-management agency,

just there to pick up the profits,leaving former Metronet staff toface a future of constant attackson jobs, pay, conditions andpensions.

RMT general secretary BobCrow paid tribute to Metronetmembers who stood firm andvoted by a huge margin to takestrike action.

“Sub-contracting would havehad a major impact on thesafety of the travelling public aswell as their own future jobsand conditions.

”It was the determination andsolidarity shown by RMTmembers, with a massive votefor strike action that stopped

Metronet in its tracks andproved once more that unity isstrength,” he said.

What RMT has won forMetronet staff:

• No outsourcing of currentwork to any company withinthe Metronet consortium

• No outsourcing of futurework to any other companywithout a negotiatedagreement with RMT

• All lifts and escalators workto stay in-house

• No compulsory redundanciesof RMT members

• Full implementation of the35-hour week with additionalRMT-negotiated back-pay of14 weeks of 2.5 hours paid atovertime rate

• Review of Metronet’s decisionto close the final-salarypension scheme to new

starters, with full RMTinvolvement

• Metronet pledge to consultand negotiate on any futurereorganisation

RMT London regional organiserBobby Law welcomed theagreement which means thatthere will be no outsourcing ofcurrent work to subcontractorsand there will be no compulsoryredundancies.

”It was an important victorythat could not have beenachieved without the unity anddetermination of RMT membersat Metronet.

“This shows whyinfrastructure workers shouldjoin a united union that looksafter their interests.

“Over 80 per cent ofMetronet staff are already RMTmembers and it is imperative tobuild on this victory byincreasing that membership upto 100 per cent,” he said.


5

“The best deal in Britishindustry” - that’s how industryinsiders described theagreement won by RMTmembers’ at Metronet

RMT STOPS OUTSOURCING OFMETRONET MEMBERS

VICTORY: Metronet RMT reps and officers celebrate the deal at Unity House

RMT WINS PAY EQUALITY FOR

SOUTH WEST TRAINS TICKET

OFFICE STAFF

From November 2005, all ticketoffice staff have enjoyed a payincrease thanks to local RMTreps who successfullycampaigned for all such staff tobe a minimum grade of C01/2.

Retail Company Council Reps

Rickey Goodman and BrianWoods approached South WestTrains management in regardsto getting equality for around40 staff in ticket offices onSouth West Trains some timeago.

Management finallyconceded to remove theanomaly and agreed to backdate

pay increases due to staff fromentry into service.

The changes will also meanpension increases for all RO2'sgrades who are currentlyworking in ticket offices.

RMT rep Brian Woods saidthat the changes meant an extra£40 for staff.

“This could have an impacton other companies that stilloperate this anomaly whichgoes back to the 1980’s,” hesaid.

UNDERPAID SOUTH WEST TRAINS

CLEANERS WIN COMPENSATION

Cleaners at Waterloo workingfor South West Trains have wonaround £2,000 in back pay afterlocal RMT reps calculated thatthey were being under paid bythree hours per week after beingtransferred to the fleetorganisation.

At a fleet negotiation

meeting it was highlighted byRMT reps Rickey Goodman,Brian Woods and Barry Chappellthat the RO1 cleaners werebeing underpaid.

Following talks, South WestTrains management concurredand agreed paying the lost payand this anomaly would berectified in the new rosters thatwere being negotiated by theRMT team.

Following this agreement,there was a commitment frommanagement that theaccommodation for 91 cleanersat Waterloo would be resolvedby this January.

There were moves to finalisethe Management forAttendance, discipline and there-deployment procedures at fullCompany Council level withRMT regional organiser PhilBialyk and South West Trainsdirectors.


6

COMPENSATION: RMT reps Brian Woods and Rickey Goodman celebrate a double winwith assistant general secretary Pat Sikorski

More than 300 RMT guards on VirginCross Country took strike action on

Sunday January 1 2006 and plan tocontinue the action every Sunday in adispute over the erosion of Sunday payrates.

The company is well aware that a 35-hour week agreement was supposed tohave brought RMT members a shorterworking week without loss of pay, andthat members have seen enhancements forworking on Sundays cut by nearly six percent.

RMT regional organiser Ken Usher said

that local RMT reps were happy torecommend acceptance of their originaldeal hammered out last August, but itseems that Richard Branson’s executiveboard had vetoed it.

He said that since then the companyhad refused to talk about the issue andnow seemed happy to lose Sunday servicesaltogether rather than agree to a done dealthat would cost them only £6 per shift.

“That has caused enormous resentmentamongst our members, who are also angrythat the company has begun treatingSunday rosters as if they were compulsory,

despite our agreement that Sundays areoutside the normal working week,” hesaid.

Ken also congratulated the 351 XC trainmanagers who took part in the action.

“Their support to secure a lasting andlong term settlement is greatlyappreciated,” he said.

The RMT executive has announcedSunday strike dates up to the back end ofFebruary and the union remains availablefor talks at any mutually convenient orneutral location or through the offices ofACAS.

Virgin Cross Country hit by strike action

SWT DOUBLEWHAMMY!


7

Christmas and New Yearstrike action by more than

500 RMT conductors at CentralTrains was called off after thecompany tabled an offer toimprove compensation for bank-holiday working.

The union endorsed an offerto give all conductors a day’sleave for each of the ‘substitutebank holidays’ of December 27and January 2.

The company also agreed topay double time for conductorsworking on New Year’s day andto enter into “meaningfuldiscussions” with the union toreview contentious Sundayworking arrangements.

“Thanks to our members’overwhelming mandate forstrike action common sense hasprevailed, and our membersshould be proud of their unitedstand,” RMT regional organiserKen Usher said.

He said that Central Trainshad recognised a very realgrievance over compensation for

working bank holidays whenChristmas and New Year fall atweekends.

“The company has acceptedthat substitute bank holidays

should be recognised as suchand our members compensatedaccordingly.

“Our members will alsoreceive double time for working

on New Year’s Day itself, andthe company has agreed toreview Sunday workingarrangements that have causedmuch resentment,” he said .

RMT WINS EXTRA LEAVE AT CENTRAL TRAINS

Very few people outside ofthe rail industry are aware

that the Train OperatingCompanies (ToCs) lease theirtrains at hugely inflated pricesfrom Rolling Stock Companies(ROSCOs), which are all ownedby high street banks.

The 2004 government WhitePaper The Future of Railconfirmed that the industry paysthe three ROSCOs over £1billiona year in train-leasing costs.Given that in 2004/05 the ToCsreceived £1billion in publicsubsidy and raise the rest oftheir revenue through fares, theROSCOs are in-effect funded bythe public purse.

The 2004 White Paperpromised “a longer term strategyfor the rolling stock marketwhich will help the industry toplan ahead more effectively”.Since that time nothing hashappened.

No government initiativeshave been developed to deal

with the private-sectormonopoly that the ROSCOsenjoy.

The think-tank Catalystreported that since privatisation,ROSCO shareholder dividendshave totalled £1.3 billion.

The reasons behind the hugedividends are not hard to find.Rail Professional magazine(October 2005) reported that theannual leasing charges for athree coach Sprinter, whichcosts around £1 million tomanufacture in today’s prices,are £630,000.

Even more bizarrely, IslandLine pays £144,000 a year foralmost 70 year-old ex-LondonUnderground rolling stock.

The government estimatesthat over £4.6 billion worth ofrolling stock orders have beenplaced since 1996 (see table).

It would therefore seem afairly safe assumption that jobsecurity and employmentprospects in the train

manufacturing and maintenancesector are good. However,nothing could be further fromthe truth.

JOB LOSSES

The reward for the workforce atAlstom, Washwood Heath forthe manufacture of thePendolino stock was to see theirfactory close with the loss ofover 1,000 jobs.

This year has also seen theclosure of Eastleigh works andjob losses at Derby and Crewe.

The folly of rail privatisationis that highly skilled workers arebeing made redundant whilstbillions are spent on new stock

and the ROSCOs make windfall-level profits.

RMT general secretary BobCrow made clear that that inorder to protect existing jobs inthe train manufacturing andmaintenance workshops and toensure that jobs and skills aredeveloped in the future, RMTwill continue to make the casefor the return of the sector topublic hands.

“As a first step, the RMTParliamentary group will tablean early day motion in theHouse of Commons urging thegovernment to bring forward awindfall tax on excessiveROSCO profits,” he said.

RAIL ROLLING STOCK RIP-OFF

ESTIMATED VALUE OF ROLLING STOCK ORDERS SINCE 1996 (£BN)

COMPANY ESTIMATED VALUE OF ORDERS (£BN)

Bombardier 2.348Alstom 1.020Siemens 1.004CAF/Siemans 0.073Hitachi 0.235TOTAL 4.68Source – Written Parliamentary Answer 20 December 2005


8

Rail workers and passengersjoined forces at Newcastle

Central Station last month in ahighly successful protest againstcuts to Northern Rail services.

The protest came days beforethe axing of Northern Rail’sSunderland-Newcastle shuttleservice. A review of NorthernRail services currently underway is feared to presage massivefares hikes, more rail servicecuts, replacement of trains withbuses, line closures and joblosses. The government hasrevealed that it will pay privateconsultants at least £500,000 forthe review.

RMT members were joined bymembers of passenger groupsand the Northern TUC on theconcourse of Newcastle CentralStation during the evening rushhour. They called on commuters

to protest to the TransportSecretary and urge their ownMPs to sign parliamentary earlyday motion 351 opposing cutsto the region’s railway services.

More than 50 MPs havealready signed the EDM, whichexpresses concern that thereview could lead to massivedamage to rail services and jobs,and calls on the government to

act to protect Northern RailServices.

“The cuts in the Newcastle toSunderland service are the thinend of a very large wedge thatcould lead to ‘bustitution’ ofoff-peak services, fare increasesand cuts that no-one wants,”said RMT regional organiserStan Herschel.

He insisted that buses andtrams should complement rail

services, not replace them.“Cuts in Northern Rail

services will have a devastatingaffect on local jobs, localcommunities and the economyand environment of the Northof England.

“We need to make it clear tothe government that ourregional rail services needprotecting and expanding,” Stansaid.

RAIL WORKERS ANDPASSENGERS UNITE TO DEFENDNORTHERN RAIL SERVICES

PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION 351

SIGNED BY GRAHAM STRINGER AND 52 OTHER MPS

That this House notes that under the terms of the Railways Act2005 the Government will assume responsibility for the StrategicRail Authority's review of service and fare levels on the NorthernRail franchise; is concerned at previous press reports that thereview could lead to higher fares, replacing off-peak rail serviceswith buses, line closures and job losses; and therefore urges theGovernment to use its powers under the Railways Bill to opposeany line or station closures, job cuts and substitution of railservices with buses on Northern Rail services.

9

September 2005 proved to be a decisive turning point forthe trade union movement. Firstly, the TUC unanimouslyendorsed Composite One which, amongst other things,contained the RMT’s proposals for a Trade UnionFreedom Bill.

In the same month, the Labour Party Conference backed a resolution callingfor the freedom of workers to take solidarity action by more than a two-thirdsmajority.

The true significance of these decisions was highlighted over last summer bythe Gate Gourmet dispute which starkly demonstrated the effect of thecurrent laws in rendering unions virtually impotent in supporting theirmembers against the tactics of ruthless employers.

The proposed legislation includes guaranteeing freedom for solidarity actionand the opportunity must be seized for other vital freedoms and rights to beprotected. Such legislation will not reverse all of the anti-union laws passedby the Conservative governments of 1979-97.

However, it must address those fundamental incursions into the rights oftrade unions which prevent them from effectively protecting their members.The emasculation of trade union rights is one of the most important factorsbehind the collapse of collective bargaining coverage in the UK. This hascontributed to the widening of the gulf between rich and poor over the last 25years.

The timing for such proposals is appropriate. 2006 marks the centenary of thepassing of the 1906 Trades Disputes Act which secured for unions the legalfreedom to take industrial action, and indeed greater legal freedom of actionthan they enjoy today.

In turn, the 1906 Act led to the progressive extension of collective bargainingto benefit 85 per cent of the UK workforce by 1975, paving the way for thehuge improvements in the conditions of work and of life for working people inthe 20th century.

The 1906 Act was achieved by trade union pressure both inside and outsideof Parliament, and the introduction of such an Act was the key demand whichhad led the unions to establish the Labour Party a few years earlier.

The Act was drafted in such a way as to give legal protections against anti-union law introduced by judges, rather than by establishing fundamentaltrade union rights. This drafting anomaly has ensured that the freedom toorganise industrial action in the UK has been characterised as a privilegerather than a right.

Furthermore, the gains of this legislation faced repeated judicial andlegislative attacks - not least at the hands of the 1927 Trades Dispute Actwhich banned solidarity action until it was repealed by the reforming 1945Labour Government.

Nonetheless, the formula established in 1906 substantially secured thefreedom of trade unions to take action to protect workers for much of thecentury. That freedom has been dramatically curtailed in the last 25 years. In1906, British trade unions were free to organise solidarity action and weresubject to none of the technicalities and notices which provide the usual pegfor anti-union strike injunctions today.

It is ironic that unions enjoyed greater freedoms a century ago. During thoseone hundred years, the UK has ratified international treaties requiring(amongst other union rights) the guarantee of the right to strike: InternationalLabour Organisation Convention 87 of 1949, the Council of Europe’sEuropean Social Charter of 1961, the International Covenant on Economic,Social and Cultural Rights 1966 and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of2000.

Unsurprisingly, the supervisory bodies of those treaties have held thatrestrictions by the UK on the right to strike are incompatible with its treatyobligations. Key issues for the Bill will be the establishment of solidarityaction in certain situations, the simplification of industrial action ballots andprotection for those workers engaged in industrial action. These proposalsenjoy overwhelming support in the trade union movement and the Labourparty. Their realisation would move the UK closer to its international legalobligations. Furthermore, they are rooted firmly in the proud traditions of 1906and the Labour government of Clement Attlee.

Almost 100 MPs have already signed parliamentary early day motion 1170supporting the campaign for a Trade Union Freedom Bill and the TUC havebeen asked to call a national March, Rally and Lobby of Parliament. Ask yourMP to join them.

John MacDonnell, MP for Harlington and Hayes

Parliamentary column

FREEING THETRADE UNIONS

Following a public outcry andvigorous local campaigning,

the overnight sleeper trainbetween Penzance and Londonwill continue. The operator ofthe new Greater Western railfranchise, FirstGroup, hasannounced the u-turn afterRMT, MPs and local groups saidthe sleeper was economicallyvital to the region.

FirstGroup, which will runthe service from April, also saidit was increasing the number of

through services operatingbetween London and Cornwalland nine trains will go rundaily, compared with the currentseven.

The service had been underthreat because it was running ata loss and needed a Departmentof Transport subsidy of £5million every year. However,RMT launched a local campaignand MPs put down an early daymotion expressing dismay atsuch cuts to vital services.

Following a threat of strikeaction by RMT clerical staff,

the government has instructedSouth Eastern Trains to shelfproposals to savagely cut ticketoffice opening hours at many ofits stations.

Since the companyannounced the plans nearly ayear ago, RMT has been at theforefront of the campaign tooppose the cuts, which wouldhave slashed around 100 staffand had a negative effect onpassengers.

After months of deliberation,and an overwhelming vote byRMT staff to take strike actionon December 5, the governmenthas finally decided to upholdover 3,000 objections andinstruct the company to delayits proposals.

RMT south eastern regionalorganiser Jim Stevenson saidthat the decision showed theability of the union to representthe interests of clerical staff andthe travelling public.

“It means that passengers canbuy a ticket from a trainedmember of staff where andwhen they want and removesthe immediate threat of job cutsfor our members,” he said.

The successful campaign also

included the distribution ofpostcards at London termini andSET stations in Kent.

The union received thesupport of many MPs,councillors, passenger groups,trade unions and trade councils,Labour groups, local mayors,South East Region of the TUCand pressure groups likeTransport 2000 and the CapitalTransport Campaign.

The campaign showed thatthe public want more staff onstations and a more accessibleservice. They know that lessstaff means longer queues atticket machines, more missedtrains and more delays to theirjourneys.

RMT general secretary BobCrow also gave a note ofcaution.

“We must remain vigilantthat when private operatorGovia takes over the running ofthis franchise in the spring,these so-called Schedule 17proposals do not reappear.

“While we can welcome thissuccess now, this union willcontinue to defend the interestsof passengers and our memberswhoever runs the franchise,”Bob said.

Ticket-officejobs victory atSET

CORNWALL SLEEPERSERVICE SAVED



10

It would be difficult tocalculate how much money

RMT south east regionalorganiser Jim Stevenson hasraised for the union’s Londonorphan fund since he gotinvolved with it over 40 yearsago.

Thousands of orphans havebenefited from the work of Jimand his team both financiallyand through educational andsocial outings over the years.

“We take 60 to 80 orphansfor days out and visits everyyear to places like Eurodisney,the National Railway Museumin York to the wreck of theMary Rose in Portsmouth,” saysJim.

He says that there will beanother trip to France thanks to

Eurostar and the work of RMTEuropean Passenger Servicesbranch secretary Mick Lynch.

The London orphan fund alsomade a generous donation of£7,500 to an orphanage in SriLanka following the devastatingtsunami that hit the region ayear ago.

“One of the wards has beennamed after the RMT Londonorphan fund and we will bekeeping in contact with them infuture,” he says.

The fund gets its most of itsassets through fund-raisingactivities including the sale ofties, Christmas cards, walletsand badges. There are alsoraffles, draws and social eventslike the one coming up at theHatfield Social Club on Friday

March 24, 2006. Jim paid tribute to RMT

general secretary Bob Crow, whois also president of the fund, forhis supportive work for theorphans over the years.

Jim says the orphan fund is a

fine example of the ethos oftrade unionism and solidaritywhich has developed overhundreds of years and that mosthuman of traits of helping theweak and vulnerable. Long mayit continue.

PROTECTING AND PROMOTING OUR MEMBERS’ INTERESTS.

Our personal injury lawyerswon’t let bad employers getaway with it.

RMT fight back:

The law says workers have a right to safe conditions – and RMT is here to defend that right. That’s why ourPersonal Injury Service is free – and even covers non-work related accidents for family members. So if you, or a member of your family, have suffered an illness or injury due to someone else’s fault, call us now.

FOR FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE CALL THE HELPLINE 0800 587 7516 in England, Wales and Ireland0800 328 1014 in Scotland

RMT ORPHAN FUND–helping those in need

From this month, RMT members logging onto the usual www.rmt.org.uk address, will berewarded with a fresh look and feel,improved features and a simplified sitenavigation system designed to convert eventhe most unabashed technophobe or Internetnovice to the web.

Among several exciting developments isthe introduction of streaming video. RMTaims to develop this feature so thatmembers will soon access web-casts fromunion officials, video from picket-lines anddemonstrations and even live coverage ofRMT’s annual conference.

Another initiative gives members thechance to vote in a weekly poll on the latestburning topics concerning rail, shipping,transport and politics.

And anybody with a web-enabled mobilephone will be able to access the new RMTwebsite wherever they are – on the move ina bus or train, or even in a union meeting.

RMT’s web team hopes to make rapidprogress in developing the site to allowindividual RMT branches to host their ownpages and post material relevant to localworkplaces and memberships.

Alongside these new initiatives, thewebsite will continue to contain the usualfeatures with which visitors the old site willbe familiar – access to the RMT shop, theextensive archive of union documents andother research resources, to the members’section and message board, press releases,information on pensions and benefits andother indispensable tools.

The new site has been designed to RMTspecifications and developed in associationwith Poptel Technologies – a London-basedco-operative which has worked extensivelywith labour movement organisations andthe voluntary sector for many years.

For the first time RMT’s website willenjoy the attentions of a dedicated webeditor/journalist, employed by the union toupdate and develop the site as well as liaisewith members, branches and regions overcontent.

NEW WEBMASTER

Chris Kasrils, who has worked as a journalistwithin the labour and progressive movementfor many years, arrived at RMT in Decemberto fill this post. Chris is now workingalongside colleagues in the RMT press andmedia department and has been tasked todevelop other new methods ofcommunication with members such as SMStext messaging to mobile phones.

“This is an exciting new challenge inwhich we can harness all the newtechnology that is available in order tostrengthen and develop this great union,” hesaid.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said:“In today’s world, people demandinformation not only on a daily basis but onan hour-by-hour basis.

“The fact that the union has employed afull-time web editor shows the importancewhich RMT and our membership attach tobeing at the forefront of new informationand communication technologies.

“An old adage says ‘knowledge is power’,I believe that our new, improved websitewill go a long way to empower themembership in the daily struggles we facein the workplace,” he said.

Chris Kasrils welcomes feedbackand suggestions regarding thewebsite, which can be emailedto: [email protected]


11

RMT is proud to announce the launch of itsbrand new website this month, givingmembers improved access to information andinteraction with their union – day-by-day andhour-by-hour

KNOWLEDGEIS POWER!


12

The new Rail AccidentInvestigation Branch (RAIB)must by law investigate allaccidents which result in anydeaths or serious injury to fiveor more people, or extensivedamage to rolling stock,infrastructure or theenvironment. It can alsoinvestigate less serious railaccidents or incidents.

Its purpose is to identify thecauses of any accident orincident that contributed to theevent or made the outcomeworse, and to makerecommendations to improverail safety.

RAIB is independent of therail industry, other regulatorybodies such as HM RailwayInspectorate (HMRI) and thepolice. It is part of theDepartment for Transport, andreports directly to the Secretaryof State.

INVESTIGATION

The organisation has alreadybegun investigating seriousincidents, including atrackworker fatality nearTrafford Park, and a morewidespread investigation intopedestrian gates at levelcrossings as a result of theaccident at Elsenham, which

killed two passengers.When a serious accident

happens, other bodies still retaintheir powers and duties toinvestigate, so it is possible thatthe police, HMRI andrepresentatives from the railindustry itself will also still bein attendance. However, RAIBwill largely have the legalauthority to lead investigations.

For instance, RIAB wouldhave led the investigation intothe terrible events at Tebay,where four RMT members losttheir lives.

RAIB inspectors have thepower to enter railway propertyor adjoining land, seizeanything relating to theaccident and require people toanswer relevant questionswithout apportioning blame orliability. It is a criminal offenceto make a false statement orobstruct an inspector in thecourse of their investigation.

RMT MEMBERS

If a member is required to beinterviewed by an RAIBInspector, they can have afriend or trade unionrepresentative with them.However, some caution may beneeded where it is the employer,as part of their duty of care,

that offers to arrange for themto be accompanied at theinterview and the memberwishes their statement to remainconfidential.

The interview will betranscribed and sent to thewitness for signature as anaccurate record. If the witnesswishes to change anything inthe statement before signing itthey can, depending on thenature of the change.

By law, RAIB is not permittedto disclose or release a person’sstatement to the police or theRailway Inspectorate withoutpermission unless compelled todo so by a Court Order.

However, it is possible thepolice or HMRI may also want astatement.

If the person so wishes, theycan simply give them a copy ofthe one prepared following theirinterview by RAIB, althoughone or both agencies may stillwant to ask questions as theirprimary objective is todetermine whether an offencewas committed.

If being interviewed by eitherthe police or HMRI, the personcan be accompanied, butmembers should be aware thatthe union will only normallyauthorise legal representation in

such cases if the interview is tobe conducted under caution,indicating a possible prosecutionis being considered.

RECOMMENDATIONS

At the end of theirinvestigation, RAIB will publisha report on the accident withinone year without revealing whoprovided that information andall statements will remainconfidential. All reports will beavailable on the RAIB website(www.raib.gov.uk).

Each report will containrecommendations on actionsthat RAIB believes are necessaryto improve railway safety.However, it will have no poweritself to enforce thoserecommendations but will beaddressed to the relevant safetyauthority such as the HMRIwhose job it will be to ensureappropriate action is taken bythe railway employer(s)concerned. However, given thatthe Railway Inspectorate areshortly to merge with theindustry’s economic regulator(ORR), it will be interesting tosee what happens in the case ofany RAIB recommendations thatcould have significant costimplications.

NEW BODY TOINVESTIGATE

RAILACCIDENTS

A new Rail Accident InvestigationBranch (RAIB) has been establishedby the Railways and TransportSafety Act 2003 to investigateserious accidents or incidents onthe national rail network, LondonUnderground, other metro systems,tramways and heritage railwayswithin the UK.

A second day of solid 24-hourstrike action by Tube stationstaff took place on January 8/9,which saw London Undergroundonce again blatantly breachhealth and safety rules.

LUL’s actions have triggereda ballot of all RMT Tubemembers for further action fromthe end of January which couldlead to closure of the network.

RMT general secretary BobCrow said that after an initiativeby RMT and TUC generalsecretary Brendan Barber, theunion believed that it hadreached an agreement for peacetalks.

“It is bitterly disappointingthat that agreement has fallenfoul of an internal row betweenthe industrial relations andoperational sides of LUL andrejected without anyexplanation.

“Instead of taking sidesLondon mayor Ken Livingstoneshould now take the necessarysteps to bring all sides back tothe table to negotiate sensibly,”Bob said.

SAFETY BREACHES

Tube bosses ignored widespreadsafety breaches that occurredduring the first strike on NewYear’s Eve and continuedignoring them in an attempt tobeat strike action by stationstaff over the imposition ofunsafe rosters.

RMT London regionalorganiser Bobby Law said thatthe system was being kept openby untrained staff and managers

who were working shifts of upto 20 hours.

“Due to the intransigence ofLUL, trains were runningthrough closed stations, in directcontravention of safety rules.

“Instead of disembarkingpassengers, Piccadilly line trainswere running through threeconsecutive closed stations,Caledonian Road, HollowayRoad and Kings Cross,” he said.

At certain points over 50 percent of the 108 stations, coveredby Section 12 fire-safetyregulations, were shut andothers were kept open byuntrained staff.

Many other stations were leftopen unstaffed or shut downwithout informing drivers.

Bobby Law outlined anincident at Upminster Bridge on

Sunday evening when anemergency alarm stopped thetrain halfway into the platform.

Unruly passengers beganopening the doors and thedriver retreated to his cab andlocked himself in.

Police arrived 40 minuteslater with a supervisor who hadbeen called in from his home toopen the station up.

“It is clear that LUL attemptsto run a network withoutadequate station staff is puttingthe public at risk. They can’teven keep their headquartersstation, St James’s Park, openwithout using untrained staff,”said Bobby Law.

Bob Crow said that suchblatant safety breaches showedjust how desperate Tube bosseswere.

“We will be balloting theunion’s entire LondonUnderground membership foraction short of strike action overthese health and safetybreaches.

“The sad events at Eustonstation on New Year’s Eve – oneof the stations for whichstaffing levels are not agreed –in which there were threestabbings, underline the factthat the safety issues at theheart of this dispute remain tobe resolved.

“However, the union appealsto LUL, even at this late stage,to postpone the imposition ofthese unsafe staffing plans inorder to assess all safetyimplications,” Bob Crow said.


13

TUBE BOSSES TEARUP PEACE DEALA second 24-hour strike by RMT Tube station staffwent ahead earlier this month after an internal rowin the LUL board scuppered a peace formulanegotiated during two hours of emergency talkshosted by the TUC

The deal brokered by TUCgeneral secretary BrendanBarber between RMT andLUL which Tube bosses laterrejected

• That urgent negotiations willtake place next week withthe aim of reachingagreement on alloutstanding issues relatingto the new rosters arisingfrom the implementation ofthe agreement on theshorter working week

• The aim agreed by bothsides is to conclude thenegotiations to enablenotification of the newrosters to all staff as soonas possible. A report backof progress in thenegotiations will be made tothe TUC general secretaryby January 17 by the latest.

• The RMT negotiating teamwill be led by Bob Crow andthe LUL team by operationsdirector Mike Brown.

• In light of those negotiationsRMT agrees to suspend theindustrial action.

14

FARE’SFAIR?

As London commuters facetrain fare hikes of up to 10

per cent this month, RMT News looks at the

reasons why the costs of railtravel in Britain is among the

highest in the world

Despite massive profits being made by thetrain operating companies, Londoncommuters face fares increases thisJanuary of up to 10 per cent – four timesthe rate of inflation.

Many fares will rise to between six andseven per cent, although commuters whouse combined Tube and rail travelcardswill pay more because of increases alreadyannounced by London Underground.

FARE RISES ON 2 JANUARY

Company Ave peak Ave. offfare rise peak rise

c2c 3.9% 4.4%Central trains 3.9% 6.4%Chiltern railways 3.9% 5.0%First great Western 3.9% 4.5%First Great Western Link 3.9% 4.5%First ScotRail 3.9% 3.7%Gatwick Express 3.0% 5.6%GNER 3.9% 8.8%Great Northern (WAGN) 3.9% 8.8%Heathrow Express n/a 3.6%Midland Mainline 3.9% 6.0%Northern 3.9% 3.9%One 3.8% 3.5%Silverlink 3.9% 6.1%South Eastern Trains 3.9% 3.0%Southern 3.9% 3.9%South West trains 3.9% 4.9%Thameslink 3.9% 2.9%Virgin CrossCountry 3.9% 4.6%Virgin West Coast 3.9% 5.9%

LLOONNGG DDIISSTTAANNCCEE RROOUUTTEESSDestination Old fare New fareBirmingham £100 £108Crewe £145 £156Glasgow £206 £222Liverpool £175 £189Manchester £187 £202Preston £195 £210


15

PRIVATISATION

As a direct result of rail privatisation thetravelling public is currently faced with an overlycomplex ticketing regime, combined with risingfares and the lack of clear and consistentinformation. An example of the problemspassengers encounter was highlighted by theObserver on May 8 2005.

In an attempt to access cheaper advancepurchase tickets the newspaper selected threeroutes; London to Newquay on First GreatWestern, Manchester to Bristol on Virgin andLondon to Leeds on GNER.

They found that a month in advance weekend-trip cheaper APEX tickets were unavailable on allthree routes. In addition on the London-Leeds andLondon-Newquay routes super advance andadvance fares were also unavailable.

The Observer also found significantdiscrepancies between ticket prices quoted by thetrain operators’ own web-sites, their call-centresand by the Virgin-owned www.thetrainline.comwebsite.

Prices quoted by the GNER call centre were£13.50 cheaper than those advertised on the GNERweb-site. Using thetrainline website reporters werequoted prices for the same journey which weredifferent to the tune of £46.50. Finally, theObserver found that the Virgin Trains value faresearch facility threw up a figure which was £40more expensive than that quoted by Virgin phoneoperators or by thetrainline.com.

Now that the Department for Transport hastaken over responsibility for directing rail policy,it should conduct a feasibility study to look atcompensating passengers who buy tickets at pricesin excess of cheaper tickets that were stillavailable at the time they made their purchase.

The SRA’s National Rail Trends 2004-05indicates that the average real terms increase inticket prices since 1995 is 6.3 per cent withstandard unregulated fares showing an averageincrease of 10.9 per cent.

This union has long maintained that rail travelin Britain is too expensive.

An RMT submission to the House of Commonstransport committee’s inquiry into the Future ofRailway argued that “the June 19 announcementby the Secretary of State to introduce a pricingpolicy that will lead from January 2004 to aboveinflation fare increases on currently protectedticket prices and the phasing out of saver ticketsby 2006 could discourage network use.

“This in turn would threaten the wide-rangingsocial and environmental objectives set out by thegovernment in the 10 Year Plan,” it said.

GLOBAL WARMING

The UK government has set itself challengingtargets to reduce carbon emissions which gobeyond the Kyoto Protocol commitment to reducegreenhouse gas emissions by 12.5per cent, belowthe base 1990 levels, by 2010.

In order to achieve these targets and then goon to achieve the 60 per cent cut in emissions by2050 an expanded role for all forms of publictransport, and rail in particular, will be key.

If the government brings forward road-usercharging as the primary way of encouraging railuse it is self-evident that a reasonably priced,accessible and easily understood ticketing policy,along with capacity enhancements and improvedrail performance will be required.

RAIL FARES COMPARED

In the run up to the 2005 general election,RMT launched the Rail Against Privatisation (RAP)campaign and produced extensive research whichindicates that UK fares are up to three timeshigher than those in the publicly-owned railnetworks in mainland Europe.

• A standard single ticket between London KingsCross and Newcastle-upon-Tyne costs 131Euros. Comparable journeys in terms of distancein Belgium and France cost less than 50 Euros.

• In Netherlands and Germany, commuters canbuy an annual go-anywhere ticket for£1,382.68 and £2,046.90 respectively. The costof season tickets into London from MiltonKeynes (£3,284), Huntingdon (£3,432), orBrighton (£2,952) are more expensive thantickets in Germany and the Netherlands whichcan be used across the whole of the nationalnetwork.

• Travel cards an annual Zone 1-6 in Londonticket costs £1,580. This enables the passengerto travel a radius of approximately 15 miles.However, in Paris, a ‘Carte Integral’ whichenables a passenger to travel approximately 20miles costs £946. In addition approximately 40mile radius ticket cost £818 and £507 in Berlinand Madrid respectively.

CATALYST

In 2004 rail unions commissioned the labourmovement think-tank Catalyst to investigate thefinancial structure and performance of the railwayindustry post-privatisation.One report concludes that receipts from the farebox have increased from 2.94 billion to £4.39billion in 2003, an increase of around 50 per cent.

In 2003, train operators received £1.2 billion inpublic subsidy and used fares income and publicsubsidies to pay shareholder dividends of £160million. Therefore, ToCs remain dependent onmassive state hand-outs and expensive fares inorder to make a profit.

RMT’s support for a publicly owned andpublicly accountable rail network has as one itspillars an integrated, accessible and readilyunderstood ticketing and fare structure. Thecurrent complex and expensive fares regime isfailing the travelling public.

RMT general secretary BobCrow’s statement to theHouse of Commons transportcommittee’s recent enquiryTransport Committee inquiry:How Fair are Fares? TrainFares and Ticketing

“Independent researchproduced by ProfessorMichael Blakemore ofDurham University found thatprivatisation has created asituation where the standardfares and city travelcards aremuch more expensivecompared to those inmainland Europe.

The train operatingcompanies use their routemonopolies to run a pricingpolicy which seeks tomaximise revenues andprofits, particularly fromperiods of high passengerdemand. Disturbingly, thecurrent pricing policy eventreats children as economicoccupiers rather than futurerail travellers. Long gone arethe British Rail days when,on the family railcard, ourchildren travelled for £2return. As we approach thefestive season, when familiesare struggling to find moneyfor presents, it isunacceptable that travellingbetween Newcastle andBristol on December 21 andreturning a week later cancost two children and twoadults £172.

So long as the private sectorroute monopolies remainunchecked, the governmentwill struggle to meetmanifesto commitments todeliver an integratedtransport system. We,therefore, believe that it is inthe public interest for theGovernment to take thecontrol of fare and ticketingstructures and policiesoperating on the UK railnetwork. This should includean immediate review toensure that: (1) the farespolicy is geared to encouragea modal shift from road torail; (2) train operatingcompanies compensatecustomers who havepurchased tickets which aremore expensive than theyshould be in the case; and (3)honour its manifestocommitment and set atimetable for the introductionof a national railcard.”


16

Cleaners working for povertywages on London Undergroundare demanding fair pay anddignity at work. RMT hassupported their claim bylaunching a cleaners’ charterand by calling on Mayor KenLivingstone and Transport forLondon to support the demandthat no Tube employer shouldpay less.

“Mayor Ken Livingstonequite rightly says that no-onecan survive in London on wagesless than £6.70 an hour, butthere are more than 2,000cleaners working on LondonUnderground getting far lessthan that,” RMT generalsecretary Bob Crow said.

Bob handed in a letter to TfLCommissioner Bob Kiley urginghim to join the union in

winning dignity and respect atwork for London Undergroundcleaners.

Research indicates that 90per cent of cleaners working onLondon Underground are paidless than £5.51 an hour, andthat nearly 40 per cent get nomore than the rock-bottomminimum wage of £5.05, whiletheir employers are raking inmillions.

Contractors like ISS, BlueDiamond and GBM are makingfat profits on Tube contractsand they are paying povertywages to staff who work long,hard hours in difficultconditions.

The Tube infrastructurecompanies are making £2million a week out of their PPPcontracts, yet they are happy to

sub-contract cleaning work tocompanies who have raised theart of exploitation to new levels.

Eight out of ten Tubecleaners get no annual pay rise,half have never had a pay rise,more than 70 per cent are not ina pension scheme, and 60 percent get no company sick-pay.

RMT campaign co-ordinatorGlenroy Watson said thathundreds of cleaners had joinedthe union and warned that ifthese modest demands were notmet then it could lead toindustrial action.

Therefore, the union isdemanding a £6.70 minimumhourly rate now, an annual payrise, decent pensions, free Tubetravel, proper overtime pay, fairsick pay and at least 20 days’holiday.

TUBE CLEANERS DEMRMT launches Cleaners’ Charter demanding a minimum pay rate of£6.70 an hour for cleaners working on London Underground contracts

THE RMT CLEANERS’CHARTERCleaners on the Undergrounddeserve:

• A minimum rate of £6.70 perhour, increasing to aneventual £10 per hour

• An annual increase in pay

• A simple career path

• A decent pension

• Free travel on the Tube

• An additional payment forlate night or weekend work

• Dignity and respect at work

• Clean mess rooms

• Regular provision of uniform

• 20 days basic annual leaveplus 8 bank holidays

• A fair sick pay scheme


17

If you would like to help in thecampaign to win Tube cleaners aliving wage please write to yourMP and ask them to sign Early DayMotion 1278 below...

MAND A LIVING WAGE KEY FINDINGS OF QUEEN MARY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON RESEARCH INTO CLEANERS ON THE TUBE

The research team interviewed low-paid contract cleaners on London Underground which found:

• Only 37 per cent of workers were paid the National Minimum Wage

• 90 per cent earned less than £5.51 an hour

• 83 per cent of workers had no annual pay rise and one in every two had never had a pay rise

• 60 per cent of cleaners who responded do not receive any more than statutory sick pay

• 46 per cent of cleaners routinely worked overtime, putting in anything up to 16 hours a weekand 86 per cent of cleaners did not receive a higher rate of pay for overtime work

• 73 per cent lost income if they took time off to attend emergencies

• 73 per cent did not receive other benefits from employers such as maternity and paternity leave

• 71 per cent did not contribute to a company pension scheme

• 14 per cent of workers took no paid holidays

• Some workers were made to pay for their own training before starting the job

• Others had to pay a deposit of £130 for a fire safety card

• Cleaners also had to pay for their own Travelcards in order to be able to move on theUnderground whilst at work and then ask the employer for a reimbursement

• One worker stated that he lost four hours worth of wages if he was 30 minutes late.

• Inadequate facilities were frequently mentioned with one respondent saying “We can’t use themess room because there are rats in there”, another described their room as “dark and dingy”.One station had no rest room at all and staff had no option but to sit on the train platform to eattheir lunch even in the winter months

•. Inadequate clothing was another source of discomfort; one said “We haven’t had any newuniforms for two years. In summer we are still wearing thick jumpers in the sweltering heat. Theyhad to give us proper work shoes because so many people were falling over, but no newtrousers or t-shirts”.

• Many said that their employers showed no concern for their welfare and typical comments were“they ignore our advice about working conditions” or “they treat us like animals”.

LIVING WAGE FOR LONDONUNDERGROUND CLEANERS

That this House believes the2012 Olympic Games shouldallow London to demonstrate itis a city for social justice; istherefore concerned at the recentQueen Mary, University ofLondon report which found thatcleaners working on LondonUnderground exist on povertywages, do not receive annualpay rises, and are often requiredto pay for their own training;condemns cleaning subcontractors such as ISS andBlue Diamond for employingstaff on such shamefulconditions; and supports theRMT campaign for social justicefor London Undergroundcleaners which includes aminimum rate of £6.70 an hour.

Bob Crow exchanges views on Tubecleaners wages with London transportcommissioner Bob Kiley


18

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A CREDIT TO THE UNIONWhen LUL customer servicesassistant Mufaro Mapandajoined the RMT Credit Unionwhen it was first set up twoyears ago she just thought itwas a good way of saving.

However, she later got intofinancial difficulties andconsolidated all her debts intoa bank loan only to find outshe was being chargedexorbitant interest rates.

That was when she turnedto the RMT Credit Union forhelp.

“It was so depressing gettingthose white envelopes tellingme I was getting deeper intodebt, I was always stressed,”says Mufaro.

However, RMT’s CreditUnion stepped in and took overthe £4,000 debt, immediatelysaving her £200 on interestpayments.

This meant Mufaro was onlypaying one per cent interest ona reducing debt and could evenafford to take a much-needed

holiday to her native SouthAfrica.

Credit Union co-ordinatorNicky Hoarau explained that asMufaro was a Credit Unionmember for over a year shecould take out the maximumloan of five times what she hadin her CU account.

“After three monthsmembers can take out up tothree times their shares andafter 12 months that rises tofives times the amount,”explains Nicky.

Now Mufaro says she canlook forward to spendingChristmas in Cape Town,instead of in debt.

“The Credit Union has savedme a lot of worry. It is funnyto think that you can go to theunion if you have any workproblems and you can go tothe union if you have financialproblems!” says a clearlysatisfied customer.

*See page 30 for details ofhow to join the RMT CreditUnion.

London Underground workerMufaro Mapanda talks about howthe RMT Credit Union helped herout of her financial difficulties andeven took her on holiday


19

The union has raised concernover London Undergroundstations where Tube staff havethe authority on their own - andwithout police permission - toorder trains to stop or stationsto be evacuated in the event ofa suspect package or othersecurity alerts.

However, mainline trainsshare some LondonUnderground stations, usingadjacent platforms.

Despite Tube staff being incharge they have no authorityover mainline services.

The union cited an incident

at West Ham station, which isused by the Tube and c2cmainline trains. Tube staffspotted an unattended bag onthe c2c platform andimmediately ordered LU Districtlines trains to stop andevacuated the station.

However, c2c refused to stoptheir trains until they haddiscussed the issue with theBritish Transport Police.

An RMT rep said: "We havecontrol over the entire stationfor security purposes but we donot have the authority to haltc2c services.

“This is a ridiculous anddangerous situation given thecontinuing security threat toLondon," he said.

He added that c2c controlrefused to suspend their serviceuntil they spoke to a policeofficer.

“That delay put passengers atpotential risk because theirtrains still came and went,dropping off passengers whohad to walk right past thesuspect bag and into the areawe already evacuated.

"The same people whom wehad already asked to leave theplatforms heard a train pullingin and went back up to board it.

"There should be some sortof joint programme whichenables staff to stop all trains inthe event of a security alert -but at the moment this does not

exist in London where Tube andmainline trains use the samestations,” he said.

RMT general secretary BobCrow has written to thetransport minister, asking him toarrange an urgent meeting withthe train operating companiesover security at jointly usedstations.

Mr Crow told the minister:"The need for this dialogue hasbeen heightened by the recentappalling terrorist attacks onLondon.

"While we have had theopportunity for constructivediscussions with the Mayor ofLondon on safety and securityarrangements for the tube thatthere is currently no form forumto have similar discussions withthe train operating companies,"he said.

RMT raises concerns overstation security in the wake ofterrorist attacks on London

WEST HAMSECURITY ALERT

SHIPPING

RMT members at Royal FleetAuxiliary have won parity

in annual leave with theirofficer colleagues after a longand hard-fought battle.

The union argued that it hadno problem with officersreceiving higher rates of pay inrespect of their qualification andresponsibility. However, all RFAmembers spend the same timeaway and staff should receivethe same leave as quality timewith loved ones is of equalvalue regardless of rank orstatus.

RMT national secretary SteveTodd said that the union hadargued for a number of years inrespect of this claim andrecalled that industrial actionwas taken by members toachieve it.

He said that many reportshad been produced, mostnotably the Perkins report,which agreed that leaveentitlement for ratings should beimproved.

However, he said that theonly problem is that there hadbeen no suggestion of how thiswould be achieved and how itwould be paid for.

“The offer which ourmembers are currently beingasked to vote on is seen as theleast costly in achieving thisgoal and will be the latest in anumber of goals achieved overthe last four or five years,” hesaid.

An outline of what has beenachieved for RFA members overthe last few years is below:

• Introduction of the RFAallowance which recognisesthe unique role of RMT

members undertake in RFAwhich has increased all recentpay settlements

• 20 per cent increase in stationallowance

• the introduction ofSignificant OperationalTasking Allowance

• Reduction in the qualifyingperiod for over-tourallowance from 30 days to 15days and regulations for tourlengths

Steve Todd reported therewere a number of otherimprovements that have beenmade but there is still much

more to do. “We must keep up the

momentum in what is obviouslyour biggest employer of ratings.“Not only will this increase inannual leave and improvethings for the existing RFAmembership, it will also createmore employment for ourunemployed members,” he said.

The next big hurdle for RFAratings is the introduction ofsponsored reservists, not to beconfused with the Royal Navyreserve.

The introduction of thisseems inevitable although thereis much work to be done and

discussions are at an earlystage.

If accepted, this will bepurely voluntary as memberswill have the opportunity todecide if they accept sponsoredreservist status.

The biggest benefit to RMTmembers is that if an individualaccepts SR status, they willautomatically receive theprotection of the GenevaConvention in the event thattheir ship is captured in awarzone. In this case memberswould have to be treated aslegitimate prisoners of warrather than war criminals.


20

Improved leave andconditions at RoyalFleet Auxiliary

Dover Shipping branch secretary,Malcolm Dunning and chair ChrisFuller present a cheque for£15,000 to Trevor Goacher,Secretary to the MerchantSeaman’s War Memorial Society.

The cheque, on behalf of Dorsetsolicitors MacLachlan, represents

a proportion of fees from thesigning of CompromiseAgreements during the re-structuring of P&O Ferries atDover. Donations via DoverShipping over the last eighteenmonths to Springbok now total£25,000.

SPRINGBOK WINDFALL

MORE LEAVE: HMS Manchester takes fuel from RFA Wave Knight in the Caribbean

SHIPPING


21

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The sale of P&O to DubaiPorts (DP World) has been a

cause of concern to RMT.Having already seen

hundreds of jobs lost last yearthrough the reduction inservices in Dover, re-structuringin Hull and the cessation ofservices between Portsmouthand Le Havre, there werewidespread fears that the salewould see the end of the P&Oferry group.

Despite RMT calls formeetings with senior P&Omanagement, the company feltit was “unnecessary at this stageto meet”.

The union wrote to a seniorrepresentative of DP World andreceived positive assurances thatthe company had an interest inthe ferry side of the businessand were not intending to close

any routes or shed any furtherjobs.

RMT national secretary SteveTodd also welcomed statementsfrom DP World that thecompany is considering futureinvestment in the business.

“This is a welcome departurefrom the norm followingacquisitions, where we see assetstripping and job losses,” hesaid.

He said that DP’s intentionswere confirmed at a recentfundamental financial reviewmeeting attended in Dover byRMT reps and officers includingSteve Todd himself.

“The company outlined its

positive intentions and at thesame meeting P&O confirmed itwould honour its obligationsand liabilities to both thepension scheme and the MNRPFwhich is good news,” he said.

However, Steve pointed outthat P&O had written to theunion confirming that thecompany intends to cease theirvoluntary contributions to thepension deficit, claiming that areduction in the deficit andlegislative changes had put thefund in a stronger position.

“That may be true up to apoint. However, there is still a£130 million deficit in thepension fund.

“While P&O may have nolegal obligation to fund thedeficit, they certainly have amoral obligation and we willvigorously pursue this matter,”he said.

REVIEWS

The annual P&O reviews arecurrently taking place. On theLarne/Cairnyan route, wheremembers have had to endure athree-year wage freeze, an offerhas been made and rejected bythe union. RMT is awaiting animproved offer which themembers will have a chance tovote on.

In Dover, an offer of 2.5 percent is being considered by themembership and dates forPortsmouth and Hull tocommence negotiations arebeing arranged.

UNION WINS ASSURANCES FROMDUBAI PORTS OVER P&O FUTURE


22

GREAT EU RAIL SELL-OBrussels introduced the so-called‘third rail package’ last month,which orders member states tocomply with various raildirectives by 2010, effectivelybreaking up national railnetworks and handing themover to the private sector.

However, recent national railstrikes in France last Novembershowed rail workers’ attitudes inEU member states have not beenreconciled to rail privatisation.This is despite the Commission’sinstitutional approach, based onstealth and secrecy, to openingup national markets to‘liberalisation’.

In fact, the fast-approaching

date of January 2006 for full‘open access’ to rail freightcompetition has led to ahardening of attitudes amongstthe four largest French railunions representing the majorityof rail workers.

French rail company SNCF’sfreight reorganisation,introduced as a result of EU railfreight liberalisation rules, isbeing fought hard by railworkers. Recent strike action hasproduced strenuous denials byFrench ministers and SNCFpresident, Louis Gallois, of anyintention to privatise SNCF.

Mr Gallois said Europe'srailways were all public

companies except in the UK,“and the English experience isnot a great reference”.

Moreover, British railwayconsultant Robert Watsonbelieves the EU may well havehad an adverse effect on the railsystem because "open access hasdestabilised the Europeanrailroad environment".

EU RULES

Brussels began the drive toprivatise EU rail networks withthe introduction of CouncilDirective 91/440/EEC on July 291991, which demanded anhistorically unprecedentedliberalisation model of a

“vertical split” separating railinfrastructure from operation ofrail services. It stipulates:• operational autonomy for

railway operators• separation of the

infrastructure from serviceoperations (as an absoluteminimum - although notexclusively - for accountingpurposes)

• open access for internationalundertakings

• introduction of track accesscharges

If this sounds familiar, it isbecause this was exactly thebasis of British Rail privatisation

Diktats from Brussels demanding the ‘liberalisation’ of EU railnetworks within the next four years are being met by protests and therefusal of member states to implement EU directives

DISASTER: The British experience of implementing EU diktats has proved disastrous for rail workers, passengers and the industry


23

by the John Major’s Torygovernment in 1996.

The statutory instrument thatbegan the privatisation process,Railways Regulation 1992, wasintroduced under Section 2(2) ofthe European Communities Act1972 in order to comply withdirective 91/440/EEC.

This EU ‘liberalisation’ modelhas proved disastrous in manyways. The privatisation of railmaintenance led to thecatastrophic deterioration oftrack, causing the deaths ofmany passengers and railworkers.

Private train operators’record profits are siphoned frompublic subsidy, there is aperpetual squeeze on railworkers’ pay and ticket farescontinue to rocket, makingBritain’s railways the mostexpensive in Europe.

RESISTANCE

Despite the introduction of91/440, the path followed bynational rail administrations ofother member states has differedradically from the UK’swholesale adoption of the

Commission’s privatisationmodel.

The French example has beenbased on a public sectorstrategy, to create a TGV (high-speed train) network operatingin a competitive transportmarket, against both road andlow-cost air travel, withcommercial business objectives.

DeutscheBahn AG, SNCF’sprincipal potential freightcompetitor in Europe, has alsomade clear it will not befollowing the British experienceof EU rules.

DBAG CEO, HartmutMehdorn, told InternationalRailway Journal recently:“When the amended railwaylegislation comes into force inGermany, open access to railwayinfrastructure will apply to suchan extent that we begin towonder whether this is notexcessive intervention in ourfreedom of businessmanagement.

“An integrated railway is alsoabsolutely essential to ensurecontinuing technologicaldevelopment of the wheel/railsystem,” he said.

Herr Mehdorn’s long-termgoal has been to privatise DB asan integrated railway.

He strongly believes that theseparation of infrastructure fromoperations, which has beencarried out in some form bymost national railways at thebehest of the EuropeanCommission, is bad for railways.

Herr Mehdorn has oftenpointed out that the onlyfinancially successful railwaysaround the world are fullyintegrated ones. North America’sunified private freight railwaysare profitable, but struggle tofund adequate long-term capitalinvestment programmes.

The privatisation of the bigthree JR railways in Japan hasbeen a financial success despitesafety concerns. The outrightprivatisation of New ZealandRailways ended in failure, withthe government being forced to

take back ownership of theinfrastructure. The privateowner simply could not earnenough to fund the cost ofmaintaining the track.

On the other hand, both the(French) TGV and (German) ICEhave rapidly filled their capacityand today represent animportant export market fortheir respective manufacturingsectors, while UK train-buildinghas ceased to exist since railprivatisation.

Such a contrast of fortunes isnot merely the result of thegreater political willingness ofsuccessive French and Germangovernments to protect nationalindustries.

POOR PERFORMANCE

The poor operational safety andfinancial performance of the UKrail sector arose due to problemsinherent in the “vertical split”model advocated in 91/440.

As research carried out forthe Russian Department ofTransportation has noted, theconcept that train and track areas separable as aircraft andairport is invalid for severalreasons:

• The train is constantlyphysically connected to thetrack

• The track is a limited,dedicated resource

• As railway controltechnology becomes moresophisticated, train/trackcontrols become moreintegrated

• Best practice railwayoperations depend upondeployment of this advanced

integrated safety technologyand separate train/trackownership makes it verydifficult to implement suchtechnology

The idea that competing trainoperating companies cancompete for slots in track use isalso limited as train pathscheduling on the fixed trackinfrastructure has limitedflexibility. Even advancedcomputer technology cannoteasily generate alternative andnew train path allocations.

The failure to recognise thesefundamental problems and tomisinterpret functionality as‘market failure’ is a long-termcharacteristic of EuropeanCommission thinking on rail‘liberalisation’.

The main financial problemof the EU “vertical split” modelis that train operatingcompanies cannot possiblyabsorb the true cost of theinfrastructure. This model relieson a valuation determined bylow track-use charges which canbe borne by train operatingcompanies. But vital freshinvestment is not forthcomingas predicted, creating a barrierto the seamless investmentrequired.

Therefore, the unelectedEuropean Commission is on acollision course with the electedgovernments of member states,who increasingly see theBrussels model of railprivatisation as a recipe forcompromising safety and theinevitable decline of rail.

OFF HITS THE BUFFERS

ETC PROTEST: French rail union leader Didier le Reste outlines to the media why railworkers oppose EU directives demanding rail ‘liberalisation’.


24

The European Trade UnionSolidarity Conference withCuba and Latin America – thefirst event of its kind ever tobe held in Britain – will takeplace at City Hall, Londonbetween 24-25 February 2006.Speakers include Pedro Ross,General Secretary of the CTCin Cuba, Ken Livingstone,Brendan Barber, , Spanish MEPMiguel Angel Martinez, andXavier Decleerq, Director ofMobilisation at OxfamBelgium.

Delegates from acrossEurope will meet at theconference to shareexperiences of and promotesolidarity work at a Europeanlevel and identify jointinitiatives for lobbying.

Pedro Ross, GeneralSecretary of Cuba’s tradeunion confederation, has saidthat the conference “will be anexceptional opportunity toexchange our diverseexperiences of support andsolidarity towards the workers

and Cuban people”.RMT is supporting the

conference and has a limitednumber of free delegate placesfor European trade unionists. If you have contacts withunions in Europe who mightbe interested in attending theevent, please get in contactwith CSC.

The weekend activitiesinclude a welcome receptionon the Friday evening, theconference in the CouncilChamber at City Hall on

The Brecon Challenge, takingplace on June 10 2006, is afantastic opportunity forteambuilding and networking.

It is also about doingsomething truly amazing – raisingfunds for the world’s runaway andabandoned children.

This is truly a challenge worthbragging about – hiking adistance of 16 kilometres, cyclinga distance of 32 kilometres(incorporating much of the well-cycled “Taff Trail”), and building araft and then paddling it acrossthe reservoir, all in the beautifulsurroundings of the Brecon

Mountains. At the end of the challenge

each team will be rewarded with aglass of champagne and a scenicride on the Brecon Mountainrailway steam train.

This will be followed by anawards ceremony, hog roast, discoand drinks til late.

All the money raised by theparticipants will go directly to thechildren who so desperately needhelp. Railway Children is aregistered charity, No 1058991,based in Crewe that works in theUK and worldwide giving a pointof contact for homeless children at

SOLIDARITY FOR CUBA COMES TO The British tradeunion movement andCuba SolidarityCampaign hope torepeat the success oflast year’s Unions forCuba conference ona European scale inFebruary 2006

Have you got what it taThe Railway Children charity is looking for teams of four plus a supportperson for each team to join a new and exciting one day event.


25

I would like to start by wishingall members every success in2006. We begin a New Yearoptimistically, building on ouradvances and successes overthe previous year. RMT is on a sound footing andwidely appreciated as an opencampaigning and challengingunion. A union that tries itsbest to represent its memberson pay, conditions, workinghours, pensions, health andsafety as well as providingexcellent legal and benefitservices in the difficultcircumstances that transportworkers can find themselves. No doubt new challenges willappear during the next twelvemonths, and nobody in thetransport industry should bewithout the protection andrepresentation of this union. We hope to provide andimprove representation andmeet the needs of ourmembers. One exciting venturewill be the opening during thisyear our new Education Centrein Doncaster, where our localand regional representativeswill receive first classeducation and training toenable them to provide firstclass representation in allareas. We need rank-and-file tutorsfrom among our membershipin the various modes oftransport, so I would urgeanyone thinking about takingup the challenge to teachothers to fill out the applicationforms when they becomeavailable. Bear in mind that fulltraining will be provided. We are continually improvingand reviewing cash benefits,including orphan fund benefit.accident benefit and deathgrants and others which are,sadly to say, still necessary inthe 21st century. We are alsoimproving general services to

members – we now have animproved help-line and a newwebsite which has gone on-line this month staffed by anew website manager. We have recently appointedtwo more relief organisers toprovide a better “out in thefield” service to our branches.RMT is, of course, able toprovide improvements due tothe steady increase inmembers joining and anenergetic programme ofrecruitment and retention. This is backed up by aresponsible finance andbudgeting regime. However,there are far too manytransport still not beingprotected by a union so whynot try to recruit a friend toRMT as a new year resolution?In my view, a major problem inthe near future will be that ofpensions. The valuations onmost schemes are now knownand they don’t make happyreading. RMT is adamant that pensionsare a condition of service andworkers should not be made tocarry the can for deficits thatare not of their making. It is important to rememberthat it will be the expertprotection of a trade unionduring these importantnegotiations to defend andsecure our existing final salaryschemes for the future.Pensions should concerneveryone, young and old andyoung people coming intotransport should be givenmaximum encouragement tojoin the union and defend theirinterests. So come on board and getinvolved in the mostdemocratic, open, transparentand fighting union in thecountry.

Tony Donaghey

President’s column

MEETING THECHALLENGE

LONDONSaturday, and an evening meal andsocial event on Saturday night incentral London.

Further information about theconference, including informationon registering as a British delegate,and sample invitation letters forEuropean trade unionists inEnglish, Spanish, and French, canbe received by calling CampaignsManager, Natasha Hickman on0207 263 6452 or [email protected]

takes?railway stations and providingshelter, food, healthcare andeducation.

The countries in which itprovides support include India,Mexico, UK, Zimbabwe and Russia,funding more than 50 projects.

The Railway Children, in the 10years since its start, has helped over50,000 children.

For more information, pleasecontact the Railway Children eventsteam – email –[email protected],telephone 01270 251571. Theyexpect places to go fast followingthe success of the Three PeaksChallenge, so don’t miss out!


26

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Edwards Duthie Solicitors has a special affinity with trade unions, their members and officials.We have advised union members and their families for some 22 years, to the point where we nowserve some 40,000 members across 230 branches nationwide. We have a dedicated team whichserves RMT members, their families and friends. Unlike our competitors, we offer a full range oflegal services, many of which are free or heavily discounted for union members :

● PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS● SPECIALIST CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE TEAM● EXPERT ADVICE ON ALL ASPECTS OF EMPLOYMENT LAW● 24 HOUR CRIMINAL ADVICE AND REPRESENTATION● FREE WILLS SERVICE FOR MEMBERS ● 10% DISCOUNT ON RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING● LAW SOCIETY SPECIALISTS IN FAMILY AND MATRIMONIAL ADVICE● FREE HALF HOUR INTERVIEW IN ALL AREAS OF LAW

Our approach is both proactive and hands on. Our lawyers go to see members and officials at the workplace, at home, at union premises or wherever discussion can best be accommodated nationwide. We are here to provide a service and, unlike our competitors, we do not consider thatwe can do that from a remote standpoint.

RING NOW FOR ADVICE & ASSISTANCE ON 0208 514 9000email: [email protected]

In partnershipwith the

This is traditionally a time ofyear for reflection. When I

look back on 2005 one eventstands out. It’s that magnificentJuly Saturday when the MakePoverty History demonstrationengulfed Edinburgh.

I am proud to have been partof that historic day, thatoutpouring of 250,000 peoplefull of hope. Hope that at lastwe would see an end to themisery and degradation facingbillions in a world of plenty.

It was a day whose awesomespirit implored the mostpowerful men in the world, theG8 leaders, meeting in Scotlandthat week, to face up to thebiggest issue facing the worldand to redistribute its wealth tothose in most need.

But looking back on thoseJuly days now, it is a quote of

Dickens, from A Tale of TwoCities, that springs most readilyto mind - ‘It was the best oftimes. It was the worst of times’because barely had theprotesters left the city when theG8 leaders gave up the ghost.

The atrocious Londonbombings usurped the politicalagenda, but the harsh reality isthat they never had the slightestintention of fighting worldpoverty. And the G8’s relief tohave gotten off so lightly waspalpable.

How many more peopletoday now conclude that the G8preside over rules which meanmore people are living inpoverty now than at any time inhistory? How many morebelieve therefore the G8 are partof the problem not the solution?

Poverty in the world today isno natural disaster. Unlike theAsian tsunami, Pakistani

earthquake or New Orleanshurricane it is entirely manmade. It is a consequence ofeconomic decisions taken bymultinational corporations andthe governments they control.

What is needed is aglobalisation programme with adifference, one which ends thecorporate exploitation of thepeoples and resources of theworld for a tiny elite andredistributes our astonishingwealth from those who have themost to those most in need.

Of course, the unavoidablefact remains that the 250corporations who control 50 percent of world trade for example,will never, as Karl Marxfamously warned, just give itup. They must be compelled todo so.

And for this change to occura movement needs to be built topress for it. The Scottish

Socialist Party is part of thatmovement. This global force forchange faces many obstacles,not least an opposition whichwill go to any lengths to protectits privileges.

It also has to appreciate thestrength it has as a movement.

But let anyone who doubtshow ‘persuasive’ thesedemocratic aspirations are, thenconsider how South Africanapartheid was routed or theeastern European dictatorships.

I am a democrat and asocialist, for me they aresynonymous. I believe thelegacy of July 2 lingers morepotently than many believe. Forme that day and this growingmovement will come back tohaunt Tony Blair and the G8leaders who underestimate itstill.

Colin Fox MSP


27

The Communication WorkersUnion has been forced to

fight on two fronts due to RoyalMail's privatisation agenda andthe EU-backed ‘liberalisation’programme of the postalregulator Postcomm.

The union has done well inresisting the share ownershipplans for privatisation proposedby Royal Mail chairman AllanLeighton.

A high profile campaignspearheaded by CWU generalsecretary Billy Hayes has seen208 MPs sign up to Early DayMotion Number 548 opposingthe share ownership scheme.

The 193 Labour MPsexpressing strong opposition viathe EDM represent a bulwark ofopposition to any privatisationplans that Leighton or AlanJohnson, the Secretary of Statefor Trade and Industry, mayhold.

For the government to pushthrough privatisation, it wouldrequire Tory support with morethan 50 per cent of theParliamentary Labour Party inopposition.

Any such move would be

politically untenable. Therefore,the more immediate threatappears to come from the EU’s‘liberalisation’ agenda beingpushed by Postcomm.

EU RULES

On January 1 2006, the UKmarket was fully opened up tocompetition, some three yearsahead of the target date set bythe EU for Europe-wideliberalisation under EU directive97/67/EC.

Some 14 companies havetaken licences to cherry pickprofitable parts of the newlyliberalised market, though theunion points out that few areinterested in delivering socialmail - meaning deliveries to thegeneral public.

"It is a widespread illusionthat with liberalisation therewill suddenly be a whole varietyof companies putting up theirown letter boxes on streetcorners.

“Most are not interested inresidential mail where there isno money to be made, theywant to cherry pick the lucrativebusiness contracts from Royal

Mail," said Billy Hayes. The effect of allowing the

private operators to grab suchcontracts will be to cut RoyalMail's income.

This in turn could see thecompany looking to reduce itsworkforce and charge more forbasic services via increases instamp prices.

"Few beyond those withvested interests seem aware thatliberalising the service couldmean a more expensive and lessefficient service," said Billy.

No private operator hasprovided an “end to end”service, but simply collected andsorted the mail prior to handingon to Royal Mail to deliver "thefinal mile".

CWU insist there should beno privatisation of the universalservice and Royal Mail shouldnot be forced onto an unevenplaying field via theliberalisation agenda.

DECENT PAY

CWU assistant secretary DaveWard said that instead ofplaying with share ownershipschemes, basic pay should be

increased from its presentderisory level to at least thenational average.

"Royal Mail employees' basicwage is less than 80 per cent ofthe UK national average," saidDave.

He called on the governmentto invest in the industry andreview the Postal Services Actand make Postcomm responsiblefor protecting and defending theuniversal service obligation andthe UK Post Office.

"Yes, competition is comingbut rest assured the union willnot be deflected from itsprogressive agenda.

“To meet the threat ofcompetition Royal Mail needs toconcentrate on quality andinvest in its greatest asset - itsworkforce," said Dave.

* RMT members that want toassist the CWU campaign to seea publicly-owned Royal Mailfully restored to good health,providing customers with anexcellent service and itsemployees with rewardingemployment, ask your MP tosign early day motion 548.

POSTAL WORKERS FIGHTROYAL MAIL SELL-OFF


28

Left to right: Branch Secretary Gerry McCann, Robin Mackie , John Holme and branchchairman Louis Bozner

40 yearswith the unionLongstanding RMT members

Robin Mackie and JohnHolme of Ayr branch receivedtheir 40 years badges andmedals from branch chairmanLouis Bozner and branchsecretary Gerry Mcann at AyrRailway Club recently.

Robin started his career offas a Fitter at Ayr Sheds andJohn began his as asignalman at Kilmarnock.Louis and Gerry said it was agreat pleasure to have thehonour to present thesebadges and medals on behalfof the union.

More information isavailable on branch activitiesat www.rmtayr.co.uk

RMT’s Neasden branchrecently held a retirementparty for Mick Manias, amember for 25 years and localrep on the Willesden GreenGroup.

Mick is a well respected RMTactivist who was alwayswilling to help his members.

RMT London regionalsecretary Mick Crossey said:"Mick's retirement will leave abig gap and he will be a hardact to follow". All at Neasden1070 branch will miss Mick,but wish him all the best in hisretirement.

MICKMANIASBOWS OUT

LETTERS


29

FLORIDA

INDIAN WELLS KISSIMMEE Villas

10% discount on rates for RMT

members. Beautiful 3 bedroom 2

bathroom villa in Florida5 minutes drive

from Disney. Exceptionally central

location. Own pool with screen porch

and overlooking a lake. Will sleep 8 and

cot facilities are available.

Tel. 01202 427854

www.indianwellskissimmeevillas.co.uk

AIRPORT

AIRPORT CAR PARKING. 5%

additional discount for RMT members

www.flypark.co.uk/discount

0870 733 0545. Get a quote and see

savings

NEW FOREST

VICTORIAN FARMHOUSE B&B plus

s/c lodge, sleeps 4, also B&B. Set in

farmland overlooking forest. Direct

access to trailway. Small heated pool.

Pets welcome. Ideal for walking, riding

and cycling. Close to New Forest. For

brochure call 01425 472115

TENERIFE

TENERIFE, LAS AMERICAS.

Apartment in 3 star hotel on seafront.

Quiet area. From £75pppw.

Tel: 01803 526168

SPANISH HOLIDAYS

Costa Blanca House sleeps 6. Costa del

Sol Apartment sleeps 4. £120-£320pw.

Lovely locations. Beautiful beaches.

Pools. Golf. Wonderful weather.

Brochure available (01344)425247

WEST INDIES

MATTINGLEY HEIGHTS, ST KITTS,

WEST INDIES. Self-catering house for

rent. 3 bedrooms, 1 with ensuite. Fully

furnished with all mod-cons. Cable TV

etc.. £250pw per person. Contact

Lennox: 07831 862369 or 07771 830594

or leave a message on: 01132 628828

CLASSIFIEDADS

RMT £25 prize crosswordNo. 21. Set by Elk

Last month’ssolution...

Winner of prize crossword no.20 is Geoff Askey of Harrow.

Send entries to Prize Crossword,RMT, Unity House, 39 ChaltonStreet, London NWI IJD byNovember 7 with your name andaddress. Winner and solution innext issue.

ACROSS7,10 Train operating company in dispute beforeChristmas over bank-holidays (7, 6)8 Piece of furniture - containing politicians? (7)11 Driver, of train or machinery (8)12 Opposite of front (4)13 Proponent of free-market capitalism (3-7)14 Not significant (11)19 Products usually found in the bathroom (10)22 Clarified butter, often used in Indian cuisine

(4)23 At a distance from land; outside tax

jurisdiction (8)24 Concurred; tallied (6)25 Wanted (7)26 Coming after the event - as in birthday card

(7)

DOWN1 Irritant chemical, used by riot police (7)2 Afflicted or in trouble, as in vessel (8)3 Dried grape (6)4 Renovating process - of building or person!

(8)5 Marauder at sea or copyright cowboy (6)6 The act of taking away, or changing home

(7)9 Railway engines (11)15 Tube infrastructure company in dispute

before Christmas (8)16 Citizen of west African country (8)17 Everton - but not mints! (7)18 Young hare (7)20 Canine superstar (6)21 Workers on the waves (6)

Dear editor,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank local RMT representatives for helping me with aclaim I recently made to the union.

I unfortunately had a motorcycle accident on the way to work, I am a conductor at Leeds Citystation, and I had seven weeks off work. After returning to work, I got talking to an RMTofficial who informed me that I could claim union benefits for having an accident on the wayto work and told me how to go about it. To my great surprise I received over £250.

I have been a union member for over 27 years and it is very pleasing to find out that even inthis day and age there is someone who can help, especially when the bank I have had mymortgage insured with for 24 years, turned round and said I could not claim because I had tobe off for 60 days.

The most important reason to be in the union is the strength it provides through solidarity. Iknow being in a union is not only for what you can get out of it, but it is still nice to knowthere are benefits for members other than the obvious ones.

So once again I would like to extend my thanks to the local reps at Leeds City station, it justgoes to prove that it pays to be in a union.

Yours sincerely,S Crees

30

There are two methods of supplying us with the documentation:-

METHOD 1 Send or take your original documents, 1 from List A & 1 from List B, direct to RMT Credit, Unity House, FREEPOST, 39Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD. If sending valuable documents such as your passport or current full UK Driving Licence westrongly advise sending them by recorded delivery. We will photocopy the originals and return them to you.

METHOD 2 Take one original document from list A and one from list B to your Branch Secretary or any of the above approvedpersons listed below:-

● Delegated Officer of the Branch● Divisional Organiser● Executive Committee Member● Credit Union Officer● Post Master / Sub Post Master ■ Person with honours / peerage● Authorised Financial Intermediary ■ Full Time Trade Union Official● Councillor (local or county) ■ Member of Parliament● Minister of Religion ■ Justice of the Peace● Commissioner for oaths ■ Lawyer● Banker ■ Teacher● Doctor ■ Accountant● Police Officer ■ Dentist

The Branch Secretary or other approved person will check the original documentation; will take a photocopy, sign, and Branchstamp.All proof of identity / address must bear your name, and not be solely in the name of partner etc; but can be in addition totheir name.

Satisfactory proof of identity will include, but not be limited to the following:

LIST (A)Current signed Passport.Current Full UK old style Driving Licence (not old style Provisional Licence) [if not used as evidence of address].Original Inland Revenue tax notification e.g. tax assessment, statement of account, notice of coding – valid for current year.Pension Book or Benefits Book or original notification letter from the Benefits Agency confirming your right to benefits (if not used as evidence of address).Shotgun or firearms certificate.ID pass and safety cards for the following companies: Network Rail, Trans Pennine Express, Central Trains Discharge Book (shippers only - current).

Satisfactory proof of address will include, but not be limited to the following:

LIST (B)Original Local Authority Council Tax bill valid for the current year.Current UK photo card Driving Licence.Current Full UK old style Driving Licence (not old style Provisional Licence).A Utility Bill e.g. Electricity, Gas, Water or Telephone bills. These must be originals and less than 3 months old. Mobile ‘phone bills are NOT acceptable.Bank, building society or credit union statement – within last 3 months.Mortgage statement from a recognised lender – within last 12 months.Pension Book or Benefits Book or original notification letter from the Benefits Agency confirming your right to benefits (if not used as evidence of address).Original Inland Revenue tax notification, letter, notice of coding, P60 or P45.Original housing association or letting agency tenancy agreement.Local council rent card or tenancy agreementOriginal Solicitor’s letter confirming recent house purchase or Land Registry confirmation.Household and motor Insurance certificates - current

HOW TO JOIN THE CREDIT UNIONTo join the RMT Credit Union you need to fill in anapplication form and supply us with proof of your identityand address. Being an existing RMT member, you maywonder why we need proof of who you are and where youlive. It is because the Financial Services Authority, in an

attempt to combat Money Laundering, has imposed strictidentification rules on anyone wishing to open a Bank orBuilding Society account. Unfortunately, it has applied thesame rules and regulations to Credit Unions.

Credit Union accounts may only be opened and transactions accepted when verification of identity and address has been completed and cross-referenced against RMTmembership.We are using the method of Direct Debit only and money will be deducted from your bank account on the 28th of each month. Please return completed forms and IDdocumentation, as we need to make sure you comply with the money laundering regulations. Failing to complete all forms and ID documentation will delay us from setting upyour savings account.

MEMBERSHIP NUMBER

Finance Department, Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JDRMT CREDIT UNION APPLICATION FORM – please complete your

application along with the attached Direct Debit.

P l e a s e u s e B L O C K C A P I TA L S and black ink.

1 PERSONAL DETAILS.

Surname Address

Forename(s)

Home phone

Mobile phone Postcode

Email address

Date of Birth National Insurance Number

2 Your Employment.

Employer RMT Branch

Job Description

3 Mr Mrs Ms Miss

4 Membership Status

RMT TU Member Retired RMT TU Member

5 How much do you wish to save £ This is the amount you wish to save in ‘shareholdings’ monthly by

Direct Debit (you must complete form below)

6 Normally your payments are made once a month (28th) to RMT Credit Union Ltd.

7 Next of Kin .....................................................................................

Address .....................................................................................

.....................................................................................

.....................................................................................

8 I undertake to abide by the rules now in force or those that are adopted.

Your signature Date

Instruction to your Bank orBuilding Society to pay by Direct Debit

Please fill in the whole form including official use box using a ball point pen andSend to: RMT Credit Union Ltd., 39 Charlton Street, London NW1 1JD

Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society

Originator’s Identification Number

Reference Number

FOR RMT CREDIT UNION LTD OFFICIAL USE ONLYThis is not part of the the instruction to your Bank or Building Society.

To: The Manager Bank/Building Society

Address

Postcode

Signature(s)

Date

Name(s) of Account Holder(s)

Bank/Building Society account number

Branch Sort Code

Instructions to your Bank or Building Society.Please pay RMT Credit Union Ltd Direct Debits for the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguardsassured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with RMT Credit Union Ltd, ifso, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions from some types of account

This guarantee should be detached and retained by the Payer.

The Direct Debit Guarantee● This guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that take part in the Direct Debit Scheme.The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own Bank or

Building Society.● If the amounts to be paid or the payment date changes, RMT Credit Union Ltd will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed● If an error is made by RMT Credit Union Ltd or your Bank or Building Society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the amount paid● You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by writing to your Bank or Building Society. Please also send a copy of your letter to us.

✂

9 7 4 2 8 1

RMT CREDIT UNION LTD.

31

essential reading for today’s transport worker - rmt · 2013. 7. 26. · rmtnews:: january 2006...

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