Rail unions

by an RMT member, London Underground This weekend has seen two shocking derailments on London Underground. On Friday evening, a Piccadilly line train derailed just outside Baron's Court station; on Sunday morning, several people were injured - at least one seriously - when a Northern line train came off the rails in a tunnel at Camden Town. Both seem to be the fault of poor track condition; both can almost certainly be blamed on the privatisation of the Tube's infrastructure. The RMT has threatened strike action to protect the safety of workers and passengers. And Tube staff are already...

Special issue of Tubeworker Tube workers have been shocked to discover that our unions - having said that LUL's pay offer was unacceptable - are now asking us to endorse it. Tubeworker urges members to reject this and vote No in the union referendum. Download pdf .

Stop the Witch-hunt against Asylum-Seekers As Blair's Government steps up its persecution of people seeking sanctuary, Tubeworker puts a firm argument against prejudice and for workers' unity. Workplace stories include a cleaner suspended for refusing to work on safety grounds, and the farcical new banking system. Download pdf .

Text being submitted in RMT branches on the RMT and politics. We note the historic decision of the 2003 RMT AGM to open its political fund to candidates and organisations outside of the Labour Party. While applauding this decision on its merits, we believe that the union needs to take the issue further and establish principles as to who we should and should not back. A century ago, the pioneers of our union took the historic decision that trade unions should form our own political party, so that working people could be directly represented in Parliament, rather than relying on other parties...

Preparing to fight over pay and conditions Tubeworker's front page reflects the anger and frustration amongst Underground workers over low pay and inequalities in working hours, discount travel and pensions. Tubeworker also assesses why Mick Rix lost the ASLEF General Secretary election to right-winger Shaun Brady. Download the bulletin in pdf format .

RMT Conference slams New Labour Tubeworker reports on the recent RMT Annual General Meeting, which took important decisions over the future of the union's political involvement. Workplace reports include the fall-out from the final report into the Chancery Lane crash. Download the bulletin in pdf format .

Post: Step up the fight on London pay ASLEF: Rix didn't organise Devon Stagecoach dispute Debate on RMT conference: Not fair to blame Crow Debate on RMT conference: RMT policy is not duplicitous Post: Step up the fight on London pay By a London postal worker At a meeting of London reps at the beginning of August, many expressed impatience and anger over the London Weighting (LW) campaign. There was talk of using unofficial action to advance the campaign, but the almost unanimous decision of the meeting was to seek support from the Postal Executive, which has now resulted in the joint ballot...

By a conference delegate The 2003 RMT conference made several rule changes governing the use of the political fund (see back page for details). These rule changes will put the RMT into direct conflict with the constitution of the Labour Party. An affiliate of the party cannot support a party or person that stands against Labour in elections. There is a chance that the Labour leadership will try to expel us from the party that we helped to set up 103 years ago. In the event of that happening we should campaign among the rest of the TUC and Labour Party for support. A massive campaign exposing...

Organise the rank and file By Colin Foster The broadside condemnation of Blair's New Labour government by the RMT railworkers' union conference this week (29 June-4 July) is a welcome jolt to the labour movement. So is the probable decision, soon, by the RMT's Scottish region to affiliate to the Scottish Socialist Party. But where we go from here depends on what rank-and-file activists and socialists, in the RMT and other unions, make of it. RMT activists have been jolted free from their previous automatic, laid-down-by-rule tie to backing New Labour in elections. They should now take an...

By Janine Booth, RMT Stations & Revenue Grades Committee London Underground workers have been shocked by several incidents in which Police officers have abused, threatened, assaulted or persecuted our colleagues. Last month, Station Supervisor and RMT representative Alfie Theodore was on duty in the Station Control Room at Piccadilly Circus. A drunk, off-duty copper burst in and racially abused him. When the Supervisor asked him to leave, the officer launched a vicious physical assault on him, leaving him injured and having to take several weeks off work. This follows a year-long nightmare for...