Solidarity with the RMT

Solidarity to the 40,000 members of the Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) who took strike action yesterday. The workers taking this action include guards, signallers, maintenance and catering staff who are striking against a multipronged attack on their working conditions by Network Rail and the 14 Train Operating Companies. These including proposed £2bn of cuts to the rail system which will result in 2,500 maintenance staff and 625,000 fewer hours of maintenance, the closure of 1,000 ticket offices, and an 8% pay rise over two years at a time when the RPI rate of inflation is already running at 11.4%. The RMT is striking against policies that threaten to make the railways less safe and less viable as a system of transport, when the extreme heatwaves of last week have foregrounded the necessity of transitioning to a transport system based on public provision rather than private vehicles. They will next take strike action  on  Saturday 30 July and again on  Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August.

This comes as wannabe Prime Minister-to-be Liz Truss pledges to restrict the fundamental right of rail workers to strike, and the introduction of new legislation that will allow companies to hire agency workers to replace strikers. These proposals will make it harder for everyone to defend themselves from companies who care more about their rates of profit than their workers and the people using their service and  is a direct attack on one of the main pillars of our democracy It’s only repressive regimes that stop people going on strike. The RMT stands firm as a beacon for all workers. A workers ability to withdraw their labour is a fundamental right.

Mick Lynch general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said “coordinated and synchronised industrial action” would be needed if legislation is brought in.

He went on to say the “very dangerous situation” risks taking the country back to “Victorian times”.

The comments came as strikes by members of the RMT and Transport Salaried Staffs Association crippled services on Wednesday, with only around one in five trains running and some areas having none at all.

Meanwhile, Aslef announced its members will walk out on Saturday August 13, saying train firms failed to make a pay offer to help members keep pace with increases in the cost of living.

A general strike, which can only be called by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), is when a “substantial proportion” of workers in multiple sectors refuse to work until their demands, usually around pay and working conditions, are met.

The RMT are fighting not just for themselves, but for us all: as well as their livelihoods. The safety standards of the British rail network are under real threat. The government-backed rail operators are attempting to reduce staffing levels on platforms, trains, and tracks in order to drive down wages, which they see simply as an overhead cost. Further, they intend to rehire many workers on zero-hours agency contracts in order to circumnavigate labour rights such as paid leave for holiday, sickness, and parenthood as well as allowing them to dismiss workers without notice or redundancy pay. 

The transport industry is one of the few remaining industries in Britain with high union membership. This attempt to break it up by dividing the workforce is a direct attempt to weaken the unions, and the labour movement as a whole.  On top of it all, comes a slap in the face: during this period of exaggerated cost of living,  they are offering the workers that they aren’t trying to sack a real-terms pay cut.  These cuts also come shortly after the Train Operating Companies turned a £600m profit. In 2020, the Rolling Stock Companies, who own the trains, paid out almost £1bn in dividends to their shareholders.This isn't just about the railways, it's about every one of us who's struggling while the rich get richer. 

During lockdown, many of us celebrated the key workers who kept the country going in very difficult (and often dangerous) circumstances. Those same workers are collectively organising for better pay and conditions and we should stand 100% behind them.  Rail staff work in all types of adverse weather and conditions. Most of them are enduring two to three year pay freezes. Meanwhile MPs on £84,144 a year received a £2,212 pay rise just a few months ago and a 28% pay rise since 2010,totalling £18,406. 

If the Tories want to look at pay restraint I suggest this is where they start. While Conservative Ministers and the Tory press will attempt  to demonise hard working RMT members, they should be reminded of the low standing of MP’s, CEO’s and Journalists in the public eye.

This strike is a beacon of resistance and  a victory for the RMT will mean a victory for all, who struggle for a fairer and more equal society. They have done more to fight back in the last few weeks against the derisory economic conditions so many of us face (not just for RMT members, but for us all) than any other political force active in the UK today and have emerged as pacemakers in what is being billed as the summer of discontent. 

Mick Lynch the general secretary of the RMT has been leading from the front. His union is ready to help others across the public sector to coordinate and strengthen action to pursue pay claims and defend conditions. We must never accept such an unprecedented assault on ordinary people's pay and conditions. The basic demand for decent work and a decent livelihood is an  infinitely reasonable.one and the rail strikes are entirely justified. Anyone who values public services and wants to address the climate crisis should support these strikes. 

The momentum of the union movement is growing once again in Britain after half a century of targeted assault. Public support is on the rise, and workers in unions across the country are balloting to take action and stand up for their rights and their dignity. The doubling-down on anti-union rhetoric by the government and press is evidence that they are aware of the power that a unionised workforce wields, and that they are threatened by it. The strikes have also highlighted how we need a publicly owned and democratically controlled transport system more than ever.

Despairingly Sir Keith Woodentop in the midst of all of this has in a shameful dishonourable manner sacked junior shadow transport minister Sam Tarry for daring to show solidarity with striking RMT workers.Supporting workers as they fight  for their jobs, pay and conditions is exactly what Labour is suppose to do. Lets not forget  that Trade unions formed UK Labour to become the political voice of workers and to fight for a decent standard pf life for all. Every single Labour MP should come out in solidarity with Sam Tarry, join him on the picket line and have a vote of no confidence in Starmer.

I stand in full solidarity with the members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers I’m so appreciative of anybody that’s prepared to stand up for themselves and has the self-respect to stand up for themselves,and call up on the employers and Government Ministers to enter into meaningful negotiations with the trade union to preserve jobs, ensure decent pay and safe working conditions. Strike, fight and stay united!

You can donate to the RMT hardship fund, which helps striking members who are taking part in the dispute, via PayPal, cheque, or credit card.