Co-ordinated Industrial Action against Pay Cuts, Privatisation and Job Cuts on the Cards.
I have just got back from speaking at the RMT annual conference in Edinburgh. I remember the derisory comments of some in the Labour Party and in the trade unions when Bob Crow was elected RMT General Secretary and his Executive Committee developed the union's campaigning approach to recruitment, training and representation of its members.
The media went to town on personal attacks on Bob and abuse of the union.
There is no doubt that the RMT is a fighting union. It forcefully stands up for its members and is usually the first to come to aid other unions or campaigns in their struggles both in this country and interantionally.
The result is a union that in only a few years has increased its membership by nearly 50% and has secured for its members increases in pay, improved employment conditions and protection of their pensions at a time when all of these have been under attack across industry.
Such anger has built up across the movement over pay cuts and privatisation job cuts that in the coming months a range of other unions will be at the forefront of protecting the jobs and living statndards of their members. This Friday I will be joining the CWU picket lines as postal workers take action tio protect their jobs and our postal service. Through the summer and into an autumn of discontent PCS, Unison, GMB, Unite, NUT and UCU will all be either preparing for or taking action against cuts in their members pay and further rounds of privatisation.
It is becomimg starkly clear that if co-ordinated action could be achieved their individual campaigns would be irresistable. RMT lead the way today by announcing that the planned rail strike could be coincided with a CWU strike day.
The incoming Prime Minister needs to be aware that his imposition of a three year pay cut for public service workers and his contnuing privatisation of their jobs will haunt him all the way up to the next election unless a change in policy takes place. The feel I get from trade union conference after conference is that public sector workers will only be pushed so far.
The media went to town on personal attacks on Bob and abuse of the union.
There is no doubt that the RMT is a fighting union. It forcefully stands up for its members and is usually the first to come to aid other unions or campaigns in their struggles both in this country and interantionally.
The result is a union that in only a few years has increased its membership by nearly 50% and has secured for its members increases in pay, improved employment conditions and protection of their pensions at a time when all of these have been under attack across industry.
Such anger has built up across the movement over pay cuts and privatisation job cuts that in the coming months a range of other unions will be at the forefront of protecting the jobs and living statndards of their members. This Friday I will be joining the CWU picket lines as postal workers take action tio protect their jobs and our postal service. Through the summer and into an autumn of discontent PCS, Unison, GMB, Unite, NUT and UCU will all be either preparing for or taking action against cuts in their members pay and further rounds of privatisation.
It is becomimg starkly clear that if co-ordinated action could be achieved their individual campaigns would be irresistable. RMT lead the way today by announcing that the planned rail strike could be coincided with a CWU strike day.
The incoming Prime Minister needs to be aware that his imposition of a three year pay cut for public service workers and his contnuing privatisation of their jobs will haunt him all the way up to the next election unless a change in policy takes place. The feel I get from trade union conference after conference is that public sector workers will only be pushed so far.
posted by John at 10:16 PM
4 Comments:
I was at the National Joint Forum for my industry recently negotiating the next year's pay settlement. We all saw first hand how Brown's 2% cap is not only unfair on those whom it directly affects but also gives management a starting point in all other pay negotiations across the economy.
Thanks a lot, Gordon.
yes that time Bob Crow was attacked for having a drunken fight on radio Five that Tory talking shop was completely untrue and also was reported long after the so-called incident had happened whihc is a bit suss anyway
Obama reckons he is getting his money from small donors not from big Washington companies see his emails - for America this is probably quite radical! He has got a text/internet campaign going.
Whatever you think of Bob Crows personal beliefs and politics you must admire what he has done for his membership within Transport for London.
Admittedly he has had to bang the table and raise the big stick of industrial action from time to time but is it his fault Ken Livingstone gives in so easily?
If Richard Branson is seen as a captian of industry then Bob Crow must be a captain of trade unionism. As for his personal politics if the membership thinks he is straying to far in any particular direction then they have the right and authority to remove him.
Apparently,on www.davidosler.com, he is reporting that the arch buy out mearchant and asset stripper private equity king Damon Buffini,is to asked to join the govt of all the talents!
Even Reagan didn't try that one with
Michael Milken, and how does that square with his notion of hard work and prudence, PE is all smoke and mirrors and is probably at heart, corrupt.
frenetic06
Post a Comment
<< Home