As you will probably know, RMT will be holding a Special General Meeting in early November, which will discuss four rule changes submitted by branches. All these rule changes seek to improve our union's democracy, as follows:

- to extend the time available to branches to submit amendments to resolutions to the union's AGM
- to ensure that during disputes, the union's Executive considers the views of a strike committee elected by and from the striking members
- to create a larger, more diverse and representative Annual General Meeting

RMT's Annual General Meeting took place in the Isle of Man at the start of July. The delegates from London Transport region were: Bill Teale (LU Fleet branch), Bob Law (Jubilee South and East London Line branch), Brian Munro (Bakerloo line branch), Glenroy Watson (Finsbury Park branch), Janine Booth (Stratford no.1 branch), Linda Wiles (TfL no.1 branch), Mick Crossey (Camden 3 branch), Paul O'Brien (LU Engineering branch), Vaughan Thomas (Central Line West branch).

On the Wednesday morning of RMT's AGM, we started off not knowing who the people we were introducing actually were. We watched a film called 'In the Name of the Father', and at the end of the film, there was complete silence, after we had witnessed what the Guildford Four had been through in 1970.

The following guest speakers addressed the AGM:

• David Cretney, Isle of Man Minister of Transport
• Joe O'Flynn, General Secretary SIPTU (Irish transport union)
• Karl-Heinz Zimmerman, Transnet (German transport union)
• John McDonnell MP, convenor of RMT's Parliamentary group
• Assaf Adiv, Manager of the Workers' Advice Centre, Israel
• Avraham Edri, Chairman, Histadrut
• Paddy Crumlin, National Secretary, Maritime Union Australia
• Chris Kane, Western District Secretary, Maritime Union Australia
• Cedric Godevin, CGT (French trade union)
  

This is my personal report on the RMT AGM, which has also been published in 'Solidarity' newspaper, and on Stroppyblog.

Rail and transport union RMT held its annual general meeting from 28 June to 2 July, against a backdrop of employers attacking jobs and conditions across the industry.

The AGM was unanimously determined to resist these attacks. However, thousands of job cuts are going ahead, several strike ballots have been voted down, and it was not entirely clear how the union plans to turn this situation around.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download the General Secretary's report to this year's RMT Annual General Meeting.

In May of this year, the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Conference submitted two resolutions to the AGM.

I'm pleased to announce that both resolutions were carried unanimously and that they are now union policy
They were:

STOP DEPORTATION OF LGBT FOREIGN NATIONALS

In February of this year, the National Young Members Conference submitted two resolutions to the AGM.

I'm pleased to announce that both resolutions were carried unanimously and that they are now union policy

They were:

WHEN I'M 64
"As the government continues to increase the age at which our members will be entitled to; or be able to afford to retire this union notes the importance of defending our members' occupational pensions from further erosion by the government and business fat cats.

At RMT's AGM, I proposed this resolution on behalf of Stratford no.1 branch. Lots of delegates spoke in favour of the resolution, telling stories of management abuse of sick staff in their company and/or area. This relates strongly to one of the three issues of our current Jobs Pay and Justice dispute. The resolution was passed unanimously. This is the text of my speech.

Across our industry, employers are clamping down on sickness absence.

Refusal to work on the grounds of safety - rights for pregnant women and new mothers

At RMT's AGM, the General Secretary presents a written report, and delegates can question and comment on it. These are the two points that I raised:

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There are two issues that are not in the Report, which I think should have been.

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Firstly, refusal to work on the grounds of safety.

This is the section of the General Secretary's report to the 2009 AGM concerning London Overground ...

Members Workplace Conditions, Welfare & Pay - London Overground Rail Operations Ltd

As a result of LOROL's persistent refusal to negotiate restructuring proposals with the Lead Officer and Company Council Representatives, their failure to improve facilities and progress on welfare issues and a complete breakdown in industrial relations, we balloted all LOROL members for industrial action.

This is the excerpt from the General Secretary's report to the 2009 AGM concerning the obs, pay and justice dispute on London Underground ...

At the time of writing these notes RMT again found itself having to withdraw from a ballot for industrial action on legal grounds. The tragedy here is that we had a massive vote in favour of both strike action (3,165 for and only 619 against) and action short of a strike (3,495 to 266) delivered by our members.

This are extracts from the section of the General Secretary's report to the 2009 AGM concerning the union's legal services ...

This is the section of the General Secretary's report to RMT's 2009 AGM concerning the the union's work on black and ethnic minority workers' issues ...

BLACK & ETHNIC SURVEY

This is the section of the General Secretary's report to RMT's 2009 AGM concerning the the union's work on women workers' issues ...

Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers - Rest Facilities

The lack of suitable rest facilities for pregnant women and nursing mothers was fully aired during the debate at last year's AGM. As a result of the resolution carried, I wrote to all lead officers instructing them to raise the points of the resolution to ensure all companies are complying with their legal obligations under health and safety laws.

Stratford no.1 branch has submitted the following resolution to RMT's AGM.

This AGM condemns Israel’s military assault on Gaza in December and January.

We reaffirm our existing policy demanding Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and an end to Israel’s siege of Gaza.

We ask the Executive to step up its campaigning on this issue in line with current policy, and in particular wish to see RMT run an appeal in support of an appropriate trade union project in the area.

Stratford no.1 branch has submitted the following resolution to RMT's AGM.

This AGM believes that across our industries, employers are using MFA/attendance policies to bully workers when we are sick, to force us either to attend work when we are not fit to, or out of work altogether.

We support our members who have been prepared to take industrial action over this, for example at Glasgow Central Virgin Trains depot, and at East Ham and Willesden Green station groups on London Underground.

We resolve that RMT should:

This year, I will be attending RMT's AGM as a delegate, nominated by my branch, Stratford no.1.

Yesterday, the branch discussed resolutions to the AGM, and amongst others, passed this one. I wrote it following reflection on the recent oil refinery walkouts, but it is as much about the lessons we can all learn from those strikes as about the strikes themselves.

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DEFENDING OURSELVES FROM THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

Circular sent on 11th December 2008 to all Branch Secretaries, Regional Councils & Regional Organisers

Dear Colleagues

Young Members Course to be held at the AGM in Isle of Man
Sunday 29nd June to Friday 3rd July 2009

I am pleased to advise you that the Union will be holding a one week Young Representatives Course at this years’ AGM.