Political representation

Council of Executives decision in response to this resolution from the London Transport Regional Council:

That we write to the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition to ask they provide a list of all their candidates for the 2012 GLA elections.

The General Secretary is also instructed to seek a meeting with Ken Livingstone to discuss the 2012 Mayoral elections.

We also note that we are already supporting Andrew Dismore for the Barnet and Camden Constituency and that we are not supporting other candidates for this area.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download the 'Brown Book', which sets out the rights of health and safety representatives.

On a personal note, the reason that I have posted this today is that the 1977 regulations, which gave these rights to safety reps, were brought in by Labour Secretary of State for Employment Albert Booth, my uncle, who sadly died this morning.

At this years RMT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender conference, Executive member for London Transport Region Janine Booth brought to members attentions the realities of LGBT rights internationally and the equalities that British LGBT workers and people still lack.

Internationally full legal equality for homosexuals only exists in 8 countries in the world. That is that they have equal rights including an equal marriage something that still eludes us in the UK. In 80 countries homosexuality is still illegal. Of these seven countries still have the death penalty. Only recently Uganda was attempting to criminalize all homosexual acts - punishment being a death sentence.

The 127th Durham Miners Gala will be held on Saturday July 9 2011 and I want to encourage all RMT activists to attend this wonderful event.

The past struggles of the miners, particularly the strike of 1984-85, continue to inspire working people everywhere. Thousands of trade unionists will attend the 2011 Gala to pay tribute to the miners.

Please make every effort to attend and bring your banners. We want to have as large an RMT presence from all over the UK, as possible.

RMT General Secretary, Bob Crow

TRANSPORT UNION RMT today slammed the BBC’s Question Time for “outrageous political bias” after an invitation to General Secretary Bob Crow to appear on the programme this eveningwith London Mayor Boris Johnson was withdrawn at short notice.

Question Time editorial staff cobbled together the pathetic excuse that Bob Crow was pulled from the show “because he appeared on Any Questions?” last week - even though Johnson appeared on exactly that same show where Crow wiped the floor with him

* Friday 25 March, 8pm, BBC Radio 4 *

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow and London Mayor Boris Johnson will meet head to head for the first time this week when they both appear as guests on the BBC’s “Any Questions” which is being broadcast from Kingston Grammar School in Surrey.

In almost three years as London Mayor, Boris Johnson has refused to meet directly with the tube unions despite a massive financial crisis leading to staffing and maintenance cuts and repeated breakdowns on the Underground’s creaking infrastructure.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

This Saturday promises to be the biggest trade union march in a decade. The National TUC Demo, Saturday 26th March in London: make sure you’re there and be a part of the biggest trade union demonstration in years, when the TUC marches against the Government’s savage austerity cuts.

Click 'Read More' to get the latest information about the plans for the day

“I am appalled that London Underground are refusing to reinstate Arwyn Thomas and Eamonn Lynch, when the Employment Tribunal has already ruled that their dismissal was discriminatory because of their trade union activities. It is vital that we stand up for our local trade union reps who are in the frontline of protecting workers interests and I fully support the RMT’s political and industrial campaign for justice for Arwyn and Eamonn.”
Jeremy Corbyn MP, Islington North

David Cameron has discussed making democratic ballots invalid where under fifty percent of members vote. This idea was originally mooted by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Boris Johnson was elected following a vote of less than fifty percent of Londoners.

Click 'read more' to see the BBC report.

THE TUBE’S biggest union, RMT, today welcomed condemnation of the London Mayor’s plans to cut 2,000 Underground jobs, put down in parliament by London MPs.

A motion tabled by John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) and Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North), calls on the mayor to drop proposals that have already been denounced by the Greater London Assembly and have raised “severe concerns” from London TravelWatch.

NEWS RELEASE from the Greater London Assembly

The London Assembly today called on the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) to rethink plans to cull up to 800 jobs on the Underground because of the adverse affects for passengers.

The Assembly believes the proposed cuts will damage customer service and leave passengers feeling less safe at stations where only one member of staff is present, particularly early in the morning and late at night.

Assemble 12.30 hours, opposite the House of Commons

Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary, writes ...

RMT Parliamentary Convenor John McDonnell MP has introduced a Bill to prevent employers blocking the democratic wishes of trade union members who have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action. The union movement has called a mass lobby of Parliament in support of John’s Bill on Wednesday 13th October; we want to ensure that the RMT has a massive presence on the day. Please put this date in your diary now and make every effort to attend.

Dear Mr Cameron

We are writing to ask you to intervene to ensure direct talks take place between the trade unions and the Mayor of London.

We are taking this unprecedented step because the Mayor is more interested in using the dispute to shore up his standing amongst the Tory faithful than addressing the genuine fears of passengers and tube staff.

The BBC have an article on RMT General Secretary Bob Crow's comments on the new Labour leader Ed Miliband.

The article says "Mr Crow, general secretary of the RMT union, claims Mr Miliband might break his pledge to attend a rally against public spending cuts."

"Mr Crow said a Labour leader who failed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the party's core supporters would "get slaughtered at the polls".

The full article is here.

Greater London Authority member Valerie Shawcross has put forward a motion to end the job cuts at London Underground. When the meeting began only five of eleven elected Tory members were present. Three left when the motion regarding LU job cuts came to the agenda which meant there were not enough members at the meeting for it to continue.

It is reported that one Tory AM, when asked why they left the meeting, responded "because we couldn't be arsed".

TUBE UNION RMT has welcomed the tabling of a motion at tomorrow’s London Mayor’s Question Time, in the names of Labour’s Val Shawcross and the Lib Dem’s Caroline Pidgeon, calling on Boris Johnson to review plans to axe 800 station staff jobs and to close or slash the opening times of 245 ticket offices.

The Convenor of the RMT Parliamentary Group John McDonnell MP, has been drawn first in the Private Members' Bill Ballot of MPs and after consultation with the trade union movement, he is sponsoring the Lawful Industrial Action (Minor Errors) Bill. This will tackle the increasing employer practice of using minor technical errors in the balloting process - which have no material effect on the outcome - to take unions to court in order to prevent them from taking industrial action.

Press release from John McDonnell MP ...John McDonnell, supported by the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group, presents his Private Members' Bill to parliament today which if adopted would significantly improve unions' ability to defend their members and would be the first step towards the full restoration of trade union rights.

After coming first in the Private Members' Ballot and in consultation with the trade union movement and leading trade union lawyers, John McDonnell MP is sponsoring the "Lawful Industrial Action (Minor Errors) Bill" to tackle the increasing practice by employers of using minor technical errors in the balloting process - which have no material effect on the outcome - to take unions to court in order to prevent them from taking industrial action.

TRANSPORT UNION RMT today slammed what it described as “the ConDem’s budget for the rich” – warning of widespread community and industrial resistance once people realise the full scale of the impact of the Government’s cuts plans for public services and the true cost for jobs and standards of living.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: