• Station Assistant Multi-Functional (SAMF): 28.9%
• Customer Service Assistant (CSA): 25.9%
• Operational staff overall: 17.3%
• Station Supervisor: 12.5%
• Train Operator (driver): 10%

Click 'read more' for some comments.

RMT has obtained the following statistics showing how what proportion of London Underground's passengers are male and female:

• Commuters (59.7%): 59.14 % male / 40.86% female
• Leisure (35.8%): 54.36% male / 45.64% female
• Tourists (04.5%): 56.44% male / 43.56% female
• Total (100%): 57.31% male / 42.69% female

These figures show that significantly more men travel on London Underground than women, which reflects a continuing gender division and inequality in our society.

Please find below a request from Head Office for submission of delegate nominations, 2011 venue nominations and more importantly, resolution submissions for equality conferences.

Click 'Read More' for the full circular

Venue: Unity House

Within the next few months, RMT will hold conferences for young members, women members, black and ethnic minority members, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender members.

Members put issues on the agendas of these conferences by getting their branch to submit a resolution. But that can be a bit daunting, so the Regional Council is holding a workshop on how to write resolutions. We will discuss the issues that these groups of members face at work and in wider society, and learn the practicalities of putting it down on paper as a resolution.

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 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.

One of RMT's equality reps emailed me a few questions for a course he is doing. I thought it might be worth sharing the questions and my replies with website readers.

1. What do you think are the key equality issues in the workplace?

RMT regional women's officer Carol Foster reports from the recent national RMT Women's Conference ...

People often ask me ‘why do we need a women’s conference?’

Why indeed? As I write, the Met Police have let a second rapist go; it seems that the Home Office targets place a higher priority on property crime than on sex offences.

The RMT national Women’s Conference met @ The Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle on 6th & 7th March 2009. As ever plenty of lively debate.

There was a talk by Etienne Attala from Thompsons on flexible working & Age Discrimination.

Becky Crocker, our regional Young Members' Officer, was an RMT delegate to the recent TUC Women's Conference. She wrote this report for the socialist newspaper Solidarity. We nicked it from their website, here!

This conference opened my eyes to a different side of the labour movement. Among the 250 delegates, there were some militant trade unionists, but their voice was drowned out by the overwhelming conservatism.

The new issue of our regional women's newsletter urges women to vote Yes in the industrial action ballot. It also includes an article on domestic violence, some useful contacts, and news of events past and future.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download it.

This resolution, submitted by Swansea No. 1 Branch, was passed unanimously by RMT Women's Conference. It will now be submitted to RMT's 2009 Annual General Meeting.

That this Conference believes that Human Trafficking is a scandalous violation of human dignity.

In the UK the abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed on 25th March 1807. Two hundred years later there are still slaves in Britain.

This resolution, submitted by LU Engineering Branch, was passed unanimiously by RMT Women's Conference 2009.

This resolution, submitted by LU Engineering Branch, was passed unanimously by RMT Women's Conference. It will now be submitted to RMT's 2009 Annual General Meeting.

That this Conference supports those who wish to work flexibly for caring or other reasons. The practice of railway employers in being consistently half-hearted in accommodating employees and sometimes being deliberately obstructive must be challenged. We demand that the RMT assists any member who encounters problems at the whim of HR by backing the employee’s choices over an often unreasonable management compromise.

This resolution, submitted by LU Engineering Branch, was passed unanimously by RMT Women's Conference 2009.

This resolution, submitted by Stratford No. 1 Branch, was passed by RMT Women's Conference 2009.

That this Conference asks the Union to produce a quarterly Woman's newsletter and also asks members of the Woman's Advisory Committee to contribute material.

This resolution, submitted by Camden No. 3 Branch, was passed by RMT Women's Conference 2009.

That this Conference mourns the deaths of over 1,000 Palestinians during Israel's brutal assault on Gaza in December and January, including hundreds of women and children.

While not condoning rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, or the regressive and sexist policies of Hamas, we unreservedly condemn Israel's actions in carrying out this attack, and its siege of Gaza.

This resolution, submitted by Camden No. 3 Branch, was passed unanimiously by RMT Women's Conference 2009.

That this Conference notes that the economic crisis will hit working class women hard.

We note that within our industry, redundancies are already planned in administrative grades, dominated by women and are likely in the subcontracted jobs like cleaning, also dominated by women.

Women predominantly occupy the lowest paid grades in our industry, and are therefore vulnerable to the poverty inflicted by the economic crisis.