Support the Shministim

This resolution, proposed by TfL no.1 branch and seconded by Stratford no.1 branch, was passed with one abstention at the Regional Council meeting in January 2009.

This Union notes that 7 Israeli teenagers – known as Shiministim – are refusing to serve in the Israeli army because they object to Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories. They are all 18 or 19 years old, have been called for military service but have refused to go and are now in prison.

Docklands Light Railway strike suspended

RMT press release, issued today

A STRIKE by members of Britain’s biggest rail union working in the control room of the Docklands Light Railway has been suspended after the company agreed to leave existing roster and leave arrangements in place pending the outcome of further talks.

Some 30 RMT members had been scheduled to begin a 24-hour stoppage at 13:05 on Monday in a dispute over changes to weekend working hours.

2009: What's On For Young Members

Joanne Parry, National Young Members Chair tells us what 2009 has in store for RMT Young Members

So far you have read articles on what our young members got up to in 2008. So what’s in store for 2009? Well your union needs you!

You don’t have to be an established rep or an activist to take part in any of the activities below you just have to be a paying member who is willing to find out a bit more about the union and mix with folk your own age.

What would you say, if I said, You could go to Music Festivals for FREE!! Read on...

From RMT Vision volume 1 issue 1

Tickets for the best music festivals are always in short supply and can be very expensive but RMT can help... and it won’t cost you a penny!

Throughout 2009 RMT Young Members will be looking for volunteers to work as bar staff at some of the UK’s greatest music festivals to help raise money for the RMT young members fund. The money raised is then used for organising events and courses for Young Members to help keep the cost of future YM activities to the bare minimum.

Huge job losses on London Underground will be resisted, says RMT

RMT press release, issued today

ANY THREAT of forced redundancies of RMT members at TfL and London Underground will be resisted, the capital’s biggest tube and rail union said today.

In response to news that at least 1,000 jobs would be cut and fears that thousands more were under threat, RMT said that any move attempt to impose compulsory redundancies would be met with a ballot for industrial action.

RMT Vision volume 1 issue 1: magazine for young members

Attached you will find RMT's new magazine for young members. Click on '1 attachment' and/or the file name to download and print it.

And here are the introductions from the Editor, and from the National RMT Young Members Chair, ...

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Welcome to RMT Vision, our London Transport Regional Magazine specifically designed for the exclusive under 30’s club. This magazine had been a long time in the pipeline, but with the right enthusiasm and dedication I am proud to say we have finally reached “lift off”.

RMT Women's Conference 2009: deadlines extended

R.M.T. NATIONAL WOMEN’S CONFERENCE, 2009

Further to Circular No. NP/154/08, 27th November 2008, I am writing to remind Branches and Regional Councils of the importance of nominating women members who wish to attend the above Conference. I also wish to remind you of the importance of submitting motions for inclusion in the agenda.

Please note that the deadline for submission of nomination forms and motions has been extended to Friday, 13th February 2009.

Climate change and labour

Could the trade union movement benefit from measures to tackle climate change?

By Asbjørn Wahl, Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees

Most problems in society are mainly social and political, even if at first glance they seem purely technical or scientific. This is a hard-earned lesson for the labour and trade union movement. For example, workplace technology can be developed to serve different interests: the shareholders, the customers, the workers… In the end it is the actual balance of power which decides the solution and who it will benefit.

How Long Before Someone Dies?

Two recent ‘wrong-side door openings’ by drivers on the Victoria line have highlighted a potentially lethal anomaly concerning that line. Trains on all lines have a ‘correct side door enable’ (CSDE) system built in, a system which prevents drivers from accidentally opening train doors on the wrong side. All lines, that is, except the Vic! Yes, believe it or not, the Victoria line does NOT have CSDE, despite the potentially lethal consequences of a wrong-side door opening event. So how did this come to be?

X marks the spot!