ConDem's declare war on Trade Union Movement

REPORTS THIS morning that the ConDem Government are planning to rig the anti-union laws even further in favour of the employers have been slammed as a "declaration of war" on the Trade Union Movement as the administration seeks to prevent workers from fighting back against attacks on jobs and working conditions and against public spending cuts.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

"The ConDems know that the main opposition to their austerity and cuts plans will come from the Trade Unions. They are running scared and are now looking to tighten the noose of the anti-union laws around the workers necks to choke off resistance.

"Under these proposals to raise the bar hardly a single MP in the UK would have been allowed to take up their seats. It's one law for the political class and one law for the working class in a move that has echoes of a right-wing South American dictatorship.

"The idea that Boris Johnson has been called in to advise after dealing with RMT on the tube is incredible. Our members on Tube Lines will be out on strike again next week as they stand up for jobs and safety.

"This is a declaration of war on the Trade Union Movement and our response will be robust as we lay down plans for co-ordinated and generalised industrial and community action against the cuts."

RMT sounds safety alarm over 40% transport cuts

TRANSPORT UNION RMT today raised serious safety fears over rail maintenance as it emerged over the weekend that the transport budget is being lined up for cuts of up to 40% as the ConDem government tightens the screw on public spending.

RMT is warning that the scale of cuts being planned will savage maintenance and renewals work dragging the railways back to the chaotic and lethal conditions under the Railtrack regime that led to the Potters Bar and Hatfield tragedies.

The procurement of new rolling stock is being scrapped, fares are set to increase by up to 10% and developments like high speed and electrification are being shelved.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

"With cuts of up to 40% in the transport budget we are looking at thousands of job losses amongst the staff who operate and maintain services with dire consequences for passenger safety as corners are cut. It is crystal clear that modernisation and upgrade works will be axed with high speed, electrification and Crossrail all on the butchers block.

"With the government also planning to raise fares by up to 10% it doesn't take a genius to see that the state-funded racket of rail privatisation is being protected from the scorched-earth economics of the the ConDems.

"The public will be forced to pay through the nose to travel on condemned and crowded trains on creaking and dangerous track while the private rail companies are laughing all the way to the bank."

Pay research

Latest research out on the subject of staff pay indicated that increasing peoples pay, giving them more money didn't make them happier. It tended to do the opposite and make the unhappier. Here are two takes on it from different perspectives.

RMT’s Bob Crow calls for “generalised strikes and community direct action”

SPEAKING TO delegates at transport union RMT's annual conference in Aberdeen today, General Secretary Bob Crow will issue a "call to arms" to the entire Labour and Trade Union Movement and communities under attack for a "sustained campaign of generalised strikes across both the public and private sectors and community direct action to defend public services in the teeth of the fiscal fascism being unleashed by this ConDem government."

Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary, will say:

"This ConDem administration has thrown down the biggest challenge to the Trade Union Movement since Margaret Thatcher took on the National Union of Mineworkers. I have no hesitation in saying that it will take general and co-ordinated strike action across the public and private sectors to stop their savage assault on jobs, living standards and public services.

"The Trade Unions must form alliances with community groups, campaigns and pensioners organisations in the biggest show of united resistance since the success of the anti-poll tax movement. Waving banners and placards will not be enough – it will take direct action to stop the Cameron and Clegg cuts machine.

"We have a right wing Tory Government propped up by a Liberal Party that has binned every commitment that it gave to voters in the run up to the election in order to grab power. That's why we say this administration has no mandate for its cuts and that's why we argue that bulldozing through their austerity measures amounts to fiscal fascism. It was zombie capitalism that dragged us into this mess and our people should not be made to pay to clear it up.

"The Trade Unions can only fight these attacks from the front foot. We have a Government of millionaire public school boys who are determined to rule by fear – fear of losing your job, fear of losing your home and fear of losing your benefits and the public services that you rely on.

"RMT says don't fear them, fight them. Our Trade Union has a slogan, "never on our knees", and from Aberdeen we want those words to ring out on the Millionaires Row of Clegg and Cameron. They started this fight with the working class and we are up for it."

REORGANISATION, TRACK RENEWALS (EXCL. PLANT) - AMEYCOLAS JOINT VENTURE

Our Ref: BR4/15/4

30^th June 2010

Dear Colleague,

REORGANISATION, TRACK RENEWALS (EXCL. PLANT) – AMEYCOLAS JOINT VENTURE

I write to inform you that the RMT have entered into a formal 90-day consultation period following the shocking and disappointing announcement that the AmeyColas Joint Venture are proposing the loss of 170 of the 540 posts. In relation to the Track Grades this will mean a staggering reduction of 60% from 228 posts to just 90. The affected Track workers depots will be Bletchly, Bristol, Doncaster, Newport, Saltley and Alpha Tower and Swindon. The remaining 32 redundancies will be spread over other various departments.

Regional Organiser, Brendan Kelly, attended a meeting last week with senior representatives from AmeyColas and they stated that the main rationales behind these proposals are as follows;

• Network Rail imposed efficiently savings of 21%.
• High output contract now capped at fixed rate of £118k/ckm (10% below current operating cost).
• The Conventional (R24) contract is now capped at 10% below 2009/10 levels.
• The rate that the JV gets paid will drop a further 20% in 11/12.

This is clearly not only an attack on jobs but also on pay and conditions. The Joint Venture will not be able to manage their current workload with their newly proposed staffing levels and so inevitably will increase their use of sub-contractors on worse pay and conditions. The company have also made it very clear that they will be seeking to change the present terms and conditions with a view to making the workforce 'more flexible'. Historically such developments have always been to the detriment of the employee.

Your union does not endorse any compulsory redundancies and these proposals are being taken very seriously. However, in all employment matters I expect the Company to adhere to the PTR&R (Promotion, Transfer, Redundancy & Promotion), which can be viewed in the Pay and Conditions database in the Members' area of the RMT website (www.rmt.org.uk).

With a view to being prepared for all eventualities I ask that you contact the RMT Helpline on 0800 376 3706 to confirm your employment and personal details. It is also important that all current local reps and Safety reps contact the Bristol regional office on 0117 925 5018 with their current details. Alternatively you can contact the full time officer Brendan Kelly on 07815 967 675 or email on b.kelly@rmt.org.uk

This would also be a beneficial time for any of your colleagues who are not members of the RMT to join, always remember that there is strength in numbers, and I ask that you encourage them to join, either by phoning the Helpline or seeing the RMT website.

Yours sincerely

Bob Crow

General Secretary