Workers' Liberty

The Railway Pensions Committee has produced its first report, having scrutinised submissions from trade unions, employers and government. In general, it is a summation of and commentary on those submissions with additional sections covering the historical and legal background.

Early July will see a conference to found a National Shop Stewards’ Network. Rank-and-file organisation like this is essential to making our unions more responsive to workers’ needs.

This initiative came from a conference hosted by RMT which discussed the crisis in working-class political representation.

It could be a major step forward in organising the rank and file to revitalise our unions the better to fight the employers and their incessant attacks.

Across the country, companies are steadily de-staffing our stations - and it is high time that the unions broke their silence and called a halt to it.

Many rural and small stations are now unstaffed, leaving no-one to sell tickets, help passengers, pass on service info or request special stop orders when previous trains are cancelled.

Employers replace human beings with central announcements and self-service machines; and replace directly-employed station staff with low-waged agency workers either on site or in call centres.

Network Rail is withholding bonuses from two groups of workers in an action of anti-union spite and scapegoating. As the company - supposedly 'not-for-profit' - reported record profits, NWR refused maintenance workers in the Grayrigg area their £400 bonus and docked £300 from Scottish signallers and supervisors who took strike action earlier this year.

In April, RMT called off strike action on Metronet after management capitulated. The union had demanded the Infraco drop its plan to transfer the employment of 49 Duty Depot Managers to Bombardier, one of its component companies. Metronet agreed not to go ahead with the transfer.

Trade unions are democratic bodies - unlike, say, employers! All have rule books which, though they could be improved, allow members to have a vote in electing their representatives and deciding policy. But not only do we need to improve union democracy, we must defend it against abuse. Examples:

Off The Rails supporters met on May 5th in Birmingham. Under the title “Making our unions fit to fight”, the meeting brought together activists from various disputes to share experiences and discuss how we could make the unions more effective and membership-led.

John McDonnell’s bid for the Labour Party leadership ended in May when he didn’t secure enough nominations from Labour MPs. After months of campaigning amongst grass roots Labour supporters and trade unionists, his bid hit the stops of others' moral cowardice and the power of patronage.

What do you get for working faster and harder than you need to? The sack - if you're on the GrantRail/TrackWork contract with TubeLines, that is.

They were working to a 7½ year contract, but it was subject to annual review, and was completed in 3½ years. So, in the brave new world of Public-Private Partnerships and sub-contracting, up to 70 workers may get not a bonus or a Thanks To You, but a P45.

Recently, Network Rail chief executive John Armitt received a total bonus package of more than £200,000; his deputy, Iain Coucher, more than £179,000; the other two executive directors £133,937. And that's just the bonuses! Last year, Network Rail's four most senior executives shared £1.1m in bonuses. Armitt got over £350,000, on top of his £500,000 salary. NR, a so-called 'not-for-profit' company, has just reported a pre-tax profit of £1billion.

Three months ago RMT guard reps on Central Trains decided to “suspend” industrial action over the company's new computerised rostering system, Crewplan. Click here for background.

London Underground has a hat-trick of attacks against us - Ticket Office closures, the new Rule Books, and the ongoing plan to privatise the East London Line. All attack our jobs and conditions, all cut standards for passengers, all are motivated by cost-saving and profit-making.

There are thousands of migrant workers on the railway, from cleaners to track workers. Most are under-paid and super-exploited, often working for dodgy contractors who use them to undermine other workers. But the answer is not for longer-serving, native British workers to resent African or Eastern European migrants or try to drive them out, but to unite with them, helping them to organise, to join our unions, and to win more pay, better conditions and real job security.