Trade Unionists Take A Stand For Jobs, Pay, Pensions And Conditions

https://popularresistance.org/thousands-of-trade-unionists-take-a-stand-for-their-jobs-pay-pensions-and-conditions/





By Morning Star. July 28, 2022


MPs And Activists Show Solidarity With RMT And TSSA Members On The Picket Lines Throughout The Country.

The rail network was brought to a standstill today as thousands of RMT and TSSA members walked out over jobs, pay, pensions and other conditions.

RMT is in dispute with Network Rail and 14 train operators while TSSA is striking at Avanti West Coast.

Speaking from the Euston picket line, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the union had received an “inadequate” pay offer from Network Rail last week.

He said: “It’s a pay offer over three years which is nowhere near the rate of inflation.

“And the conditions that they wish to impose on that are not acceptable to the members.”

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes told Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to “get out of the way or get involved directly in talks. I don’t care which one it is, but unless he does that we’ve got no way to reach a settlement.”

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: “Despite our best efforts to find a breakthrough, I’m afraid there will be more disruption for passengers this week.”

MPs and activists from other unions showed their solidarity on picket lines throughout the country.

Shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at Euston, in defiance of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s orders for his front-bench team to stay away.

Asked by ITV’s Good Morning Britain if he expected to be sacked by Sir Keir, Mr Tarry said: “I’ve no idea what Keir will decide to do but I know this — if Keir was in government right now, this dispute wouldn’t be happening.”

However, the Ilford South MP was later sacked from the front bench.

A Labour spokesperson said: “This isn’t about appearing on picket lines. Members of the front bench sign up to collective responsibility. That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed front bench positions.”

Also at Euston, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “The degree of poverty pay within the rail industry is huge, and now the levels of job insecurity have grown as well.”

At Liverpool Lime Street Station, Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne said: “It’s massively important for me to be here. I’ve been a trade unionist all my life and I will always back workers.”

Fabrice Kabamba, who commutes to Walton-on-Thames from Waterloo Station, was one of many train passengers who voiced their support for the strike.

He said: “As an employee myself, struggling to pay bills, I can sympathise with them.”

Swedish football fans Rebecka Ronnegard and Felix Nystrom were delayed at Sheffield Station after watching the Euro 2022 semi-final on Tuesday.

Ms Ronnegard said: “I support the workers and I hope they can come to an agreement.”

Mr Nystrom said: “I definitely support the right to strike to reach a fair agreement.”

Mr Shapps, who has refused to intervene in the strike, wrote in the Telegraph that he wants to ban “strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period.”

He also wants a 60-day cooling-off period after each strike and guaranteed minimum service levels.

Union leaders blasted this new attack by Mr Shapps.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “If Grant Shapps had his way we would all still be in the workhouse.

“His intervention is just the latest in a growing list of political attacks on trade unions and the most fundamental rights held by working people.”

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Grant Shapps hasn’t lifted a finger to end this rail dispute.

“Instead of doing his job, he has been blocking an agreement and picking fights with unions.

“These proposals are an attack on the fundamental right to strike. They are anti-democratic and anti-worker.”

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The government wants to turn the clock back to Victorian times when children were sent up chimneys and working people ruthlessly exploited.

“Curbing the right of employees to strike would be the green light for a return to the worst workplace abuses of the past.”

Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “This hapless Conservative government is so mired in scandal and chaos, they refuse to do the job they’re paid for and sort this dispute out.”

Train drivers’ union Aslef announced today a one-day strike at nine train companies on Saturday August 13 after the firms’ failed to make a pay offer to help members keep pace with the increase in the cost of living.

Drivers are already set to strike this Saturday at seven companies and Aslef members at two more train companies, Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry, voted overwhelmingly for industrial action in a dispute over pay.