18.05.1995

No promises for workers

ON MAY 10 over 80 railworkers and members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union’s retired section turned up to seek guarantees from the shadow transport minister, Michael Meacher, concerning the future of the rail industry and the British Rail pension fund.

Speaker after speaker demanded complete renationalisation under a future Labour government and the guarantee that any form of legalised robbing of the pension fund by profiteering private sector sharks would be paid back in full by those self-same parasites.

Meacher made the appropriate noises, but he did not get where he is today by answering straight questions. He promised to try his best to “bring under public accountability” all sections of the railway which will be privatised and to do his utmost to safeguard the pension fund.

Of course these ‘guarantees’ are more full of holes than Rab Nesbitt’s vest, but it was a boost to some that Meacher even bothered to turn up to a working class gathering like this.

Bob Crowe, RMT assistant general secretary, roused the crowd, but the actual content of his speech was decidedly lacking. Whilst demanding that the railways be renationalised, he said he understood why Labour could not renationalise the likes of the gas, electric and steel industries because of the cost.

One question from the floor posed the possibility of a breakaway leftist party from Labour. Obviously none of the speakers agreed that this was a good idea, but it did find some sympathy in the crowd.

One thing became clear as the night drew to a close - workers would back Blair to get rid of the Tories. However when Labour is elected and it fails to deliver significant sops to the working class, communists must be ready to give the leadership required.

Steve David (RMT member, London)