26.10.1995

Aslef leader accused of corruption

THE FOOTPLATE Campaign Group, the rank and file organisation within the Aslef train drivers’ union, has made some very serious allegations in issue 7 of its newsletter. The main allegation is that Aslef general secretary Lew Adams has been conducting secret meetings with the British Rail Board during the recent pay dispute and “has also negotiated a deal with the BRB that fundamentally alters the structure of our union and ceases accountability.”

The Footplate Campaign Group continues:

“At present the general secretary, the assistant general secretary and district secretaries are paid by Aslef, but if they fail to get re-elected they go back to driving trains. What Adams has got the BRB to do is issue an ultimatum to Aslef that all full-time officials should either be permanently employed by the union or driving trains full-time on British Rail. If the full-time officials decide to be employed by Aslef, they must then resign from BRB.

“But this is the corruption. They will be paid large redundancy settlements and then a huge wage by Aslef ... It should have started at the end of July but was suspended due to our industrial action. These redundancy payments were kept quiet and our strike put it all in jeopardy.

“Under the arrangements Adams, Tony West and four district secretaries stand to make between £40,000 and £50,000 out of the deal. Two district secretaries stand to make between £25,000 and £35,000, with only one receiving between £8,000 and £10,000. Then they will carry on in their full-time, well-paid Aslef jobs” (Footplate Campaign Group newsletter 7).

These allegations are extremely serious and help to shed light on why the disputes were so quickly called off, despite both British Rail and London Underground Limited drivers voting in second ballots to reject these companies’ offers and continue the strikes.

It does not however tell the whole story. The campaign group ignores the role of the executive committee and the politics of appeasement of the Blairite supporters within Aslef. It calls for the resignation of Adams and other officials, and for the EC to investigate. This is like asking the accused to prosecute and judge their own case.

What is needed is an independent labour movement enquiry to report back to a recalled conference.

Aslef driver, Manchester