21.12.1995

French lessons for railworkers

Rail Maritime and Transport train crew members are set to strike for 24 hours on Friday December 22 and again on January 3 at Manchester Piccadilly and Hull.

Manchester is demanding the reinstatement of the four sacked Piccadilly Local Departmental Committee reps. They were sacked four years ago when they organised a walkout over a rostering dispute.

Despite an instant walkout, RMT sent their members back and took the case to an industrial tribunal. Management made fools of themselves at the tribunal. Ivor Warborton, now managing director of Inter City West Coast even admitted on oath that it was management’s policy to provoke disputes to set union activists up for sacking.

The tribunal, unsurprisingly, found in favour of the LDC and recommended reinstatement.

Hull is also demanding the reinstatement of a guard who was sacked for having time off after he was assaulted on the train he was working on. They are not waiting for a tribunal decision but taking action now.

Both disputes are symptomatic of the drive to break the union prior to privatisation. Already the first major sale, Rail Express Systems to Wisconsin Transportation, an American anti-union firm, has resulted in threatened job losses.

The problem with both disputes is their isolation. Management will be able to utilise Aslef drivers as guards and run limited services. The answer is for the disputes to be linked and spread.

The railworkers in France have shown that determined action can defeat an aggressive management backed by government.

Aslef driver in Manchester