29.08.1996

Railworkers... One union, One fight

As the London underground dispute ends and strikes on the rail network look like escalating, media commentators continue to insist that it is all the fault of sinister ‘red’ union leaders

If you were to believe television and newspaper reports, you could be forgiven for thinking that the trouble on the tubes and the railways has no connection at all with workers’ grievances, but should all be put down to the “intransigent, hard left” leaders of the RMT rail union.

Almost half of the RMT’s general grades executive are members of the Socialist Labour Party, and so can have considerable influence on the conduct of these disputes. Potentially the SLP could play a coordinating role in actions where its members are at the head of the unions concerned, and could attempt to raise these struggles onto the political plane, against the capitalist system itself.

Unfortunately however, media allegations have been more to do with making anti-worker propaganda than reflecting reality. It is true that, when compared to the leaders of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, the RMT has appeared like a shining beacon. But Aslef’s role has been a completely negative one.

Before the underground workers’ ballot which led to management imposing a pay-cutting settlement on the drivers, Aslef released full-time officials to persuade all its tube members that they should accept the deal. The agreement conceded a 35-hour week after two years in exchange for three consecutive pay rises at two percent below inflation. Aslef members eventually voted two to one to accept the proposals, whereupon London Underground implemented them for all drivers, although RMT members had voted three to one to reject them. Overall there was a clear majority against accepting.

Ken Osifuwa, assistant secretary of Finsbury Park RMT, told the Weekly Worker that the Aslef line had disillusioned the members, which resulted in a low turnout in the ballot. “We shouldn’t let management divide us,” he said. “For example, station staff are not treated equally. There was no claim for a 35-hour week for them.”

Some militants were also critical of RMT leaders. Immediately after the ballot result, the feeling among RMT drivers was that the union should go it alone, a view which was opposed by EC member Pat Sikorski, the SLP general secretary. One driver said: “The right thing to do would have been to go ahead. The strike would have been very uneven, but on lines where RMT members are in a majority the action would have been effective.”

RMT leaders ignored their members’ wish to fight on and called off the action after claiming to have won concessions from management. However a London Underground spokesperson said that the deal was exactly the same as that signed by Aslef. “They have finally seen sense,” he said.

On the ‘overground’ guards are demanding rostered breaks instead of having to be content with the current ‘opportunity breaks’. They are also demanding compensation for past productivity improvements. At present the disputes are limited to the British Rail rump of non-privatised companies, although they look like spreading to most of the 25 train operators.

Here too workers are divided by union allegiance. John Macdonald, RMT rep at Manchester Picadilly said that there was “100% support for the action”. Management has been using Aslef drivers, previously qualified as guards, to step in and allow some trains to run. Although the RMT protests, Aslef leaders say that management is perfectly entitled to employ their members as guards. “It is a scabbing position,” one Aslef driver told me. “They are just not willing to challenge the law.”

Workers need to take the initiative themselves to cut through these divisive attitudes. Joint committees ought to be formed in every area, forcing reluctant officials to drop their sectionalism and take steps towards one united union. If this does not happen, workers will never be able to win advances even on a trade union level, let alone forge the necessary political challenge to the bosses.

The SLP is in a prime position to be in the forefront of that fight.

Alan Fox