The RMT leadership has now launched its campaign against privatisation, through the 'Better Rail Campaign'. Nowhere in the document from the Excentive does it mention industrial action. It is one thing to recognise the need to build a broad based public campaign which draws on the support of users, environmentalists and so on, but a campaign of protest which simply concentrates on Parliament will not stop privatisation.
Al the 1992 union AGM, the leadership did not oppose an amendment which called for national industrial action. It was passsed unanimously. But Knapp made it clear that he would not take this resolation seriously. The sponsored MPs, he told us, would seck to move a series of amendments to the Bill along the lines of introducing "safeguards" to protect the national network, rural services and so on. "If at the end of the day all else fails" " he said, "then we would have to consider industrial action".
In reality, of course, a government which is prepared to take the lunatic decision to massacre the coal industry is not subject to reasoned persuasion. A serious campaign which aims to stop privatisation requires preparation for strike action now. If we wait until the Bill goes through it will be impossible to fight privatisation on a piecemeal, localised basis as cach unit is sold off.
What is needed is strike action to demand that the Bill is thrown out. It is clear that this will mean challenging the anti-union legislation since such action is liable to be declared illegal in the courts. The only allernative to such a course is protest, after which the Bill will go through and the railways carved up.
If the privatisation goes through it will certainly be a failure which will create immense political problems for the government as much of their own base of support will be adversely affected. Nevertheless, the unions will be faced with a long road back. Our organisation will be broken up and the workforce subject to the dictates of management which will undoubtedly worsen our conditions of services as well as our wages. Membership will fall, worsening the financial crisis of the RMT resulting from decline of its membership.
Such national strike action is undoubtedly a tall order,
not because it would be impossible to convince the members to strike, but because the union leadership will resist such action. It is necessary therefore to organise the ranks to press the union to organise action.
However, pressure is mounting on the whole trade union leadership in the light of the coal crisis. If they are to be seen lo stand by, impotent in the face of probably 100,000 job losses, they recognise that this would be a huge blow to their miserable credibility.
Action must be organised now. If the pit closures go ahead, railworkers and others will pay the cost in job losses, in a fractured industry, and in a steep decline of our unions.
Branches and District Councils should organise joint meetings with the NUM. Unity House must be flooded with demands for strike action.
Table 1.
Passenger Transport In Great Britain 1980-90 Thousand million passenger kilometres 1980 1985 1990 Buses and coaches 45 42 41 Cars and Taxis 395 4.39 561 MotorCycles 8 8 7 Pedal Cycles 5 6 5 Rail 35 36 41 Air 3 (Source: Department of Transport)
Table 2 Freight Commodities Carried by Rail 1980-90 Million Tons 1980 1985 1990 Coal and coke 911 65.9 14.9 Metals 13.00 14.1 18.4 Construction Materials 15.9 16.6 21.9 Other 30.5 25.4 25.9 Total 153.5 122.0 141.1 (Source: Department of Transport)
1985 Figures affected by Miners' strike. •
Table 3.
Railway Operations.
1987 1988 1989 1990 - 88 - 89 - 90 - 91 Passenger Journeys (million) 727 764 758 763 Passenger -km 33,141 34,322 33,648 33,191 (million)
Freight Trattic 144 150 143 138 (nullion tonnes)
Trainload & Wagon- 17,466 18,103 16,742 15,986 load Traffic (mill net-tonne km)
Assets at end of period:
Locomotives 2,270 2,180 2,095 2.030 HST power units 197 197 197 197 Other coaching units 14,648 14,258 13,833 13,631 Freight vehicles 28,884 21,927 21,970 20,763 Stations (including 2,554 2,596 2,598 2,615 freight & parcels)
koute open for 16,663 16,598 16,588 16,584 traffic (km)
Source British Railways Board Quoted in HMSO l'amphlet "Transport and Communications"