Nothing moves at strike-bound Paddington By a railworker THE SIGNAL workers dispute remains solid amongst RMT members. But over the last three weeks Railtrack management have pressurised a number of supervisors and managers to work an extremely reduced service.
According to the RMT no more than 10 per cent of the usual passengers are travelling on strike days. In a handful of areas a near normal service is running but carrying few passengers.
But in most places it's a Mickey Mouse service at times and to places that no-one wants.
The strike is costing the railway companies 90 per cent of their usual revenue. It is estimated that the dispute has so far cost f45 million despite the fact that the settlement would cost a mere f5 million.
The union's tactics nationally have not been to encourage organisation on behalf of the signal workers.
Whilst the executive took the decision to organise the march, produce public leaflets, set up a strike fund, the bureaucracy has dragged its feet over implementing the decisions.
Its only now that things are being done and in most cases its been left to local branches. Instead the bureaucracy wants to keep hold of the reins.
Every signal worker has had a letter from Jimmy Knapp probably every week since the dispute started. Whilst there's a culture of passing messages between signal boxes they are isoJimmy Knapp They are still having to "learn' how to go on strike. In the past a days strike action was a 'holiday'. But now they are having to realise that this is a real fight and they have to ormanse to win One of the major issues concerning the RMT is the lack of safety. Under the new system Railtrack is responsible for approving the safety of its own staff with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) having an overview. The HSE asks Railtrack whether staff are competent and Ruiltrack decides Whether they are or not!
Pressure
The RMT knows that the workers responsible for judging competency are being put under extreme pressure to approve people.
An RMT official said "we know of examples where some managers have refused to pass people as competent and they've been passed by others instead.
There have been loads of examples of bad practice where its clear that the person in the box doesn't understand what they are doing".
One train driver said, 'Everyone feels very unhappy about working but have been forced to do so. On the first day of the strike I refused to work and was threatened with dismissal.
Whilst the union got that threat lifted it was only because they, the union instructed me to work. Although I had the support of other drivers, they weren't prepared to take similar action because their union had instructed them to work and report problems to health and satety executive afterwards".
Safety
Instead of relying on the HSE Railway inspectorate the RMT should rely on their own strength and support their drivers and guards in depots where the workforce wants to take action in defence of safety.
The importance of solidarity from the labour movement cannot be over estimated. The signal workers need messages of support and donations to the strike fund.
The union nationally has written to the Labour Party which still refuses to come out openly in support of the signal workers. This despite 40 per cent of poll commissioned by the party blaming the government for the dispute, 18 per cent blaring Railtrack and only 18 per cent the strikers.