Rail, Maritime and Transport workers' union elections
"John Prescott, an RMT member, is dishing out worse conditions than those imposed by the the Tories"
Over the next four months the Rail & Maritime, Transport workers Union (RMT) will be holding elections for its General Secretary, RMT National Executive member Greg Tucker is challenging Jimmy Knapp for this position, Socialist Outlook interviewed him.
SO: What do you think is the key challenge facing the union over the next year?
GT: The core of our members' work on what was British Rail. They are now divided up into over one hundred privatised companies. The key to our future is developing an industrial strategy that reunites rail workers and rebuilds our organisation in the face of this attack
We have attempted to do this over the last few months in one sector with a series of linked infrastructure company disputes. Rather than wait for the inevitable attacks on our members' jobs and conditions we have put forward our own demands and mobilised our members around them.
Whilst we have been successful in some companies our fight has shown just how poorly organised we are in others. It is clear that, with a firm display of leadership, our members are prepared to stand up and fight. But as a Union we have failed to deliver to our full potential. Far too often our representatives have been cautious and bowed to management pressure. Members have realised this and reacted accordingly. Without confidence in their leaders they have lacked the will to risk a battle.
Elsewhere, on the buses, among lorry drivers and our catering members we face a range of threats, from de-recognition of the Union, personal contracts and the introduction of self-employment.
Some areas have been seriously neglected. Red Star members, for instance, have had a wage freeze for some years and pay cut this year. Their jobs have been franchised off into a myriad of small independent units. A strike this week has led to management threats to sack every union member taking action.
SO: What changes do you think need to make in the way the union functions to take forward these battles?
GT: Defending our members requires a root and branch reorganisation of the Union. We need a national leadership prepared to throw its weight behind members' aspirations. Far too often national officials are content merely to contain the members' wishes. They want an easy life, safe to enjoy the privileges they obtain from members' subs.
This is partly to be addressed by putting all officials' positions up for election every five years. But it also needs a fundamental change in the political climate inside the Union.
We must ensure we recruit and organise an absolute majority of transport workers
In each company we need to ensure that our members have the representatives they deserve. Not ones that just kow-tow to management, but reps prepared to organise resistance. This means instituting a more thorough democratic process to ensure the members' can choose who they want to represent them - and a rigorous education process so their reps have the necessary tools to do the job they are entrusted to do.
In the face of new privatised companies trying to undermine our organisation it means finding resources to ensure we recruit and organise an absolute majority of transport workers. This is not about gimmicks such as trade union credit cards - but a serious approach to convince every worker that being a trade union member is in their direct interests; that our collective strength can deliver real victories.
SO: So what stance do you think the RMT should take towards the government?
GT: However well we organise the shop floor, a range of problems can only be resolved with government intervention. For instance, our shipping members are fighting to protect themselves from attacks from ruthless employers such as P&O. A political solution to the problems of the maritime industry is necessary. But the government is busy cosying up to the same employers, offering them subsidies, grants etc. even while they make our members redundant.
Our industrial strategy has to be linked to a broader political strategy for dealing with the transport industry. RMT members had great hopes for the new Labour government. Whilst they had few illusions that our problems would be solved overnight they expected to see progress on bringing the rail industry back into public hands, that a prioritised integrated transport policy would deal with the effects of bus de-regulation.
Instead, they have seen Tony Blair fawning over Richard Branson and other private companies bosses and now planning to privatise London Underground as well. To their horror LUL members are discovering that John Prescott, an RMT member, is dishing out worse conditions than those imposed by the Tories on British Rail workers.
Whilst Prescott likes to talk about introducing a new tougher regulatory regime for the rail industry it is clear that the government will be content to allow the operating franchises to be renewed. Progress on a dramatically watered down transport White Paper is threatened in case it upsets New Labour's Tory constituency.
RMT members rightly feel let down by the Labour government - but we have no excuse when we place no pressure on the government to act any differently.
Despite clear Union policy on these matters, very little has been done nationally to press our demands. It has been left to the local LUL leadership to develop any strategy opposing privatisation. Knapp has refused to do anything that might upset his relationship with John Prescott and the RMT's sponsored MPs. Our Annual General Meeting in June demanded that our MPs support Union policy. We are still waiting for anything to be done to implement this.
Some members think we should just walk away from Labour. Rather, we need to be mobilising our members to make the government clearly aware of the price they will pay in ignoring our wishes.
SO: What are the key issues the TUC should be fighting around? What role do you think the RMT should play in assisting this?
GT: In as much as the Left in the Union has been able to develop Union policy, we have been one of the few Unions presenting any sort of fight. But we cannot continue to fight alone. It is important, as a Union that we work to force the whole of the movement to stand up and fight. The TUC must be pushed to oppose all anti-union laws, not just to accept what crumbs Peter Mandelson is prepared to offer as part of "Fairness At Work".
The Liverpool Dockers and others over the last years and the Jubilee Line electricians today have shown that it is possible to fight, irrespective of the legal restraints. Instead of repudiations and sell-outs we need a movement prepared to fight to defend all its members from attack, whether their disputes are "legal" or not. Instead of trying to "negotiate" 'some improvements to government policies on such items as a minimum wage and continued privatisation we need a TUC prepared to mobilise the strength of our movement in favour of the interests of working people.
SO: What do you think will happen if there are no changes in the direction of the union?
GT: At the moment, it often appears that rather than represent the wishes of Union members our leadership is more concerned abut how things will look to their friends in the leadership of the TUC and Labour Party. That cannot be allowed to continue.
Years of decline under the Tories have taken their toll. The RMT is far weaker than it was, with only a third of the members it had in the 1970's.
This is not only because of drastic changes in the transport industry; we no longer can rely on a closed shop delivering 100% membership for us. In some areas we are now a minority union. We have been forced to slim down our apparatus, so delivering a poorer service to members.
We need to continue to wage a fight for the unity of all rail workers in one union
The very survival of the Union is still threatened by financial problems. Despite interminable discussions about internal restructuring nothing seems to get done to actually solve this crisis. The Union appears incapable of making the necessary changes to ensure its survival.
Things must change. Forget the gimmicks of the TUC's Recruitment Academy, the Union needs to go out and organise in every workplace, showing through its actions that it is worth joining. We have to change the way we operate so that our members have a direct stake in our future. Not as some remote body but as something they feel part of.
That means:
increasing investment in educating our activists and developing the practical services we deliver
putting resources into dealing with the everyday issues our members confront and cutting away at the bureaucratic apparatus
dealing with our financial crisis by targeting our resources where they are really effective.
The RMT is proud of its heritage as the "industrial" union for transport workers. We have always rejected any hint of craft mentality. Despite all our difficulties with the other rail unions the clear need for unity has never been more obvious. We need to continue to wage a fight for the unity of all rai1 workers in one union and for all transport workers to organise together.
The RMT faces major challenges ahead. Now more than ever it needs a determined leadership prepared to develop a fighting strategy, industrially and politically.