T UNITED RMT and CASIARI workers was magnificent. 2,000 RMT mem- unlawful bers defied the court ruling that had decided their strike was unlawful to join ASLEF picket lines bringing London Underground to a Whilst the strikes were subsequently suspended this is not the end. merely a f breathing space. RMT members are being re-balloted to try to their disAnd with the govern. ment backtracking on their deal with Kiley and Livingstone all the issues remain unresolved. The tube workers day of number of ways. Firstly it underlined the importance of unity between unions.
Under Mick Rix, ASLEF defeat changed direction. ( Previous General Secretary Lou Adams tried to "play the market" to benefit drivers at the expense of other workers.
Now ASLEF is opposing Prescott's Private Public possible. Without either RMT or ASLEF this dispute would have faltered. With unity on the picker lines the need for a single industrial election given concrete expression. law could be defied successfully. The 2,000 RMT mem- part bers who struck did so in the face of considerable pressure •n addition to the obligatory "repudiation" Knapp they were threatened with all sorts of disciplinary action up to the sack and jail time!
the was fined by the the threats lifted.
Again unity was the key. LUL senior managers drawn up a hit list of a dozen Roll activists they wanted to send to prison for COH tempt : injunction forced to back down because ASLEH refused to talk separately drivers.
It is important to understand the legal basis for blocking the RMT dispute. It was not Thatcher's anti- party" 1999 Employment Relations Vernon Act that was used to rule it that the RMT had not identified how many of its mem. paign. But bers were being called on to strike, by grade at every indi. escape route.
strike ballot This is another intolerable burden on the effective right to strike that threatens all 7135Y Labour's antilegal hurdles. union law!
Thirdly despite their subbacktracking, courtold, the fact that the government appeared to do a deal with Kiley and Livingstone La real for the run up W hatever our misgivings such companies have deal by Livingstone, tinuing it shows that it is possible to ways government. crisis. This message needs to be pressed home in the RMT its were made. other national dispute over rail safety being waged. million within On the picket lines themsolidarity from the was greeted warmly. The unfordivisions the because campaign are Solidarity with further tube strikes will clearly be a key work in London in the run up to the general election. have been squeezed.
The Socialist Allance work A around the re-nationalisation of the railways is already bearing fruit. At a recent national meeting of RMT not one of the hundred and twenty or so activists present was prepared to stand up t0 In contrast a number of the delegates had been out workwith the to sidetrack the dispute into railways taken away from people who have shown they are unfit to be trusted. discussions. RMT Assistant General Secretary, trince, going along with this, no doubt as his contribution to the Labour election rank and file opposition has blocked this up Railtrack, lookingsympahetically at their request for should be Four years ago that sort of immediate future - once some prelimi- was expensive pleted to overcome the new work has been com- nationalisation - it had to be The aim remains to try to link in with the tube dispute - at the latest, strike action May 3rd election date.
It is clear that action needs to be urgently called. In the to the general election the government is vul nerable and the operating been sericrashes as the raillurch from Crisis to In the first years of privatisation massive windia prot The managers who bought the rolling stock companies saw a profit of SI?
months of "investing" about £100,000 cach. Railtrack was making over El million a day in prof PrOTES increased they effectively stopped doing any real track renewal for two years.
But now the chickens have sengers have been frightened off by the sheer chaos of failing services the companies others, Virgin 2100 Stagecoach report • Railtrack appears to be technically insolvent: A national disnute now would hit the companies whilst You would have hoped that such a situation would have government implement its promises return the rauways to pubie ownership and control With a bankrupt Railtrack, Prescort: shosvlling cash into pockets of pricate rail operators targeted on schools and hospitals we were told Today the government can from it! giving Instead Labour is money over even share coming back into puboperating A strategy for securing the future of public rail transnort must now he develoned. to include i Concerted deemed mainline in defence of safety and against the effects of privatisation;
• A political campaign for hands off the tube and the immediate rail re-nationalithis sation (under workers and • Breaking with a Labour Party unwilling to take even basic measures to delend the rail industry and support for those industrial Alliance) who are prepared and to make the case for a pubproperly funded, integrated public