As we go to press RMT members on South West Trains look to be about to start four days of strikes. The dispute is two-fold – over pay and over victimisation of RMT activists.
A three to one ballot result, with an over 70% turnout, shows the strength of feeling of RMT members over pay. The company had offered a 4% pay rise to all non-driving staff – but given drivers an 11% increase.
They argued they needed to give drivers such a rise because of market forces. Whilst the other grades would not begrudge the drivers their increase they were damned if they were going to be left behind, with the company pleading poverty when it came to their pay award.
Over victimisation, a separate ballot of train crew saw a comfortable majority in favour of action to defend half a dozen activists picked off for disciplinary action by SWT over the last six months.
Key in this dispute is the treatment of Greg Tucker, drivers’ rep at Waterloo who was downgraded in August to a position as a ticket collector.
The membership have clearly indicated that they believe that he was targeted for his activism and that he cannot be allowed to be picked off in this way.
It is clear that SWT owners Stagecoach, at the highest level, decided to target Greg Tucker after the successful guards’ dispute in the spring of last year.
At that time Greg was a Socialist Alliance candidate in the general election and SWT were embarrassed by the publicity he achieved in his campaign.
Negotiations over the last week have failed to resolve the dispute and RMT members are committed to a strong campaign of action.
The four days, Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday, already called for strikes will hit SWT hard – the company reckons it will lose between £2 and £4 million per day in lost revenue.
The government has indicated it is desperate to get the strike called off, with the Transport Minister pressurising the union leadership to do so.
All the more reason why it is vital for socialists to weigh in with their support for the RMT action.
Stop press - the strikes were successful; 80 to 90% of SWT trains did not run on the strike days.