URGENT REMINDER: Save Our Ticket Offices March Thursday 5pm onwards

 

From the RMT

RMT members, supporters and campaign groups will march on Parliament and Downing Street on Thursday to save our ticket offices.

They will be joined by passenger groups and disability rights campaigners ahead of the consultation on the future of ticket, offices, closing on September 1.

 

There have been up to half a million responses with the overwhelming majority showing support for RMT‘s campaign.

 

Train operating companies alongside the government are seeking to close up to 1000 ticket, offices and slash 2300 jobs from stations around the country.

 

The demonstration and rally by the union and campaigners will mark the next phase of the campaign. We shall see, increase lobbying of MPs and possibly further industrial action.

 

RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch said: 

 

“We are sending a clear message to the government and profiteering rail operators that our ticket offices must not be closed.

 

“The campaign to save our ticket offices has amassed widespread public support and forced an extension of the consultation.

 

“However, our campaign will continue beyond the consultation deadline.

 

“We need to pressure politicians in every constituency and to highlight the critical role that ticket offices and station staff play in supporting passengers of every type to reach their destinations.

 

“Closing ticket offices will lead to the widespread de-staffing of stations and make the railways inaccessible to thousands of disabled, vulnerable and elderly passengers.

 

“We will not quietly sit back and allow this to happen.

 

“Our members will continue their industrial campaign to save their jobs and to protect railway passengers.”

 

Creativity and solidarity come together in today's Great Strike March in London

 

 Despite the tube strike striking workers from across the country including teachers, junior doctors, civil servants, university lecturers and tube workers came together today for a high spirited and creative march and rally in London.

The video above gives just a taste of  magnificent day.

Here is a parade of the placards that were on display.

 

 

STRIKES: Solidarity actions and locations this week - from information provided by Brent TUC

From Brent Trades Council

 

LOCATIONS

TOMORROW

 

 

Brent Council undermines Aslef & RMT strikes with special car park in a Fryent Country Park field during Coldplay concerts on strike days

 Readying the car park early this morning

Dawn Butler and Barry Gardiner on the picket line today

Hard to get my head round this. Labour activists tweeted their presence on Aslef picket lines this morning as they joined RMT strikers and Barry Gardiner and Dawn Butler on the picket line.

Meanwhile however, Brent Council was setting up a temporary cara park in a field in Fryent Counrty Park, Wembley and directing Coldplay fans to the Stadium.

Cllr Saquib Butt, a man with many hats, was extolling the virtues of the Council's money making strike breaking on Facebook last night. Saquib is the brother of council leader Muhammed Butt.

This is what he said:

FRYENT PARK **Important information**

Hi all,

 

We have received notification from Brent Council that our partners, Wembley Stadium connected by EE have sought the support of the Council in making the event field at Fryent Park available for customer parking on four upcoming dates as below:

 

13th August – ASLEF strike action affecting National Rail services only

This has a direct clash with the Coldplay concert on 13th August and an indirect clash with the Coldplay concert on 12th August (skeletal services operating / cessation of services on the 12th August in preparation for the strike)

 

18th August – RMT strike action affecting National Rail services only

This has an indirect clash with the Coldplay concert on 17th August (skeletal services operating / cessation of services early on the 17th August in preparation for the strike)

 

19th August – RMT strike action affecting the London Underground network and impacting National Rail services in Wembley

The direct clash with the Coldplay concert on the 19th August has resulted in a change of date to 21st August. This strike action has an indirect impact on the Coldplay concert on 20th August if LU services are not resumed to a full and good service.

 

20th August – RMT strike action affecting National Rail services only

This has a direct clash with the Coldplay concert on 20th August and an indirect clash with the rescheduled Coldplay concert on 21st August (skeletal services operating / slow resumption of services – Chiltern Rail have also confirmed engineering works and no National Rail service from Wembley Stadium station)

 

The event field is available for use on a commercial basis to host events that are proposed by the community or event organisers. We charge a fee for this and hold deposits to account for any grounds damage and the need for reinstatement. Damage to the fabric of the park would always be a key consideration but we are satisfied the recent hot and dry weather will mean the ground is strong enough to withstand the parking without any risk of damage.

 

The Council will benefit from a rental income and the proceeds of the parking sales will go to the ‘Best in Class’ fund that supports event day joint operations.

 

As always, please do reach out to us for any concerns/issues and we will arrange for a response as necessary. 

 

Our contact details can be found here:

Cllr Saqib Butt : https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=12945

Cllr Shama Tatler : https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=8853

Cllr Sandra Kabir : https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=396

Cllr Butt answered residents' queries and made no bones about the fact that this was a reaction to the strikes:

Saqib Butt

Author

Hi Jay , the stadium manages fine on normal event days when there are no strikes. This situation has only arisen due to the travelling public not being able to use the trains etc.

Save Our Stations Public Rally Tonight

Leon Brumant

Yesterday I heard the sad and shocking news of the death, far too young, of Leon Brumant. Leon was an anti-racist campaigner and trade unionist with his roots firmly in the local community and  the movement.

Friends have set up a Memorial Page on Facebook:

RIP Leon Brumant, he brought life to every individual he encountered and this is a dedication to him. Please leave your thoughts on this page for him

My sympathy goes out to his young family, friends and comrades.

Resisting the Trade Union Bill Meeting Tomorrow

Natalie Bennett's message of solidarity to tube and rail strikers

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Last year's strike notice

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has expressed support for the rail and Tube strikes. The Rail and Maritime Transport union have begun a three-day walkout after a dispute with First Great Western over job cuts and safety, while around 2,000 London Underground workers are on strike today.

Bennett said:

“I stand in solidarity with the workers striking this week. These strikes are the last resort of workers seriously concerned over issues of safety, staffing and pay, and it is clear that employers in both cases have failed to provide the reasonable assurances that their employees have the right to ask for.

"In any significant change to services and the conditions of those who work on them - be it the night Tube or the new inner-city trains - the needs of those who will be staffing them must be a high priority, and workers forced to take industrial action to ensure that this is the case have my support.”

RMT President to stand for the Greens in the General Election

The President of the RMT Union is to stand for the Green Party at this year’s general election.

Peter Pinkney, whose union represents more than 80,000 workers across Britain, will stand for the Green Party in Redcar, a constituency won by the Liberal Democrats at the last election. It is the first time that the Green Party has stood in the constituency and follows recent turmoil in the local Labour party which saw the resignation of ten councillors this year.

Pinkney said:

I spoke at the Green Party Conference in 2013, and I was impressed with the ideas that were being put forward. The ideas of the Greens resonated with a lot of my beliefs. Obviously the Greens commitment to bring railways back into public hands struck a chord, but also policies to invest in the NHS, build social housing, institute higher taxes for those who can afford it, and put forward progressive policies on immigration informed my decision to stand.

As a life long socialist, I could see that most of the policies were what the Labour Party once had, but those days are long gone with Labour.

Pinkney was elected as RMT President in December 2012 for a three year term. He spends much of his time in London working for the union but his home is in the Redcar constituency.

Though the Greens have not stood in Redcar before they expect to make an impact amid Lib Dem collapse and the splitting of the local Labour Party.

Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, said:

We’re delighted to announce Peter as our candidate in Redcar. Voters there, like their counterparts across the UK, are sick and tired of the business as usual politics offered by the establishment parties. We’re giving them a chance to vote for someone who will defend our NHS, campaign for publically owned railways and push for decent affordable housing for everyone who needs it.

Meanwhile Kingsley Abrams, who was supported by Unite and the Brent Labour Representation Committee for the Brent Central Labour nomination, has announced that he has left the Labour Party and will fight Southwark for TUSC.

Young Greens launch campaign to get young people organised

The Young Greens today launched their latest campaign 'Get Organised! Getting a new generation organised and unionised!' at a joint workshop with the Green Party Trade Union Group.

Speakers from the RMT, NUS, the Students' Assembly and the Green Party discussed the benefits of trade union membership and the need to convey these benefits to young people.

The RMT Young Members' group were keen to get into schools to talk to pupils about this as a part of citizenship education but had found schools resistant. I suggested that theatre in education, based on actual events such as the Grunwicks strike, could be a stimulating way of doing this.

There was also a discussion on reviving  the idea of  a School Students' Union  (something similar existed in the 70s)  that could give  school students experience of collective organisation and negotiation.

Greens strengthening links with trade unions

The NUT, RMT and PCS trade unions all have stalls at the Green Party conference this weekend. Max Hyde, President of the NUT , spoke at a fringe meeting organised by  the Union today, with Natalie Bennett  and Richard Hatcher guest speakers.

With the NUT's manifesto for  children's education 'Stand Up for Education' distributed, hot off the presses to a packed room, it soon became clear that the NUT and Green Party have much in common on education policies.

Both want an end to 'sausage factory' schooling and the dominance of testing, every teacher to be qualified,  restoration of LA powers to build new schools, an end to the fragmenting of the education system, halt to privatisation of education  and are opposed to performance related pay.

Tomorrow there will be a PCS speaker at a fringe on fuel poverty, the Big SIx power companies, and fracking.

There is an active Green Party Trade Union Group and a Trade Union Liaison Officer post was created last year. Both are busy building  links not just with national leaders of the unions but with  rank and file members.

The  policies of the Labour Party increasingly appear insipid in contrast to the strong anti-austerity social justice stance of the Greens.

I hope that our links and solidarity with trade unions will continue to strengthen ahead of the General election. As Max Hyde and Natalie Bennett both said, we won't agree on everything, but we are allies in the struggle.

Demonstration at Wembley Central Station Monday on behalf of sacked agency workers

RMT members will be demonstrating outside Wembley Central Station on Monday January 7th at 1pm. The demonstration is on behalf of 33 agency workers who were sacked just before Christmas. Tomorrow morning at 0650 the LBC breakfast show on 97.3 FM will be highlighting the campaign.

The 33  Trainspeople Agency workers had been employed on LUL contracts for the past 5 years According to the RMT they were denied applying for jobs that were available on LUL despite the agency workers regulations expressly forbidding this.

The RMT forecast a noisy and vibrant demonstration.

Information about the Trainspeople agency HERE