Solidarity Federation

Catalyst #18

martinh — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:00:25 +0000

Tube worker warns of more conflict to come

Rob Ray — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:22:03 +0000

Andy, who is a health and safety rep at TFL-run Metronet, was ordered off the job at 3am in the morning – with no transport home - after a four hour grilling by management earlier this year, for his refusal to wear safety equipment when it wasn’t required because the company should have made the area he was working in safe enough.

Explaining his own verdict, Andy said: “They found me guilty on all counts, put me on a year’s warning, but that was suspended the next day and I was told it wouldn’t be put on my record. They realised there was a strength of feeling.”

“All the reps and activists in Metronet, TFL and that supported me. When I was suspended I was out round the branches and I got a lot of support. Lots of people were out talking about the issues and what happened to me and getting support. In terms of (the RMT) head office, I think they did a good job, came to all the meetings – though we did keep an eye on them. The union is small, and they didn’t have people allocated to saving my job so by and large I ran my own campaign.

“While I was suspended I didn’t sit around, I got around the offices and talked to people. But I’m glad, I think that’s a better way to do it if you know what you are doing. The left was very supportive of me and I was really pleased with that – though sometimes they didn’t check with me so some of what was written wasn’t helpful. Across the RMT there’s a lot of leftists, mainly trots, as people join to get involved in the industrial activity, and they did a lot of work and were very reliable.”

He is one of three reps who taken on by bosses after several major union successes, including three successful strike actions. In one case, a man was at a Metronet depot, picketing in support of striking cleaners when he was accused of threatening behaviour. In another case, a member was accused of intimidatory behaviour in meetings. Both cases were dropped after early intervention by the RMT.

Andy believes these recent cases are not isolated, and that recent changes to the rules could see more in future: “Since Metronet went into administration that can be seen as the turning point. They started parachuting Transport for London people in, particularly Paul Tullet and a couple of safety guys, and that’s when things started to get stiff.

“We have a good organising model and we have seen that in the last three disputes which we have won. At TFL there’s a lot more division but we want to expand our model across the business. I think there’s lots of reasons why they want to knobble us. They changed the rules now to try and catch people – if you go about your union duties you have to have written permission from your supervisor, explain what you are doing etc.

"But this means management talks can’t take place, as they don’t organise them in advance and tend to do it ad hoc. So if we can’t do these meetings without permission it opens us up to disciplinary proceedings. They want to normalise industrial relations, and to do that they want to discipline people. If they think they can get away with it, they’ll do it.”

The next big fight will be over pay for 2009 – which could potentially provide the flashpoint for London mayor Boris Johnson to try and fulfil his election pledge to break the tube unions.

“The next thing coming up is the pay talks for next year, and I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how that pans out.” Andy notes, “It coincides with that of London Underground and we think they’ll be wheeling out the mantra of accepting a pay cut as the only way forward. We don’t know which way things are going to go at TFL, it’s going to need reps and activists to organise.”

Rob Ray

London Underground union rep suspended for union activities

Alan — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:42:17 +0000

Andy Littlechild, a track worker at Metronet has been a rep for over 12 years. He is known for his complete dedication to the health, safety and welfare of all workers; Metronet employees and agency staff alike.

Foundation trusts: a guide for NHS workers

Jason Cortez — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:04:19 +0000

We all know that the NHS is undergoing a period of 'reform', but what is actually happening? And what does this mean for those of us who work within the NHS?

NHS Notional Health Service - The great health and social care swindle

Jason Cortez — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:56:16 +0000

Most of us at some point in our lives will use Health and Social care services, be they NHS, Local Authority, or private sector. Many of us also will be only too aware of the major funding crisis that exists, threatening many of the basic services we have taken for granted in the past.

Derailed: how the trains are in deep crisis

Jason Cortez — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:43:44 +0000

Anybody who has tried to organise a strike knows just how draconian Britain's anti-union laws are. First there is the nonsense of the compulsory postal ballot, conducted to a strict set of procedures to avoid a legal challenge.

Learning to live, teaching to fail

Jason Cortez — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:33:52 +0000

The modern school is a crucial instrument for maintaining and justifying continued hierarchy and privilege in today's society. But that doesn't mean we should reject the idea of schools as centres of learning.

Anarcho-syndicalism in Puerto Real from shipyard resistance to community control

Jason Cortez — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:49:36 +0000

Foreword
The recent struggle in and around the shipyards of Puerto Real, Spain, in both workplace and community, against threatened closure witnessed the anarcho-syndicalist union CNT playing both a prominent and decisive role.

A short history of British anarcho-syndicalism

Jason Cortez — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:16:28 +0000

Education Worker 2008 issue 2

Jason Cortez — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:01:21 +0000