Union Grows after Cutting Labour Ties
Worker Independence | 30.06.2004 00:25
The biggest rail workers’ union has increased its membership by more than 3,000 since being thrown out of the Labour Party, it was revealed today.
By Alan Jones, Industrial Correspondent, PA News
The biggest rail workers’ union has increased its membership by more than 3,000 since being thrown out of the Labour Party, it was revealed today.
The Rail Maritime and Transport Union now has over 70,000 members and is one of the few trade unions in the country which is growing.
General Secretary Bob Crow also estimated that fewer than 300 RMT members were in the Labour Party.
The union is planning to take legal action to challenge a decision by Labour that it had effectively disaffiliated itself because it was giving financial support to other political parties.
The RMT, which left Labour in February, is still sending affiliation cheques to the party but they are being returned.
Mr Crow, speaking at his union’s annual conference in Portsmouth, accused Labour of “totally shutting down” democracy within the party.
“The only argument they have left is that everyone should unite because otherwise it will let Michael Howard in.”
Mr Crow also urged the TUC to become more “robust” in its campaigning and said many of his members were questioning the relevance of the trade union centre.
“Instead of sitting back and waiting for something to happen they should lead from the front. They have to change their stance. We have had seven years of a Labour Government and they have gone along with partnership but have lost hundreds of thousands of members.
“The TUC believes that if you are as nice as pie to the employers they will give you better pay and conditions.”
The union’s president Tony Donaghey told the conference that the days of “blind loyalty” from workers to a Labour Government had gone.
The biggest rail workers’ union has increased its membership by more than 3,000 since being thrown out of the Labour Party, it was revealed today.
The Rail Maritime and Transport Union now has over 70,000 members and is one of the few trade unions in the country which is growing.
General Secretary Bob Crow also estimated that fewer than 300 RMT members were in the Labour Party.
The union is planning to take legal action to challenge a decision by Labour that it had effectively disaffiliated itself because it was giving financial support to other political parties.
The RMT, which left Labour in February, is still sending affiliation cheques to the party but they are being returned.
Mr Crow, speaking at his union’s annual conference in Portsmouth, accused Labour of “totally shutting down” democracy within the party.
“The only argument they have left is that everyone should unite because otherwise it will let Michael Howard in.”
Mr Crow also urged the TUC to become more “robust” in its campaigning and said many of his members were questioning the relevance of the trade union centre.
“Instead of sitting back and waiting for something to happen they should lead from the front. They have to change their stance. We have had seven years of a Labour Government and they have gone along with partnership but have lost hundreds of thousands of members.
“The TUC believes that if you are as nice as pie to the employers they will give you better pay and conditions.”
The union’s president Tony Donaghey told the conference that the days of “blind loyalty” from workers to a Labour Government had gone.
Worker Independence
Comments
Hide the following 8 comments
Member numbers
30.06.2004 08:56
The Trade Union movement has emerged from the dark days of the 1970s as a more inclusive group which concentrates on the real needs of its members not as a political or social engineering platform or for its leaderships.
We now view strike action as a failure not an aim.
Rail worker
Rail Union
30.06.2004 09:57
The Trade Union Movement nearly banckrupted this country during the Winter of Discontent and that directly led to the Union Laws that followed. If we had worked with management to solve issues we would have emerged a strongr country with better working conditions for all.
Former Railwayman
whose posting now!
30.06.2004 10:20
but see my new post on the smearing of left winger Mick Rix.
union guy
RightWingRevisionistShitbag.com
30.06.2004 10:32
Funny me, I seem to remember that it was the Tory government, 'cos it hated to see a strong trade union movement and hated the working class!
And this "Winter of Discontent" myth. Use you actual memory, rather than the right wing media's 'convenient' version of events. Was it really that bad? Was Britain *really* on the verge of collapse?
Or was it a convenient pretext for aforesaid Tory government (which never really gained a secure majority until after the Falklands) to hammer the unions - which they were going to do anyway!
If some of the above posters are genuine trade unionists, then they should be bloody ashamed of themselves...
Reality is a little different from 'The Sun Says'
Reality is a little different from 'The Sun Says'
30.06.2004 10:55
Middle Class students having a bit of fun before going to work in "Marketing" we don't need. bugger off back to the student bar to tell your mates all about "The Revolution"
Rail Worker
Hello again, faker
30.06.2004 11:40
Ian
Fuck you ,"rail worker"
30.06.2004 12:02
You've no fucking idea what class I'm from or what I do. But 'cos people disagree with your reactionary bullshit (which is about as pro-worker as fucking Blair) they are all 'middle class students.'
As for marketing - where the fuck did that come from?
Address me on the issues, not your own paranoid fantasies, shit-for-brains.
Now go and play on the track.
Real worker
figures correct, RMT is recruiting
01.07.2004 12:33
RMT:
trade unionist