Disabled people and members

TfL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Trade Union Engagement Forum, 9 June 2021

Report from Janine Booth (RMT)

After a long break, the Forum met on Teams on 9 June 2021. Janine Booth and Glen Hart attended on behalf of RMT. ASLEF, TSSA and Unite were also present, but other TfL unions were not. This forum is separate from the collective bargaining machinery, but more sharing of information between them would be helpful.

RMT's London Transport region welcomes the news that the Home Office has rescinded the order to deport young, black, autistic man Osime Brown following his conviction under the unfair and racist 'joint enterprise' law.

It is important for trade unions to recognise and challenge injustice outside the workplace as well as in it. So when the union's disabled activists raised Osime's campaign, we agreed a resolution backing Osime and sent it to our National Executive.

RMT Disabled Members have issued the attached graphics, each of which quotes RMT policy on mental health. They emphasis that working conditions can be damaging to mental health, and that for better mental health, we need more than 'awareness' - we need to remove and reduce distress.

You can view and share these graphics online. And you can print them and display and distribute them at work.

Shocking rise in hate crimes toward disabled people on the rail network shows we need more staff on stations and trains says RMT

The shocking rising level of hate crime toward disabled people travelling on Britain’s railways is a wake-up call to the industry to stop the cost-cutting that has emptied staff from trains and stations said RMT General Secretary Mick Cash today.

New figures published by the Department for Transport have shown that hate crimes toward disabled people traveling on the rail network have risen by 24% in the last three years. (1)

[held via Zoom]

The meeting was chaired by our newly-elected Chair, David King, and attended by sixteen Committee members from around the country. Ian Allen attended from the National Executive, but the General Secretary did not attend or send a replacement or apologies.

We began by paying tribute to DMAC member Steve Conway, who had recently died. The meeting was silent for one minute.

NEC REPORT

Dear Colleague,

OSIME BROWN: URGENT ACTION

The union is supporting the campaign to stop the deportation of Osime Brown, a 21-year-old, black, autistic, learning-disabled man imprisoned on a 'joint enterprise' conviction for being present when a mobile phone was stolen. Osime has been given a date of 7 October for his release from prison into the custody of the immigration service in preparation for his deportation to Jamaica.  We have to act urgently.

Seven resolutions were passed on from DMAC to the NEC from their last meeting (you can read them here).  The following reports from the Equal Rights Sub-Committee were noted and adopted by the National Executive Committee (24^th July 2020):

DISABLED MEMBERS IN SCOTLAND