There has been extensive media coverage today of RMT's call for new strikes to demand the reinstatement of Arwyn Thomas. Please click on the links below. Many of these have comments facilities and discussion forums, so please post your support for our campaign!
TUBE UNION RMT today announced strike dates involving all train driver members in the on-going dispute over the victimisation of union activist Arwyn Thomas over his trade union activities and the associated continuing harassment and victimisation of union reps throughout London Underground.
Despite strenuous efforts by RMT, LU have refused to reach an agreement that would reinstate Arwyn Thomas despite his successful appeal for “interim relief” for unfair dismissal at the Employment Tribunal on the grounds of his trade union activities.
The following resolutions were passed by the recent RMT lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender conference. The first two will go forward to the union's Annual General Meeting. The other two will be discussed by the union's Council of Executives:
RMT General Grades Committee decision:
That following London Underground’s refusal to even discuss re-employing Arwyn Thomas and the GGC’s decision of 23rd May 2011, we call strike action as follows: -
All London Underground Train Driver Members are further instructed not to book on for any duty that commences: -
Commenting on Vince Cable’s threat to make Britain’s already draconian anti-union laws even more repressive, RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today:
“Cable is effectively telling us that the right to strike is something we can have only if we choose not to use it.
He is trying to come across as the nice cop of the ConDem coalition, but the truth is that he wants us to sit back and watch as his government destroys our jobs and wrecks our services.
General Grades Committee decision:
That we welcome the decision of TfL last year to bring the London Tramlink Infrastructure Maintenance Services back inhouse, and thus back into the public sector.
However, we are disappointed at the long delay in obtaining details of this, caused by the lack of
The 2011 RMT LGBT Conference was held in Plymouth following a successful Young Member’s Conference a few months previously. There was a good turn out of delegates which made for an enjoyable social event the evening before the conference - and the local gay scene was very welcoming. One local gay pub held a quiz. The winning team consisted of four of our very own LGBT conference delegates who kindly donated the £20 prize to St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth.
RMT joined health and safety campaigners in protest outside the Department of Work and Pensions on Workers Memorial Day: April 28, 2011. They told Tory minister Chris Grayling that his savage cuts to the Health and Safety Executive will lead to death and injury among British workers.
Interviews are by Geoff Martin and the Video is filmed and edited by Chris Kasrils. You can watch this and many more RMTV films at RMTv.
Free performance of 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' for RMT members
You may be aware that RMT has sponsored a new two-handed, musical production of Stephen Lowe’s adaptation of Robert Tressell’s great working-class classic novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, starring Fine Time Fontayne and Neil Gore and directed by Louise Townsend.
LONDON UNDERGROUND has thrown at least £250,000 down the tube trying to defend its indefensible victimisation of train operator Arwyn Thomas, RMT has estimated.
Six-figure legal fees, management time spent preparing for and attending six days of tribunals, including senior managers on £600-plus a day, on top of Arwyn’s salary – paid on the orders of an interim hearing in January – add up at least to the cost of employing 20 modern apprentices for a year, the union says.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today: