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MARYHILL SSP |
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Rail Maritime and Transport Union members who work as guards/conductors on Scotrail trains are holding a series of 24 hour strikes in protest over safety because First Scotrail bosses want to introduce driver-only trains on the new Glasgow-Edinburgh via Bathgate and Airdrie line. This is an unnecessary attempt to save money by Scotrail given they could afford to pay out £18 million in dividends to their shareholders last year. Their costs are very low because public subsidies pay for 75% of their costs. Removing the guard from the train will endanger public safety. Penny-pinching and cuts in the past has already caused fatal train accidents. Two strikes have been held so far, one on 20th February and the second on March 1st 2010 and if an agreement is not reached a third strike will go ahead on March 13th. Scab managers were drafted in to replace the strikers. The managers were incompetent and made several dangerous errors. Read more by SSP workplace organiser Richie Venton here |
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Visit RMT site here. RMT poster reminding us of the rail tragedies at Hatfield, Potters Bar and Hatfield. Do we really want another accident, this time occurring in Scotland in 2010? |
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Photos by Rikki Reid |
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POSTIES FIGHT TO DEFEND OUR POSTAL SERVICE For years Royal Mail bosses have been cutting more and more jobs in the postal service resulting in increased workloads for postal workers and a poorer service to the public. Despite the extra workload there has been no extra pay for the workers – this in spite of record profits for the company. New conditions involving even higher job losses and increased workloads have been imposed using intimidation, threats of disciplinary action and workers taken off pay. There has been no pay rise and the Final Salary Pension Scheme has been abolished. Despite the record profits there is also a record deficit in pension funds because the government who are the sole shareholders allowed Royal Mail bosses to pay nothing into it for 13 years but the ordinary workers did pay into it and their pension money will be short while bosses continue to pay themselves huge bonuses at the ordinary workers’ expense. This is sheer robbery. Post offices have also been closed despite petitions from the public and the 2nd household delivery stopped as part of Royal Mail bosses’ cuts to increase their profits. Angry workers conducted several strikes in 2009. Articles by RichieVenton: Postal Workers Fight For Survival (19th October 2009) and Unfinished War Over Postal Service Future (8th November 2009) Royal Mail dispute section of CWU website here. Below are some photos from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) pickets. Photos by Rikki Reid |
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At a picket at Edinburgh Waverley Station Michael Hogg RMT full-time union official emphasises the fact that the strike is about safety rather than money. |
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RMT strikers and SSP’s Richie Venton outside Glasgow’s Queen Street station. |
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On the picket line with our posties are Kevin McVey (above) and Richie Venton (below) |