May 2012

ALSOl Better Rail campaign l Government policy digestedl Greece: the human cost of austerity

Ken for MayorPutting transport centre-stage

2 May 2012

in this issue

Transport Salaried Staffs’Association

General Secretary: Manuel Cortes

Joining TSSA T: 020 7529 8032F: 020 7383 0656E: join@tssa.org.uk

Your membership detailsT: 020 7529 8018E: details@tssa.org.uk

Helpdesk (workplace rights advice for members)T: 0800 3282673 (UK)

1800 805 272 (Rep of Ireland)

Websitewww.tssa.org.uk (UK) www.tssa.ie (Ireland)

@TSSAunionfacebook.com/TSSAunion

TSSA JournalEditor: Ben SoffaE: journal@tssa.org.ukT: 020 7529 8055M: 07809 583020

General queries (London office) T: 020 7387 2101F: 020 7383 0656E: enquiries@tssa.org.uk

Irish office from Northern Ireland T: +3531 8743467F: +3531 8745662

from the Republic T: 01 8743467 F: 01 8745622E: enquiries@tssa.ie

TSSA Journal is published by TSSA, Walkden House10 Melton Street London NW1 2EJ

Design and production: Wild Strawberry Communicationswww.wildstrawberry.uk.com

Views published in the Journal arenot necessarily those of TSSA.Acceptance of adverts for productsor services does not imply TSSAendorsement.

TSSA Journal is printed by TU Ink onLeipa Ultra Silk comprised of 100%post-consumer waste. The polythenewrapper is oxo-degradable.

Vol 108/issue 1222

4–9 News & campaignsu Ticket offices under threat

u TUC rail campaign launched

u Sack Boris this May

u Command Paper slammed

u Sack Boris this May

10–13 Better Railu Join TSSA’s major new campaign for all our futures

14–16 Greeceu The downward spiral of extreme austerity

10-13Better RailNews of TSSA’smajor newcampaignlooking to buildthe case for therailway we wantto see.

14-16

Report on thesolidaritydelegation tomeet workers inGreece, pushedto the edge andbeyond.

Ger

asim

os K

oila

kos/

Invi

sion

Imag

Follow Annual Conference live atwww.tssa.org.uk/conferencelive

13-16 May

TSSA Journal 3

editorial

The ‘Better Rail’ campaignbeing launched by TSSAthis month looks set topull together a powerfulvision of what anintegrated, modernrailway could look like,stripped of the profitmotive and serving theinterests of both staff and passenger alike(p10-13). Sadly, this is a long way removedfrom the split-up and flogged-off railwayon the cheap that the current governmentseems to want to create (comment on p7and 20-21).

As we look to be stuck with Cameron,Greening and co. for another few years,organising – in our workplaces and in ourcommunities – is vital to ensure we canbuild towards a brighter future. Butsometimes the choices are moreimmediate: in London, Labour’s candidatefor Mayor, Ken Livingstone, representswhat can be achieved when you have amainstream politician ready to listen tothose working at the coalface of the railindustry. In his last term he created LondonOverground, transforming an under-usedand decaying service run for profit bySilverlink into the thriving LondonOverground network, with new rollingstock, visible staff at every station,increased frequency and restored routes.This sounds very much like the vision of aBetter Railway that many of us are tryingto create. Voting for London Mayor andcouncils across the UK is on Thursday May 3.

In the middle of this month, TSSA’sAnnual Delegate Conference will meet inCardiff. There is a packed agenda coveringall areas of the Association’s work,including a crucial discussion on the wayforward following the unsuccessfuloutcome of the talks with RMT over thepossibility of a new union (p4).

The Journal will be covering all aspectsof Conference, with live online updates anda daily newsletter. From Sunday 13 May,you can keep track of the discussions atwww.tssa.org.uk/conferencelive

Ben Soffa, editor

17 General secretary’s comment

18–19 London elects: Better off with Ken

20–23 Commentu Christian Wolmar on the government’s new policy

u Paul Salveson on the beginning of the end of privatisation?

24 Help & advice

26 Elections

26 Equalities news

28 Letters, reviews and obituary

The new Western Concourse of London King’s Cross opened on 19 March 2012.

CC

BY-

SA-3

Col

in

4 May 2012

news

LEAKED EMAILS FROM the Departmentfor Transport have exposed the secrecyand dishonesty of the Government’s plansto cut staff at hundreds of stations acrossthe UK.

TSSA has been warning since thepublication of the McNulty report lastsummer that the Government waspreparing to cut ticket office staffcompletely at over six hundred stationsand reduce staff at a further 350. Overall40 per cent of the network would beaffected.

As well as TSSA and other trade unions,the proposals have alarmed passengergroups and those representing disabledand older passengers. TSSA’s stationsurvey campaign shows (see page 10), the

travelling public say that they value safe,staffed stations and don’t want to seethese services cut.

Emails leaked to the BBC prove that notonly is the Government pressing aheadwith its planned station cuts regardless ofits ongoing consultations and the likelypublic backlash, but it also hopes to avoidthe blame by passing the buck to trainoperators.

One email seen by journalists, from oneDfT civil servant to another, said: ‘yourway of slipping in there that the initiativecomes from TOCs not us is very neat’.

General Secretary Manuel Cortes said:‘The DfT is getting the TOCs to do itsdirty work for it. It is simply by-passingParliament and allowing the TOCs to close

these stations through the franchiseagreements. This is closure by stealthwithout any democratic mandate at all.’

TSSA-backed community campaignTogether for Transport is working withrailway passengers and otherorganisations to fight the station cutplans. Local coalitions are being formed tostand up for staffed stations and buildpressure on MPs to oppose ticket officecuts. 7

Visit www.togetherfortransport.orgnow to get involved. If you would like to bepart of a local Staff Our Stationscampaign group, we can put you in touchwith others in your area who care aboutthe future of staffed stations.

RMT talks come to an endTALKS AIMED AT creating a new transport unionin partnership with the RMT have not been ableto reach a positive conclusion. After months ofdiscussions it became clear that significantdifferences remained and that further talkswould not be of benefit at this time.

TSSA’s Executive Committee regretted thisbut noted the positive impact that the closerworking relationship between TSSA and RMThad brought in recent years. It was very muchhoped this would continue whilst TSSA exploredother possibilities for federation or theformation of a new union with other partners.

The way forward from this point will be thefocus of a wide ranging strategic debate atTSSA’s Annual Conference later this month.Delegates will be asked to explore options forour union’s future, its finances andsubscriptions, structures and campaigning andorganising activities.7

TSSA Conference 2012: Follow it onlineTHIS YEAR’S CONFERENCE will run from Sunday13 to Wednesday 16 May in Cardiff. Follow allthe news updated live through the event thatwill shape our future at www.tssa.org.uk/conferencelive7

THE TUC, TSSA, fellowrail unions andtransport campaignershave launched acampaign to fight jobcuts, servicereductions, ticket officeclosures and fare hikesin the rail industry.

At a meeting withMPs at the House ofCommons in lateMarch, union leadersand representativesfrom the Campaign forBetter Transport raisedtheir concerns aboutthe government’sproposals for the futureof rail as outlined in theRail Command Paper.

TUC deputy generalsecretary FrancesO’Grady, said ‘The TUC

is proud to supportrailway workers,passengers andcommunities indefence of affordable,accessible and safer rail.We will be stepping up

our efforts and buildingon the fantasticpartnership we haveput in place withunions and transportcampaigners in themonths ahead.’ 7

Leaks expose Government’sdisastrous closure plan

TUC and unions launch jointcampaign against job cuts

CC

BY-

NC

-ND

2 W

orld

Skill

s

i

TUC deputy general secretary Frances O’Grady

TSSA Journal 5

news

TSSA AND TOGETHER forTransport are workingtogether to build a powerfulcoalition of trade unions, railpassengers, businesses andenvironmental groups in theSouth West aimed at agreeinga core set of standards for thenext franchisee and thenlobbying those in the biddingto adopt them.

The new Great Westernfranchise due to be awardedlater this year. Current trainoperator First is biddingagainst a number of othercompanies to win the newlucrative 15 year contract.With the Government lookingto slash costs, we need popularsupport to demand thefranchise doesn’t implementcuts to railway services andstaff.

Already a number of partnerorganisations have come onboard in preparation for aformal campaign launch inMay.

The coalition’s coredemands are as follows:

From Bangladesh to China to Morocco,workers who manufacture clothingtoil in unbearable conditions. Mostlyyoung women, they subsist onpoverty wages and work up to 17 hourdays, often in cramped and dangerousconditions.

Many uniforms being worn byLondon's public sector workers arelikely to have been made in similarconditions. Uniforms worn by tubedrivers, cleaners and clerical staff maywell have come from such sweatshoplabour.

The only people who can tell usabout the real conditions in garmentfactories are the workers in thefactories themselves. Only they havean incentive to tell the truth. Ourcampaign aims for all the factoriesthat make uniforms for TfL to beregulated, monitored and reformed, tostop sweatshop abuses happening.

The Worker Rights Consortium(WRC) is a worker-led monitoring bodythat can do this. It would require TfL’ssuppliers to disclose the locations oftheir factories, and allow labour rightsmonitors to visit and speak to workers.

As a result of solidarity campaignsin response to WRC reports, Fruit ofthe Loom were forced to re-hire 1800workers they sacked for unionisingwith Nike pressured into paying$1million compensation to redundantworkers.

This is a campaign we can win. InDecember, the London Assemblyvoted to investigate affiliating to theWorker Rights Consortium, but weneed your support to make sure thishappens.

Sign the petition, write to yourAssembly Members and download amodel motion at peopleandplanet.org/GLA.7

Tell the LondonMayor to blocksweatshop uniforms

Campaign calls for ‘FarePayers’franchise’ for Great Western

Jim Cranshaw of student campaigningnetwork People & Planet discusseshow TSSA members can help thecampaign to prevent sweatshop-madeuniforms.

Take actionDo you live in the area covered by the Great Westernfranchise? Would you like to be involved in thecampaign for a FarePayers’ Franchise? Emailgeorge@together fortransport.org to get involved.7

Local branches and suburban services Protectcurrent levels of local branch and suburban networkprovision and deliver investment to expand services.

An accessible railway Accessible stations and trainsfor older and disabled passengers and parents withsmall children and push-chairs. No reduction to thenumber of station stops. A disabled station assistantfor everyone who requires one.

An integrated transport region Commit to workingwith local councils and other providers of localpublic transport to move towards a joined uptransport network. Support for and co-operationwith integrated transport authorities whererelevant.

An environmentally friendly railway Commit to aneco-audit of the fleet and maintain and redeveloptrains in a way that reduces CO2 emissions. Reducecarbon footprint of the entire franchise operation.

A pleasant travelling experience

Clean and pleasant stations, a reliable service and a

safe railway – and an end to overcrowding.

Community grants for volunteer projects that

improve station environments. No reductions to

safety spending.

Personal safety Lower crime rates on stations andtrains – improve passenger perception of personalsecurity.

An affordable railway No increases in fares

above inflation. Stop the station car park rip-off.

Don’t charge taxis to use station taxi ranks.

Great Western: The Fare Payers’ Franchise

A well-staffed railway No cuts to railway staff.Preserve staffed ticket offices. A guard on everytrain; maintenance staff that ensure a safe andenvironmentally pleasant network.

6 May 2012

organising

THE CAMPAIGN TO Sack Borisis now in full swing and only afew days remain untilLondoners go to the polls tocast their vote.

We reported in the lastjournal how the TSSA hasteamed up with thegrassroots, independent SackBoris campaign to informvoters about the disastrouseffect that four years of BorisJohnson has had on transportin the capital.

Fares have risen aboveinflation for four years. Asingle bus ticket is up 50 percent from 90p in 2008 to £1.35today. A weekly zone 1–2travelcard will cost you £260 ayear more than it would havedone when Boris Johnson wasfirst elected. And an annualzone 1–4 travelcard went upby £96 in the last year alone!

Johnson has committedhimself to further big farehikes if he is re-elected on 3May. If the Government’s ownforecasts are to be believed,that translates into fare rises

of 23 per cent by 2016, and ata time when the cost of livingis straining household budgetsto breaking point, it’s theopposite of what the mayorshould be planning to do.

At the same time as fareshave soared, Boris Johnson haswasted millions of pounds on anew bus for London which hasbeen beset by technical faultsand rushed out before it’sready.

On top of all that, the lastfour years have seen industrialrelations between City Halland the TSSA and our sistertransport unions deteriorate

to the benefit of noone. Boris Johnson hasfailed to meet the tradeunions even once to discussthe vital work that Transportfor London employees performto keep the city moving.Instead, he’s presided overdamaging cuts to staffnumbers.

Our members in Londonhave stepped up to ensurevoters are equipped withthese facts when they go tothe ballot box. Joining forceswith other Sack Boris activists,we have distributed 155,000Oyster card holders to

commuters and helped raisefunds for a hard-hitting seriesof billboards and phone boothadverts which were rolled outacross London during April.

On Thursday 3 May, if youlive in London make your votecount – and Sack Boris! 7

Andrew Wiard / reportdigital.co.uk

Billboards withthis design andphone kioskadvertising wrapshave got themessage outacross London,along with155,000 Oystercard holders nowin circulation.

TSSA members in London step upa gear to Sack Boris

Elections will also take placefor many local councilsacross England and allcouncils in Scotland andWales (except Anglesey).

The ‘New Bus for London’ –each costing several times thatof a modern hybrid vehicle –had to compete for attentionat its press launch with a TSSA/ Sack Boris bus. The new buspromptly broke down whilstour 45 year-old model carriedon fine.

Command Paper

Government Command Paper –Heads they win tails you lose!

ON 8 MARCH the Governmenteventually published itsCommand Paper ‘Reformingour Railways: Putting theCustomer First’. This was itsformal response to Sir RoyMcNulty’s deeply flawed RailValue for Money studypublished last May that aimsto cut industry costs by up to£3.5 billion.

Every January passengersare angered by inflationbusting fare rises. You’d thinkour elected representatives atWestminster would reflectthis anger and hold theGovernment to account anddo something about it. Wellyou’d be wrong because theyain’t even going to be giventhe opportunity. The way theGovernment responded bymeans of a ‘Command Paper’is fundamentallyundemocratic. It sets outwhat the Government wantsthe industry to do but doesnot allow for any of thedemocratic processes orParliamentary scrutinynormally used when makingsuch major changes.

The Command Paper talksa lot about Network Rail andtrain operators working moreclosely together – includingthe creation of alliances, suchas that already proceeding onthe Wessex route and verticalintegration on parts of thenetwork where the traincompany takes responsibilityfor the track too. TheGovernment is placing agreat deal of trust in theindustry in expecting theparties to co-operate. Toomuch trust in TSSA’s view –

Dracula and running a blood-bank springs to mind!

Basically the train operatingcompanies have been givenalmost everything they want –longer franchises, lessresponsibility, fewerrestrictions, slacker contracts,opportunities to selectivelyassume responsibility forinfrastructure etc. They may aswell have cleared a space atthe Department for Transportfor ATOC to move in.

Passengers are going tocontinue to have to payinflation busting fareincreases for at least another

seven years, with the addednightmare of othergovernment sanctioned scamssuch as the introduction of‘super peak’ fares. Governmentpolicy will also have an impacton customer service as therewill be more ticket officeclosures, more driver-onlyoperated trains/fewer trainswith guards and fewerplatform staff.

Given all these ‘efficiencies’are attacks on rail workers’jobs, pay and conditions aswell as being cuts that willimpact on passengers, thereare clearly areas of mutual

interest that can be workedon as the Government andemployers plan to implementtheir plans.

There are obvious worriesabout what this means interms of job security, pay andother terms and conditions.It’s not possible to say preciselyhow many jobs might go andover what timescale, butsadly we’re talking aboutmany, many thousands.

What actually happens toservices for the public and tostaff in the workplace dependson what workers andpassengers are prepared to putup with. Using a CommandPaper to implement thispolicy, the Government haslimited the opportunity foropposing the measuresthrough Parliamentarychannels. Potentially, thechanges emanating fromMcNulty’s review and theCommand Paper are thebiggest attack on rail workersjobs, pay and conditions ofemployment in generations. Itis important, therefore, thatmembers are prepared tostand up for themselves andthe communities affected bythese reforms by building linkswith community groups andstrengthening unionorganisation in the workplace.TSSA will be with you everystep of the way. 7

Neil DaviesTSSA Policy Adviser

For more details see boththe TSSA and joint unionbriefings at www.tssa.org.uk/mcnultybriefing

i

TSSA Journal 7

8 May 2012

organising

Basingstoke Learning Centre relaunch

REPS AT STATIONS managed directly byNetwork Rail are holding a series of meetings todiscuss long-standing issues with the companyat a senior level. Issues include Sunday workingarrangements which aren’t included incontracts, lack of clarity over many jobdescriptions and disparities between the day-to-day management structures of differentstations.

Reps have been holding discussions withmembers of Network Rail’s National OperationsCouncil since the end of last year with a view tosettling grievances. One discrepancy in thecalculation of annual leave increases whereSunday work is undertaken is thought to becosting many members holiday entitlement.Rame Alia, Network Rail local Rep at Euston, says‘Network Rail have accepted there is a problem.Now we want to hear from them how this isgoing to be resolved. We really want these talksto succeed, but we need the strongest possiblemembership at all Managed Stations to showmanagement these concerns need to be takenseriously.’ 7

To find out more or to report backconditions at your stations contact Rame Alia onRame.Alia@networkrail.co.uk.

Network Rail Managed Stations views wanted

i

Chelmsford Trades Union CouncilMay Day Rally

Tuesday 1 May7.15pm for 7.45pm

Guest speakers:l Manuel Cortes,General Secretary TSSAl Hope Daley, UNISONNational Health & SafetyOfficer

Entertainment:l Strawberry ThievesSocialist Choir

Friends Meeting House,Rainsford Road, Chelmsford CM1 2QL

CC

BY-

NC

-ND

-2 S

cott

ish

Labo

ur

THE SCOTTISH LABOURconference held in Dundee inearly March was my first as adelegate, but I needn’t haveworried, being accompaniedby our new General SecretaryManuel Cortes andknowledgeable Scottish SeniorOrganiser Tom Kennedy, itmade for a really enjoyableexperience.

As soon as you entered thehall you could feel a real buzzabout the place. This onlyincreased in the run-up to thearrival of Ed Miliband, whototally commanded the stageand audience, speakingwithout notes for 30 minutes.

I’ve never heard anyone speakso passionately or eloquentlywithout any prompts before -it was a joy to watch.

Ed pulled no punches withhis disgust for the Tory and LibDem millionaires inWestminster and theirrelentless attack on lower andmiddle-income society.Saturday saw an inspirationalrousing speech from our newScottish leader Johann Lamontand from our new equalitieschampion, deputy leader AnasSarwar, both of whom I wasable to speak with later in theday. Johann told us how 400women were losing their jobs

each and every day in Scotland,with over 100,000 under 25year olds stuck on the dole formore than a year with no realjob prospects. Depressing yetinspirational stuff – I certainly

came away more energisedand ready to defend ourmembers’ rights. 7

Margaret Anslow, ExecutiveCommittee member for

Scotland

Scottish Labour Conference: the fight-backhas begun

Scottish Labour Leader Johann Lamont

MEMBERS ARE INVITED todrop-in to the relaunch of theLearning Centre on Platform 1of Basingstoke stationthroughout the day of Friday

18 May. Lead Union LearningRep Mel Jansen along withother ULRs will be there todiscuss what courses youmight be interested in.

TSSA has been workingwith South West Trains toimprove the lifelong learningopportunities for members,with courses ranging from

core English and Maths skillsto photography and sign-language. Now is the time todrop in and find out how ULRscan help with your needs.7

TSSA Journal 9

Ski l ls for reps

I WAS TOLD being a Rep is athankless task. But that’sactually not at all true. I don’tget a round of applauseeverywhere I go, but I haveearned the respect of mycolleagues and managers forthe work I have done on theirbehalf. The other commonphrase is ‘you will not make adifference’ – I have, andworking with other like-minded Reps we have made ahuge impact. Where myworkmates have to wait andsee what happens, I aminvolved in shaping the thingsthat affect us all.

We ran a successfulcollective bargainingcampaign to widen ouragreement to include manymore workers and doubled ourmembership whilst doing so!We didn’t just do well, wepunched way above our

weight and defied the odds. Inthe run-up to this campaign Ireluctantly attended a courseon mapping and research.Weird as it may be, I actuallyenjoyed it. Doing the researchto find out about membersand potential members maybe a bit like stalking, but ourmapping played a big part inour success.

The part of my Reps dutieswhich I really hated wasrepresenting members atdisciplinary hearings. I oncehad a very bad result, whichput a cloud over something Ihad previously enjoyed as away of making life better forfriends and workmates. Beforethis I had always found areason to not attend any ofthe many training coursesoffered by TSSA. I could alwaysread up all I needed to know orsomehow would muddle

through. Well, the badexperience caused me torethink how effective I reallywas. I took a chance andsigned up for my first course,‘IRR introduction’.

After one day my mainthought was ‘why the hellhaven’t I done this earlier’. Sowith my boiler stoked I signedup for the next course –‘Dealing with membersissues’ – my arch enemy.Having an instructor withyears of hands-on experienced,coupled with the input of theother Reps, gave me newperspectives, betterknowledge and rebuiltconfidence. In the films, Rockytrained on raw meat –unknown to me, my trainingwas about to get put to thetest: within days I was handedtwo disciplinaries, due to beheard on the same day, both of

which had the potential to endin summary dismissals.

Pen and papers in hand, Iprayed to the gods of theunion reps, John Major andEdwina Curry. Yes I know… Iwas worried, so made a poorchoice of deities. Thankfully itwas the only poor choice asthe training kicked in – I wouldhave made Perry Mason proud!The guys I representedreceived a verbal warning.

Since then my newfoundknowledge has allowed me toapply pressure to resolve along running grievance thatthe bosses appeared to be in nohurry to sort. Done and dusted!You think that ring scares menow? Hit the bell and see whojumps in the ring first!

You want to eat thunderand spit lightening bolts too?Then be a Rep, get trained andabove all, have fun! 7

Training works – and not just for boxers

TSSA’S EDUCATIONPROGRAMME giveopportunities for reps,members and branch officersto further develop the skills asinformed and confidentadvocates for their fellowmembers.These courses will take place inthe coming months. For moreinformation about any ofthese, or to find our moreabout TSSA’s educationprogramme in general, contactAdele Potten-Price on 020 75298323 / education@tssa.org.uk.

Colin Savage, Company Council Rep at Amey Consulting had been successfully battlingaway for members, but signing-up to courses from TSSA’s Education Programmemassively upped his game.

Education and organising programmeTITLE DATE LOCATION LEVELHow to manage the message 1-3 May London 3Learning Rep induction (part 1) 8-10 May Derby 1Pensions 8-9 May London 4Leadership and management skills 28-29 May London 4Thinking about becoming more active in the union? 31-May London SpecialistLearning Rep induction (part 2) 6-7 June Derby 1TUPE 11-12 June London 4Organising against the cuts 13-14 June London SpecialistSocial media 13-14 June London SpecialistEquality legislation 25-27 June London 3Engaging the community and public 2-4 July London 4LGBT issues 6-8 July London SpecialistStaff inductions and collective bargaining 11-12 July London 4Negotiation skills for women 23-25 July London 2Workplace educators 20-22 August London 4

10 May 2012

Better Rai l

Better Rail: fighting for arailway that worksThis May TSSA launches a newcampaign, Better Rail. At a time whenour railways are seeing the highestpassenger levels since the 1920s and yetalso have the highest fares in Europe, weneed to build towards a future whichensures that rail is a quality service,available to all the public. Thegovernment seeks to cut jobs andservices and give more power to profit-driven private operators. TSSA memberssay this will make things worse. We don’twant to simply save our railway, we wantto make it better!

Recently TSSA members in TrainOperating Companies have been askingpeople in their communities what theywant from their train station. Theresponse from the public proves yetagain that people care strongly aboutthe transport system – it is an integralpart of their lives. People want a qualitytransport service, accessible to all. Witha quality public service as the goal, clear

issues come forward that are importantto both TSSA members and thetravelling public: safety, fares, accessibleand practical station facilities,environmental impact and newtechnology.

Local communities are crying out formore say in shaping their publictransport systems. Our members’ voicesare amongst them, yet the Governmentand industry leaders plough ahead withtheir damaging proposals. That’s whyTSSA is launching Better Rail – to ensurewe have a comprehensive vision for thefuture of the rail industry – and one thatcannot be ignored.

Better Rail will focus on issues thatunite our members, passengers and theircommunities. Over the next six monthswe aim for many TSSA members andtheir communities to explore theprinciples and standards they want tosee enshrined in our railway. This workhas already started through the TSSA

community organising campaign,Together for Transport, building a casefor change that decision-makers need topay attention to.

Within TSSA membership, we havegroups of members who are fighting thesame battles right across the system:against job cuts, reorganisations, loss ofjob security and a drop in job satisfactionas they are unable to deliver the railwaythey know the public want and need.Better Rail will unite our many groups ofmembers in their common struggles andfight to set standards for a betterrailway.

We do not share the vision of theConDem Government who want a quickfix that simply protects the profit ofshareholders. We want a sustainablemodel for our railway that drivesinvestment in a better railway for all.

Have your say on what BETTER RAILmeans to you! Go to www.tssa.org.uk/better-rail.

Andi Fox andSteve Neagle ofYorkshire No. 1TOC Branchgatheringpostcardsurveys in York

Campaigning for Better RailWhat will make our railway better? Ourpostcard survey asked the public whatthey want in a station, with the hundredsupon hundreds of responses giving us ahuge amount of information about howthe public feel about cuts to station staffand services. We want to highlight theirvoices in our Better Rail campaign,alongside the stories and experiences ofour members. Here are some of theissues TSSA members and theircommunities are campaigning for intheir fight for a better railway:

Better Rail means a quality public serviceTransport is a public service that isessential, especially in times where localjobs are hard to come by and localcommunities face severe cuts to publicservices. According to the Departmentfor Transport, there were 1.4 billion railjourneys in the UK last year, with thetotal number of miles travelled havingincreased by 40 per cent in just the lastdecade. That is the highest level of usethe Britain’s railways have seen since the1920s. As we are encouraged to shiftfrom other forms of transport to rail as alow-carbon, sustainable mode oftransport, the UK government mustensure that the service provided is of aquality that meets the needs of thetravelling public. As TSSA launches ourBetter Rail campaign, we are looking atwhat needs to happen to make rail aquality public service.

A requirement for rail to become aquality public service is for the railway tobe publicly owned and accountable. TSSA

and other rail unions believe the vastsums of public money used to subsidisethe profits of the Train OperatingCompanies (TOCs) and other parts of therailways could be used much moreefficiently to cover the costs of apublicly-run railway, reducing the cost tothe public in terms of fares increases andservice cuts. Currently TOCs are makingprofit for shareholders that – were thesystem publicly owned andaccountable – could be reinvested tomake a better railway. Passengers are notoblivious to this injustice:

Better stations are a key part of a qualitypublic serviceOur survey feedback shows that thepublic recognise that staff are an integralpart of how a station works. Station staffare under threat following the McNultyreport, endorsed both directly in theGovernment’s own Command Paper andalso in their directions to Train OperatingCompanies (TOCs) bidding for the latestround of franchise renewals.

Although ticket vending machines area valued service, people do not wantmachines to replace staff and lose theirface to face service.

Our survey is far from the first toshow how valued the services offered bystaff are. Passenger Focus, theorganisation that produces the NationalPassenger Survey have clear evidencethat people do not want to lose staff atstations. Despite this, ticket office andother station staff face thousands of jobcuts if proposals by the government andindustry leaders are implemented. Ourfight against proposed cuts to ticketoffices and station staff is a key part ofbuilding a better railway.

An integrated transport system providesa quality public serviceTo make our railways better, we needmore integration both within the railsystem and with other modes of publictransport. Yet the Government proposesfurther fragmentation and contractingout of responsibility, for example in theirsupport for the transfer of stationmanagement to TOCs and increasingtheir powers to determine serviceprovision, staffing levels and the like.Other plans from the Government doinclude elements of devolution to localcouncils and Integrated TransportAuthorities (ITAs), giving them more sayover local services and where investmentis directed – but at the same time asslashing their budgets and pressuringthem to cut expenditure! Althoughfunding remains a key issue, TSSAsupports the integration of differenttransport networks and theestablishment of ITAs where appropriate.

TSSA Journal 11

Better Rai l

‘Transport must not be a barrierto anyone wanting to be an activemember of society, whether theyneed disabled access or can barelyafford it.’

Simon, passenger at Forest Hillstation, London

‘The train companies are over-subsidised, but the money just seemsto go to private shareholders andsuper–rich owners. This expensivemess can only be sorted out by re-nationalising the railways andputting passengers before profits.’

Katy, passenger in Hackney

‘Station staff are invaluableassets and must be maintained at noless than their present level. Theycan provide advice, be there foreveryone and help make sure you getthe correct tickets.’

Jean, mostly uses Alnmouth andNewcastle stations

‘Human contact is always morebeneficial when trying to getinformation or to provide help whenneeded – something machines and CCTVare not able to do.’

Debbie, mostly uses BrondesburyLondon Overground station

‘Return to a national rail systemand renationalise private railcompanies. Invest in quality of track,electrification and rolling stock.’

Gary, travels between CardiffCentral and London Paddington

‘Reliability, affordable andsatisfactory service really arenecessary on a public transportsystem. It is essential that sufficientstaff are available to maintain this.Cutting staff and increasing fareshas a negative effect on the qualityand efficiency of the service. It alsopenalises the general public who usethese facilities as unfortunatelythere is no alternative for many ofus. We have to pay up or get off.’

Morgan, passenger at EastbrookStation, near Cardiff

Experience has shown that the addeddemocratic local control these structuresoffer best serves the needs of thecommunity and provides greater jobsecurity for members.

In Bristol, TSSA are part of shaping thecommunity campaign for an IntegratedTransport Authority through ourmembership of the Transport for GreaterBristol Alliance (TFGB). Our communitywork with TFGB has helped build acommon understanding between ourmembers and TFGB supporters about howto build a better railway and a qualitypublic service for Greater Bristol. Despitethe fact that there are many unusedtracks in the Greater Bristol area, theservices to the public remain limited asmany of these routes would beunprofitable if viewed through the narrowprism of ticket revenue alone. With anIntegrated Transport Authority, the fourlocal authorities in Greater Bristol would

join together to ensure that routes whichcross boundaries receive the propersubsidies and funding required to providea quality public transport service for all. Atthe moment, we believe that without anITA, reopening of routes is unlikely toprove tenable, and that some currentservices may be put at risk.

Better Rail requires a highly skilledworkforceMany of the proposed job cuts atstations are based on a theory that aticket vending machine can easily replacethe work of ticket office staff, or that adriver can manage the train and itsdespatch from the platform bythemselves. The government feels it canget away with cutting costs by reducingpassenger-facing staffing levels, but abetter railway requires highly skilledprofessional staff that can meet theservice standards demanded of them bythe travelling public. Yet little is saidabout the skills behind the work ourmembers do and what they personallybring to the service they provide. Overthe next few months our Better Railcampaign will highlight the skills andexperience of our members.

Better Rail is one that is shaped by ourcommunities TSSA is working within our communitiesto build a Better Railway.

We know that there is strong publicsupport for a well funded, well run andgood value railway. From eye-wateringfare rises year on year, to station staffcuts that jeopardise safety and access,passengers have a direct interest in abetter vision for our rail network. Workingwith Together for Transport, the BetterRail campaign will seek to mobilise thispublic support into meaningful action.

Get active: stations action!In the last Journal we launched ourStations Postcard Survey, a jointcampaign with RMT. Scores of membershave taken on the challenge of surveyingtheir passengers and wider community inorder to gain support for our campaignto keep staff at stations. So far over 2000surveys have been returned – but weneed more! Pledge your help to gathersurveys here: www.tssa.org.uk/pledge

TSSA workplace representativeMalcolm Phillips is part of a team of repsand active members who are out talkingto the public about what they want in astation. Malcolm has been going door todoor with our Postcard Surveys andtalking to people about the how job cutsat stations will affect them. Generallypeople will have no idea about the plansin the McNulty Report, Initial IndustryPlan or the recent governmentCommand Paper. However when theyare presented with the issues, there isoverwhelming support the TSSAcampaign for staff at stations, making abetter railway.

TSSA branches have pledged their helpto gather surveys. Yorkshire No. 1 TOCBranch opened their campaign with anaction at York Station. Their branchcovers TSSA members in all TOCs in theirregion. A team of branch members talked

12 May 2012

Better rai l

‘Having a city like Bristolwithout integrated transport hasled to overpriced tickets andmassive cuts to services. Localroutes that give mobility to theelderly and disabled are removed asthey often make no money.’

Ian Crawford, Transport ForGreater Bristol secretary and TSSA

member

‘An ITA leads to better service,it’s cheaper, cleaner, more efficientand works for the public. It canhelp to protect jobs and services inthe transport industry and evenlook to create new employment inthe future.’

David Redgwell, Transport ForGreater Bristol member and TSSA

member

‘Your ticket office staff arebrilliant. Their encyclopaedicknowledge of routes and fares is afantastic help, absolutely essentialto efficient travel by rail.’

Chris, passenger at York Station

‘Personal safety is reallyimportant. As a woman I like to seestaff around to manage anysituations and make sure I’m safe.’

Jane, passenger at Bristol TempleMeads and Parkway stations

TSSA members and staffsupporting local campaigners fora better rail service in the southwest, controlled by an IntegratedTransport Authority. (Front)Gavin Smith, Pip Sheard, AlanValentine, Julie Boston, CharlotteLeslie, (Back) Peter Gould, IanCrawford, Mike Wheeler, AlexWortley and Rob Jenks. TSSA members at York Station

TSSA Journal 13

Better rai l

AS WE LAUNCH our Better Rail campaign we are talking to TSSA members,potential members, passengers, community groups, and politicians about whatthey think will make a better railway. But we need your help:l You could hold a launch action at your local station to ask the public what theythink will make a better railway. If you are interested in finding out how best to dothis, contact raen@tssa.org.uk. l Ask your workmates what they think will make a better railway. Record theiranswers at www.tssa.org.uk/better-rail orl Ask your friends to Tweet using the hashtag #betterraill Post your ideas on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tssaunion

For more ideas on what you can do to get active in our fight for a better railway,go to www.tssa.org.uk/better-rail or contact Nadine on raen@tssa.org.uk.

Top tips for running the postcard campaignTSSA star activist Malcolm Phillips has personally collected over 1200 completedpostcard surveys! Here are some of his top tips on successfully collectingcompleted postcard surveys. You can catch more tips online atwww.tssa.org.uk/better-rail.l Pick a method for your action

Door to Door has been the most successful method for successfully collectingcompleted postcards. Pick a street or housing estate near the station and knockon doors!Collecting at stations is good for visibility but you will get less returned. Targetthose sitting down, not in a hurry. Remember you are doing this as a TSSAmember not an employee – don’t wear uniform or allow room for anyconfusion.Collecting at meetings – take some to union meetings, your church or faithgroup, schools, sporting events etc.

l Explain from the start you are not selling anything! Explain the aim of thecampaign and talk about how the local station might suffer if the Government’sproposals are implemented. l Appeal to their situation: Ask if they would feel safe travelling on trains lateevening without staff? If they are disabled, elderly or they have children inpushchairs, who is going to help them on and off the train?

Pitfalls to avoid: l Don’t knock on doors when you think people are most likely to have just comehome and are preparing for their evening meal. l Don’t leave your house without information! Make sure you have a copy of abriefing on the McNulty report or the Government Command paper – or indeedone of those reports themselves – to hand when canvassing.l Don’t go out without plentiful supplies of pens.l Don’t approach people in dimly lit areas, always go to well-lit locations.

Get active:what willmake abetterrailway?

with passengers at York station duringApril, gathering their opinions on ourpostcard surveys.7

If your branch wants to get involved inthe stations postcard survey, pledge yoursupport online www.tssa.org.uk/pledge orcontact Nadine raen@tssa.org.uk.

‘I’ve had an excellent responsefrom the members of the public Ihave spoken to when knocking ondoors giving out the cards. Theyappreciate the personal touch ofchatting with them on theirdoorstep and taking the time toexplain to them who McNulty is,the plans he’s come up with andhow this is likely to affect theirrailway service.’

Malcolm Phillips, TOC NationalCouncil Representative

‘We discussed the stationspostcard survey campaign at ourbranch meeting. The issues in thesurvey are very close to our members’hearts. We need to show our TOCsthat we feel strongly about anypotential cuts to station staff andtell the public what we can do that amachine can’t. For our branch wedidn’t need to think about whether orwhy we should do the survey action,we just thought, yeah, we need to doit.’

Andi Fox, Executive CommitteeMember and Yorkshire No.1 TOC

Branch

MalcolmPhillips

i

14 May 2012

Greece

Greece: A crisis hurting millions toprotect Europe’s millionaires

TSSA recently joined a

delegation to meet and

offer solidarity to Greek

trade unions, politicians

and campaigners and to

see first-hand the dire

impact that austerity

without end is having on

ordinary people. Ben

Soffa reports.

Whenever the latest round ofnegotiations throws ‘Greece’ into theheadlines, it’s all to easy to think of theproblem as one being faced by one of adozen or so men and women in suits,sat around a Brussels table. Yet just afew hours spent in Athens is enough toshow that whilst it might be the financeministers and bankers we see on thenews, this is a crisis hammering downthe living standards of every Greekperson in a very real way.

The delegation of British tradeunionists, campaigners and journalistscame about in response to a call forsolidarity from two heroes of Greece’smodern history: Manolis Glezos and MikisTheodorakis. Both now in their late 80s,

they are amongst the most respectedpolitical and cultural figures in Greece, notleast due to their inspiring actions duringGreece’s darkest periods of the lastcentury.

Shortly after the Nazis occupiedAthens Manolis Glezos climbed the wallsof the Acropolis under cover of darknessto tear down the swastika which hadreplaced the Greek flag on the summit. Inwhat is recognised as the first direct actof resistance against the Nazi occupation,Glezos – sentence to death multipletimes over – helped bring about amovement that harried the occupiersuntil they were forced out.

Mikis Theodorakis, who was alsoinvolved in the Greek resistance, is best

known internationally as the composer ofthe film score for Zorba the Greek. He alsoplayed a key role in opposing the Greekmilitary junta of the 60s and 70s whichbanned his work and imprisoned him.Significantly, the involvement ofTheodorakis shows the breadth ofopposition to austerity, having served as aminister in the equivalent of theConservative Party during the 1990s.

The Human CostAusterity in Greece does not just mean aslight cut-back in some public services – itmeans a total transformation of thequality of life of millions. The cuts arepushing people to the edge – and thenover it. Real absolute poverty is returning

© J

ess

Hur

d / r

epor

tdig

ital

.co.

uk

TSSA Journal 15

Greece

to the European Union, with tens ofthousands dependent on soup kitchens. 1 in 5 can no longer afford to eat meatmore than once or twice a week, withcases of child malnutrition growing at analarming rate.

Many public sector workers – fromteachers to police officers – have seentheir wages cut by 40 per cent, withfurther cut-backs expected over thesummer. The minimum wage is down,slashed by a brutal 32 per cent for thoseunder 25 – a majority of whom – 51 percent are now unemployed. Pensions havebeen attacked even more severely with 53per cent of the value of pension fundstaken without warning or consultation –of which one union member said ‘literallythe Government are robbing us of ourmoney. This will drive us to completesocial exclusion and poverty very soon’.Vaccination programmed for children arebeing cut back and there are now anestimated 45,000 homeless people inAthens.

Tragically, yet unsurprisingly, a growingnumber of people simply can no longercontinue. The Greek suicide rate hasincreased by 40 per cent in the last year.

The practical response – the ‘Potato Movement’With millions facing such huge andimmediate hardship, those fighting backagainst austerity have moved beyondpolitical and industrial opposition, tobuilding practical alternatives to help easepeople’s lives. The so-called ‘potatomovement’ – in which local councils andvolunteers bring producers of staple foods– potatoes, flour, olive oil and rice – intotheir area to sell directly to consumers isone such example. Cutting out multiplelevels of profit-taking in the supply chainhas meant the difference between beingable to put dinners on the table and not,for a growing number of Greeks.

Workers put at riskAmongst those met by the delegationwere the leaders of the emergencyservices unions. One representative of theFire Brigades Union described how severecuts to funding meant his members’ liveswere on the line: ‘We are facing thegreatest danger of losing our own livesfrom the reduction of the assets, thebudget, personal and mechanicalequipment, all of which affected by cuts

in the budget.’ He told the delegation howno appliances had been replaced for fiveyears whilst others described staff payingfor fuel and repairs to their fleet vehiclesout of their own pockets. Fire crews werebuying their own protective equipment astheir brigade-issued gear wore out.

A pre-requisite for slashing workers payand conditions was to attack their unions.As a member of the police union put itbluntly, ‘we are at the point where we arefacing the destruction of unions inGreece’. As with many of the changesdemanded by ‘the Troika’ – the groupingof the EU, European Central Bank and theIMF – Greek MPs had been handedhundreds of pages of legislation whichincluded the repeal of labour protectionlaws late at night and made to vote itthrough the following morning. Rightsthat had been built up over decades wereswept away without debate or discussion.18 general strikes and a total collapse insupport for the two main parties have hadlittle impact on a parliament wedded towhatever policy is dictated by the Troika.The dozens of MPs, of both the left andright who have rebelled against theirparty leaderships to vote against the

People buy potatoesdirectly from farmers inNea Kifisia, Athens,bypassing the supermarketsthat many can no longerafford.

Ger

asim

os K

oila

kos/

Invi

sion

Imag

austerity measures have been summarilyexpelled, leading to a mix of anti-cutsparties, both old and new, which nowcommands over 40 per cent in the polls.

A downward spiral with no escape?Greece’s economy is estimated to haveshrunk by about a fifth since 2008. Thecosts of austerity – in terms of lost taxrevenue and increased demand onbenefits have pushed the deficit to amuch higher level than when the cutswere first planned. Instead of reducingthe debt, is has shot up from 130 percent of GDP two years ago to over 160per cent today. Austerity policies cut offthe possibility of recovery, with what isdescribed as ‘the bail out of Greece’consisting mostly of a bail-out ofinternational bankers. Of the €130billion in the latest deal, the banks willget at least a half, through a mix ofcompensation, interest payments andcash injections. The rest is to be kept ina fund monitored by the Troika, only tobe used for future debt repayments.

Alexis Tsipras MP, leader of Syriza, theCoalition of the Radical Left told us‘Greece is being subjected to neo-liberalshock tactics as an experiment, to seehow much pressure a society can take.We are the guinea-pig for extremeausterity, to test it before the model isexported to other countries. One of thedriving objectives of the neo-liberalpolicy is the creation of a cheap labourforce; another is the privatisation ofnational assets for the enrichment ofthe few.’

A common theme was that the crisisshould not be seen as being isolated toGreece, but should serve as a warning tocitizens across Europe.

The way forwardThe groups we met advocated a range ofalternatives, from the reintroduction of anational currency to a debt reset – anorderly default on the majority of pastborrowing. The main issue for many wasthe question of in whose interests anydeal was being struck – the people ofGreece or the international creditors. AsMP and former world-record javelinthrower Sofia Sakorafa pointed out, wherethe governments of Argentina and Icelandhad taken a defiant approach to debtcrises, a settlement was constructed thatallowed a way out of their problems to theoverwhelming benefit of their societies.Whilst it was in the interests of the IMF topush the same model of privatisation andderegulation wherever and wheneverthere was a crisis, the successes of othercountries showed the ‘disaster narrative’of the Greek government and its policyprescriptions were a choice and not anecessity. 7

The delegation was organised by theCoalition of Resistance and the People’sCharter. For links and video from thedelegation see the online version of thisarticle at www.tssa.org.uk/journal. Aseries of report-back meetings and furtherinitiatives are planned, checkwww.greecesolidarity.org for details asthey are announced.

16 May 2012

Greece

i

TSSA’s Manuel Cortes meeting with composer and former minister Mikis Theodorakis

The myth of ‘lazy Greece’One myth that has been widelypeddled is that the Greek peoplebrought this crisis on themselves bya combination of laziness anddependence on an overspendingstate. Yet official EU figures showthis to be a total untruth.

Research by the Chief Economistof French bank Natixis has shownthat Greeks work some of thelongest hours in Europe – in fact, onaverage, they work almost twice aslong as the average German worker(2,119 hours compared to 1,390hours). On average, Greeks also retirelater than Germans.

From 2000 until the start of thecrisis, Greek government spendingwas lower as a proportion of theeconomy than in France or Germany– indeed it was below the EUaverage.

Yet Greece faces a seriousproblem with underpaid tax. Thecountry has the highest proportionof self-employed workers of anyadvanced economy, bringing with itthe common problem of taxavoidance – with this being mostsevere amongst the rich. A study bythe London School of Economicsfound that the richest 1 per centunder-report their incomes by 24 percent, compared to 6 per cent foraverage earners.

Whilst the real-world Greekeconomy stayed fairly healthyduring the early years of the globaleconomic crisis, the relativeweakness of Greece’s financescaused international bond markets(which lend to governments) tomassively increase the cost ofborrowing to over ten times the rateGermany borrows at. This causedwhat could have been a controllabledeficit to mushroom into a massiveand unaffordable debt within amatter of months.

Guy

Sm

allm

an

TSSA Journal 17

general secretary

As you are probably aware, the UKGovernment recently published its muchdelayed Command Paper on the future ofour railways in response to Sir Roy McNulty’sdeeply flawed review of their operation. TheTransport Secretary has opted to introducechanges in a way that is fundamentallyundemocratic. Frankly, this shows howworried they are about the continuingunpopularity of the botched job that railprivatisation is. Ministers are fully aware howunpopular any MP would become if they tovoted for the closure of one of the 675Category E ticket offices were it in theirconstituency. In an act of naked cowardice,they have opted to completely by-passParliament by outsourcing their dirty work tothe subservient private train operatorsthrough franchise agreements. This will ineffect be closure by stealth, without an ounceof democratic accountability.I am sure that older readers will remember a

Tory Transport Secretary promising thatprivatisation would lead to cheaper fares and alower level of public subsidy. Twenty years on,another Tory Transport Secretary, JustineGreening, to no-one’s great surprise, told us –what our union has always said – that this isn’tthe case. You would have thought that, havingadmitted that privatisation had failed, she wouldhave backed the glaringly obvious alternative –public ownership! Unfortunately, humility andcommon sense play no part in the Tories’ DNA.The best she could come up with was to yetagain tinker around the edges of this brokensystem, even though over £6.5 billion has beensiphoned from the industry via dividendpayments since privatisation. The proposed next rearrangement of the deck

chairs on the Titanic has one very clear winner –private train operators. They will be given greaterfreedoms and with it, the chance to make evenmore money for their fat cat directors andshareholders. Of course, our members - andpassengers – will have to deal with the fallout ofone in four booking offices in England andWales being earmarked for closure. Our unionwill not shy away from taking whatever action is

needed to halt this madness and defend yourlivelihoods. This means working hard with thecommunities that you serve to defeat theseproposals. You can find out how you can playyour part in our campaign at www.togetherfortransport.org.The dogmatic approach to how the UK’s

railways ‘must’ be run is part of a wider malaise.It is best summed up with words to the effectthat ‘private is good and public is bad’ – let themarket rule supreme seems to be the motto.Nowhere is this more evident that in the waythat Governments are dealing with the economiccrisis. It was the unfettered greed of privatefinancial institutions that brought us to the edgeof the economic abyss. However, it is publicservices and ordinary working people who aresuffering the brunt of the cuts. There is extensivecoverage in this Journal about the desperatesituation that far too many ordinary Greeks arefacing. I have to be brutally honest and tell youthat I never thought that in the 21st Century, inthe so called First World, I would see peoplehaving to queue to get a meal from a soupkitchen. Sadly, the casualties of this economiccollapse are far too real. As you have may seen inthe media, a pensioner recently shot himselfoutside the Greek Parliament as he could notbring himself to have to search for his next mealout of rubbish cans. Austerity is unleashinguntold misery on millions of ordinary peopleacross Europe. In the face of this, trade unionsneed to do all we can to show solidarity. Sadly, this very same dogma is leading both

the British and Irish Government down thewrong path. They should be seeking policies thatprioritise economic growth and put people backto work. Economic history tells us that nocountry has ever got out of a deep economiccrisis through cutting to the bone and beyond.Yet, in the UK, our Government’s priorities areall wrong: a tax cut for millionaires whilst youget a hike in National Insurance contributionsand cuts to public services. They are completelyout of touch. Many of you will have theopportunity to make a differencein upcoming local elections – Iurge you to use your vote wisely!

‘The latest

proposal for the

rearrangement

of the

deckchairs

on the Titanic

has one very

clear winner –

private train

operators.’

ManuelCortes

commen

tChallenging ‘private good, public bad’ dogma

18 May 2012

London elections

Londoners have a choice over the nextweek – to elect Labour’s KenLivingstone, who will defend andimprove their public services whilstputting money back in their pockets, orreturn the Tory incumbent who even amajority of his own supporters say isout of touch with the concerns ofordinary Londoners.

David Cameron is desperate for theConservative Mayor to remain in power,whilst his defeat would mark a realturning of the tide against the Tory-ledGovernment. TSSA members have thechoice between backing Labour’s KenLivingstone, who has worked closely withTSSA in developing sections of hismanifesto, or allowing Boris Johnson toget back in – a Mayor who has not foundtime in the last four years to meet thetransport unions even once.

Ken has made specific manifestopledges to support TSSA members whosejobs have been put at risk by the currentadministration. Ken says, ‘Johnson hasbeen trying to privatise the section of TfL

that regulates private hire and taxi drivers.In the interests of passengers, I will put astop to talk of privatised taxi and privatehire regulator and will rule out anytampering with the Knowledge.’ This isjust one example of the positiverelationship that would be possible undera Labour-run City Hall.

A Mayor who will listenWhilst relations with any employer willalways see times when differencesemerge, TSSA members can be sure thatwere the Labour team returned to CityHall, our concerns would always be takenseriously by the Mayor and those advisinghim. It would mark a sea-change from theJohnson administration who would ratherramp-up anti-union sentiment in the pressthan hold serious discussions with theirworkers’ reps.

One of Ken’s driving forces has alwaysbeen to improve the lot of ordinaryLondoners through affordable, highquality transport. He has put transport atthe heart of his campaign with the pledge

to return money to the pockets ofLondoners in these tough times byreversing this year’s 7 per cent fare hikeand freezing fares in 2013. Detailedanalysis of TfL’s finances has shown howlarge surpluses have been building up –£727 million last year and what looks tobe a further £400 million this year. Thiscash hoarding can be brought undercontrol without impacting on muchneeded investment, as the total cost ofKen’s Fare Deal policy is a comparativelysmall £270 million.

Planning future improvements toLondon’s transport network is anotheractivity which has all but stopped underthe Conservative administration. As Kensays ‘One of the most importantachievements of my first two terms ofoffice was to end the decades-longlogjam to secure financing for Crossrail 1.I will apply the same approach anddetermination to generate support forCrossrail 2, the core of which will be aline from Chelsea to Hackney. I will alsoset about legally safeguarding the route

With Ken back in City Hall,

TSSA members would be

assured of a Mayor who would

always take our concerns

seriously.

Ken for Mayor:Putting transport centre-stage

TSSA Journal 19

London elections

for Crossrail 3 between Euston andWaterloo.’

Whilst funding for actual constructionis unlikely to be forthcoming at themoment, Boris Johnson’s administrationhas not even done the preparatory work tomake the case and mobilise support forsuch projects. This short-sightedness hasthe effect of pushing these much-neededcapacity improvements – and theeconomic benefits they would bring –even further into the future.

A Mayor to defend all Londoners, notprotect the richestInstead of seeking to ease the burden forordinary Londoners, Boris Johnson hasmade a priority out of lobbying thegovernment to give a tax cut to therichest in society, repeatedly arguingagainst the 50p top rate of tax.

‘In the budget, the Conservativegovernment launched an attack onLondoners’ living standards. Four hundredthousand London pensioners were hit bythe Granny Tax. Two hundred and fiftythousand families in London lost taxcredits’ says Ken.

‘London needs a mayor who will standup to that attack and do what they can tohelp working Londoners. Instead, all he didis lobby to cut tax for people on £150,000a year – five times what the averageworking Londoner earns.’

Given the current Mayor earns£250,000 a year for his ‘second job’ as aTelegraph columnist – a figure he hasdismissed as ‘chicken-feed’ – it isunsurprising he has little understandingof the financial stresses on ordinaryfamilies. Ken’s manifesto – online atwww.kenlivingstone.com – lists a seriesof pledges to help Londoners throughthese tough times, from driving downrents to pledging help with affordablechildcare.

Your choice, our futureOn Thursday 3 May voters in London havea chance to turn the tide on this Torygovernment and their attacks on ordinaryworking people. Voters get two selectionsfor Mayor – a first preference, and then asecond preference to choose between thetop two candidates, were their firstpreference to have been knocked out.There are also elections for constituencyand London-wide Assembly members. 7

For more information seewww.londonelects.org.uk.Use your vote, and help return a Mayorwho’s there for all Londoners.

i

‘I make this pledge: if I have

not delivered a 7 per cent

fares cut by 7 October 2012

then I will resign as Mayor.’

From the Conservative Mayor’smanifesto section entitled ‘IndustrialRelations’:

‘The underground network is too oftendisrupted by reckless union action.Union bosses cannot be allowed tohold London to ransom in pursuit ofunjustified claims.‘I will continue to lobby No. 10 tochange Britain’s strike laws tointroduce a minimum turnout, so thatstrikes can only go ahead when atleast 50 per cent of all eligible unionworkers participate in the ballot.’It should be noted that turnout in the

election which saw him become Mayorwas 45 per cent.

In his last manifesto, Johnsonpromised he would be ‘negotiating a no-strike deal, in good faith, with the Tubeunions’. He hasn’t even had the courtesyto meet union representatives onceduring the last four years. This isperhaps less surprising when his officialdiary reveals he has met bankers moreoften than his own senior policecommanders.

Ken will:l Cut fares, reducing the cash mountaincurrently hoarded by TfL, whilstmaintaining investment levels. Even ifyou benefit from concessionary travel,this will save friends and familymembers an average of £1,000 over fouryears on their bus, Tube, DLR,Overground and tram fares.l Crack down on crime by reversing theTory Mayor’s police cuts which haveseen the Met shrink by 1700 officers.l Help reduce rents with a London non-profit lettings agency to connectquality-approved landlords with tenants,saving fees for both.l Cut heating bills – cutting out the rip-off energy utilities to offer Londonersup to £120 off their energy bills, plusfree home insulation for those in fuelpoverty, including pensioners.l Establish a London-wide EducationMaintenance Allowance of up to £30 aweek to help young people stay ineducation.l Support childcare with grants andinterest-free loans.

20 May 2012

Christian Wolmar

The government’s Command Paper,Reforming our Railways: Putting theCustomer First, which was finallypublished in early March, was expectedto provide answers to a number ofissues facing the rail industry. Thelengthy delay to its publication onlyserved to raise the level of anticipationfurther since the railways have beenclouded in an aura of uncertainty sincethe process to examine the high cost ofthe industry was started by the Labourgovernment three years ago.

It has been an odd process. The notionthat our railways are more expensive thanthose abroad has become conventionalwisdom, seemingly accepted by bothpoliticians and railway managers, and yetit has become something of a circularargument. Indeed, it’s been rather like achain letter passed on around the

Department of Transport. First we hadLabour ministers suggesting that therailways were too expensive, and so SirRoy McNulty was appointed to look atwhy this might be the case. But ratherthan starting with an open mind, heseemed to have concluded right from theoutset that the British railways werecosting some 30 per cent more thanequivalent systems in Europe. So, surprise,surprise, when he reported a year ago, hefound that yes, indeed, that level ofsavings could be made.

However, the precise way in whichthese reductions in cost could be madewas left to others. McNulty identifiedvarious vague ways of making savings,such as ‘aligning incentives’ and ‘bettermanagement’, but there was preciouslittle detail of how savings could beachieved. Indeed, his key finding was that

the railways were too fragmented, and yethis proposed solutions did nothing toaddress that fundamental problem.

The detailed measures required were,therefore, expected to be found in theCommand Paper, the government’sresponse to McNulty. Thrown in to themix, too, was franchise reform, widelytrailed as requiring longer franchises withless interference from the Department inoperations. Just to make things a bit morecomplicated, the Office of Rail Regulation,under a new leader who is far moredynamic than his predecessor, has beenangling to extend its regulatory role tothe train operating companies, as well asNetwork Rail. The operators are adamantlyopposed to this as they are wary of anycloser scrutiny. So the Command Paperwas expected to provide answers tovarious issues – all of which the rail

Christian Wolmar examines the misconceptions at the heart of the Government’s new policy.

Another fine mess ofa rail policy

TSSA Journal 21

Christian Wolmar

industry needs to be able to respond to –to improve its performance.

Yet, it does nothing of the sort. First,the idea of franchising reform was simplyjettisoned. There will be no major reviewof the system and instead we will get a‘horses for courses’ arrangement.Secondly, the decisions about regulationwill be made in the future. As for costs,the paper merely reiterates the view thatthe railways are more expensive thanelsewhere, but takes us no further downthe path of explaining how this can betackled and what actual changes areneeded. The magic figure of 30 per cent –or some £3-3.5bn annually – is merelyrepeated, and the Paper says it is up tothe Rail Delivery Group, a semi voluntarycommittee of senior rail managers fromacross the industry, to work out how tomake the savings.

The problem is the lack of any detail.Network Rail is already expected to makehalf of the total savings, leaving the restto come from the operators and therolling stock companies. But thegovernment has virtually no control overthese. The train operators will bid for thefranchises on the basis of what they feelthey can afford and still make a profit.Many of their costs are fixed and,moreover, the government wants them tospend more on investment.

As for the rolling stock companies, we

have been here before. The Labourgovernment launched a costlyinvestigation into their practices and inessence they were given a clean sheet.The Competition Commission found thatit was the system and the risks it imposedon them which result in higher charges,not rank profiteering.

Don’t get me wrong. I am convincedthere is fantastic waste in the industry.There are all sorts of practices which areunnecessary, and an excessive focus onsafety, often out of proportion to therisks, is often the root cause. Take, forexample, the fact that many newcarriages are taken to their destination byroad because of the bureaucraticprocedures required to create a train path,satisfy safety requirements and ensurethe loading gauge is correct. Every time acarriage is transported in that way, it is aslap in the face for the railway.

There are many similar examples. Theconstant exhortations to ‘align incentives’are just so much hot air. There was nomore compelling recognition of thefailure of the fragmented railway than one

of the reasons given by Sea Containers forthrowing in the towel on the East Coastfranchise: Network Rail had beenperforming too well and therefore notenough money was paid to the operatorin compensation payments. The McNultyreport and the Command Paper both failto address such contradictions.

However, there is nothing to justify thefigure of 30 per cent since the accountsof overseas railways are often producedon a very different basis. Moreover, thereare all sorts of other factors, such as thefact we have a particularly intensivelyused railway and we tend to have moreoff-peak trains which provides a good, butmore expensive, service.

All this leaves the railways in a bizarre,almost paradoxical, situation. On the onehand, they are enjoying more investmentand support from the government thanfor more than a generation. Moreover,this is not only happening in a time ofausterity, but also with cross-partysupport. Yet, overhanging this, there isthe fear that the failure to understand theconstraints under which the railwaysoperate, many of which are caused by theproblems of the crazy privatised structurethat McNulty failed to address, will resultin unsustainable cutbacks. The keydecisions will come in July when the HighLevel Output Specification – the plans forrailway investment for 2014-9 – and theSOFA – Statement of Funds Available –are published. Then we will know the realextent of the commitment of thisgovernment to the railways. TheCommand Paper has really just been yetanother restatement of the bleedin’obvious. 7

Christian Wolmar’s latest book, TheGreat Railway Revolution, the epic storyof the American railroad, will be publishedin May by Atlantic Books.

Agree? Disagree? Get in touch with yourviews: journal@tssa.org.uk

i

BY-ND 2 Hannah Webb

McNulty seemed to conclude from the outset that British railways

were costing 30 per cent more. So, surprise, surprise, he then found

that yes, that level of savings could be made.

We have a particularly intensively used railway with more off-peak

trains, providing a good, but more expensive, service.

Major new investment, such asthe Kings Cross redevelopment,is coming to fruition, yet billionsmay be ripped out of the system.

22 May 2012

Paul Salveson

For many years, the unions have beenploughing a lonely furrow in theiropposition to privatisation. The Blairera was all about ‘markets’ – publicownership was a phrase not to beuttered in polite company. Despite nowhaving the most right-wing governmentfor decades we’re actually beginning tosee some fresh thinking in the Labourmovement which could reverse the lasttwo decades’ unspoken – but very real –commitment to privatised rail and busservices.

I think there are a number of reasonsfor this. The notorious McNulty Report –initiated, for the best of reasons, by LordAdonis when he was Transport Secretaryin the last year of the LabourGovernment – has let quite a few cats outof the bag. He identified how expensivethe railway is to run compared withsimilar operations abroad, even if hisprescriptions would only add to the

fragmentation of the UK network. Asecond factor is simply the passage oftime and the experience that comes withit. We’ve had rail privatisation for nearlytwenty years and bus de-regulation andprivatisation for longer. Have thingsimproved? On the buses, outside non-deregulated London, bus use continues itssteady decline. On the railways, passengernumbers have grown dramatically, butfew would attribute this to privateentrepreneurial zeal. If anything, the

railways are more state-controlled thanthey have ever been, but delivered by theprivate sector, which increasingly meansforeign state-owned railways. The railwaysof the Netherlands and Germany aredoing very nicely, partly thanks to theprofits that their UK subsidiaries aremaking.

A sign of the changing times was therecent conference at the University ofHuddersfield on Reforming the Railways. Itwas unusual for at least two reasons.Firstly, a leading trade unionist – our ownManuel – was amongst the speakers.Secondly, a senior Labour politician –Lilian Greenwood – was able to stand upand say the unsayable: that privatisationhas failed and we should be looking atalternative models which should includeforms of social ownership. On one handthis was not new and Shadow TransportSecretary Maria Eagle said much the sameat last year’s Labour Party conference.

Paul Salveson looks

at the hopeful

signs emerging

from Labour’s

policy review

Privatisation – is the tide turning?

‘Stagecoach accused the

transport authority Nexus of

‘operating in the same camp as

Marx, Lenin and Trotsky’ for

their relatively modest ‘quality

contract’

TSSA Journal 23

Paul Salveson

Since then, Labour’s thinking hasdeveloped and Lilian – Maria’s Shadow RailMinister, was able to spell out some of thedetail.

Her judgement on rail privatisation waspretty damning – ‘It’s clear that railprivatisation has not delivered,’ she said.‘Yes, we have had enormous passengergrowth and investment in infrastructurein recent years – but there is no evidencethis has come from privatisation. In factthe years after privatisation saw little inthe way of major investment, with thehuge leap forward only beginning underthe last Labour government. And thatinvestment was funded by the tax-payeralong with on-going subsidy of services,despite operators walking away with largeprofits in some cases’.

A strong thrust in Lilian’s speech wasthat Labour would support the devolutionof local and regional services to strongregional bodies. We’ve already seen themetropolitan transport authorities makehuge advances in rail, with electrification,new stations, re-openings and new rollingstock. Labour is suggesting a much moreextensive devolution, with the powersand resources to go with it, to create thesort of high quality regional networks wesee in Germany, combining rail, bus andtram in a single seamless network whichis fully accountable to elected regionalauthorities.

Services would not necessarily bedelivered by the private sector. Shecommented that ‘we would supportalternatives to the existing model offranchising, including not for profit andmutual options’.

All of which is welcome, and very muchendorsed by Manuel in his contributionwhere he argued for a new approach to asocialised railway, rather than a ‘BR Mk 2’.Devolving rail to the regions will allowaccountable public bodies to determinehow local and regional services aredelivered. But what about the nationalnetwork which isn’t suitable for handingover to regional bodies but needs a strongstrategic direction?

‘For those services that are clearlynational,’ said Lilian, ‘for example the Eastand West Coast main lines and the newhigh speed lines – we have to find abetter way of addressing the costlyfragmentation that is the legacy of

privatisation: a model where the needs ofpassengers and the British economy comebefore private profit’.

So without being too prescriptive,Labour is opening the door to a unified,publicly-owned InterCity network. It’s notreally all that revolutionary. Germany hasa publicly-owned inter-city network, sohas France, Sweden and Italy. Each hasthriving regional networks which areseparately managed but dovetail with thenational high-speed networks. Yet in aBritish context, it’s radical stuff. Theoptions include a state-owned company,or other models which could include co-operative structures with a mix ofemployee, passenger and government

ownership. Ironically, this was preciselythe vision of our forebears in the RailwayClerks Association, a hundred years ago!

Maria Eagle and Lilian Greenwood areinviting transport experts – and thatwould include every single member ofTSSA – to get involved in a debate on howwe should build a modern, enterprisingrailway which is publicly accountable.There’s going to be plenty of voices with avested interest raised against them andthey will need strong support from theirallies in the unions. But it’s looking verymuch like Labour will fight the nextgeneral election with a commitment torolling back rail privatisation withsomething infinitely better for thepassenger, the transport worker, industry,and the economy as a whole. But don’texpect it to be an easy ride.

The sort of attacks they may findthemselves facing have beendemonstrated recently in the North-East

where Nexus – the Labour-controlledtransport authority – has been trying toget bus operators to agree to a relativelymodest ‘quality contract’ to bring somedegree of stability to the local busnetwork. This would see the authoritysetting times and fares for the network asa whole. A report in the local pressrevealed that Nexus staff were told byStagecoach that the plan was ‘blackmail’and ‘theft to keep local authoritiesofficers in jobs and to steal operators’businesses’. The irate Stagecoachspokesman accused Nexus of ‘operatingin the same camp as Marx, Lenin andTrotsky’.

All of which is entertaining stuff, butthere’s a nasty sting in the tail. He addedthat ‘If the transport authority were

successful in the European Court, theywould need to be prepared to take overbus services straight away as Stagecoachwould immediately cease operations.Stagecoach would not hand over any ofits depots to Nexus; the company wouldmove its buses elsewhere and make allstaff redundant’.

Which is about as near to a declarationof class war as you’ll get. The private busgroups have done well out of deregulationand privatisation, despite fallingpassenger numbers, over-inflation farerises and the sort of arrogance towardselected bodies exemplified in theStagecoach manager’s statement. I’m toldthat Stagecoach makes a 23 per centprofit margin from its North-Eastoperation.

It’s enough to make anyone aTrotskyist! 7

Paul Salveson is a member of TSSA’sYorkshire Ridings Branch and a visitingprofessor in Transport and Logistics at theUniversity of Huddersfield.www.paulsalveson.org.uk

i

Without being too prescriptive,

Labour is opening the door to

a unified, publicly-owned

InterCity network

Shadow Rail Minister Lilian Greenwood MP

24 May 2012

TSSA personal injury service

Winning compensation even whenall deny fault

“Neither the company nor thecontractor was willing to say theywere responsible for me fallingoff the steps. But thanks to TSSAthey both had to pay mydamages” says Lewis. Lewis had been walking up thesteps on a Monday morning atwork when he slipped andlanded heavily on his lower back. “The week before my accident, acontracting firm had beencarrying out some kind of workon the steps, but it looked likethey had finished. There was nosign that the steps were in anyway unfinished or possiblydangerous.” Working in a busy travel agency,Lewis’ job required sitting forlong periods and the pain in hisback from his fall becameunbearable. “I had to take time off work,which I hate doing. After amonth, a friend, who is also ourTSSA rep, suggested that I callthe 0800 number for advice. Iwas still in pain, so I called. Itwas the smartest thing I couldhave done.” Through TSSA, Lewis was put intouch with Fiona at MorrishSolicitors. “Fiona was brilliant. Sheconfirmed my details and wrote

to my employer about myaccident. They said they werenot at fault and blamed thecontractors who carried out thework. Of course when Fionawrote to the contractors, theyblamed my employers, sayingthey had completed most oftheir work other than a few bitswhich needed finishing. Theysaid it was my employer’s faultfor not putting out the warningsigns as instructed. If I had triedto do the claim on my own, I’dhave given up at that point. Itlooked like there would be toomuch going back-and-forth. ButFiona was ace. She wrote to bothof them saying she wouldcommence court proceedings,but offered them that they couldsplit my compensation 50/50.” Both the employer and thecontractor agreed the terms. Bythis time Lewis was undergoingphysiotherapy for the continuingpain in his back. Fiona gotfurther medical evidence whichshowed that the injury to Lewis’lower back could be expected tofully recover within 18 months ofthe accident. “I agreed to a £4,000settlement, which covered myphysio costs and the time I’d hadto take off work. From the time I

called the 0800 number to thetime I received my damagescheque was 12 months, almostto the day. I was really pleasedwith the result from TSSA andFiona at Morrish because if ithad been purely up to me, I’dhave given up at the first hurdle.Thanks TSSA!”

l Based on a real life case.Certain details have been alteredto protect the identity of thevictim. Morrish Solicitors offers freepersonal injury legal Thankfully,the incident wasn’t quite thissevere. Thankfully, the incidentwasn’t quite this severe

ACCIDENTS AT WORK ACCIDENTS OUTSIDE WORK ASSAULTS ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS SLIPS OR TRIPS OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE

TSSA Personal Injury ServicesFree to Members & their families

0800 093 0353

Accidents do not happen- they are caused!

As a member of the TSSA, should either you or your immediate family suffer injurythrough someone else’s negligence, you will be entitled to FREE legal advice andrepresentation from our specialist personal injury lawyers Morrish Solicitors LLP. No money will be deducted from any compensation recovered and no charge will bemade to you or your family for the advice and representation you receive.If you’d like to find out more, call us today and we will look after you.

CC

BY

SA D

ann

Thankfully, the incident wasn’t quite this severe

TSSA Journal 25

helpdesk

CC

BY

NC

SA

2 T

om R

oper

Off sick when maderedundantQ. I am on long term sick andnow on half pay. I have just beenmade redundant after six yearswith the company. They told methat I am expected to use up myannual leave during my onemonth contractual notice period.I was hoping they would pay mein lieu at the end of my noticebut I think they just want to getaway with paying me half payuntil I finish.

A. There’s quite a bit to unravel inthis one. The first question I wouldask is why you are only getting onemonth’s notice. Your contract maysay one month but you have astatutory right to one week forevery year of employment up to amaximum of 12 weeks, so youshould be getting six weeks noticefor a start. Your employer can insistthat you take leave during yournotice period, but under theWorking Time Regulations theyhave to give you twice as muchnotice as the number of days leavethey require you to take, so as youhave been off sick and have 28days outstanding they will have togive you 56 days notice. If theycan’t do that then they can’t forceyou to take it.As far as pay is concerned, it

gets more complicated. If anemployee is off sick during theirnotice period they will have theright to their normal pay andbenefits, as set out in the contractof employment, provided theirstatutory notice is longer than theircontractual notice by at least oneweek. As you have one monthcontractual notice and six weeksstatutory you are OK. Had yourcontractual notice been longerthan your statutory notice youwould only be entitled to your sickpay.

In the case of annual leave, ifyou took it during a period of longterm sickness (which you areentitled to do) then that would bepaid at your normal rate of pay,even if you weren’t receiving sickpay.

Representationduring investigationsQ. I am a local rep and one ofmy members has been called toan investigatory hearing over acharge of gross misconduct. Shehas asked me to attend with herbut the manager has said she’snot allowed a rep. Is that right?And if so, what should I adviseher to look out for?

A. There is no general right torepresentation at investigatoryhearings, but you should check thecompany disciplinary proceduresto see if there is any agreementbetween the company and theunion to allow for representation.If not then the employer still needsto take steps to act fairly andimpartially, and the depth of theinvestigation should becommensurate with the severity of

the allegation. So for grossmisconduct, where a dismissal islikely it must be far more rigorousthan for something that may onlymerit a written warning. Youshould advise your member that ifshe thinks the meeting is turningfrom an investigatory meeting intoa disciplinary, for example theymake statements like ‘you did it’,rather than asking ‘did you do it?’then she should seek anadjournment until she has a repavailable, and make sure herreason is minuted so they can’taccuse her of refusing to attend.As a rep, you should try to

ensure that she has been suppliedwith any relevant documentation,such as witness statements, beforethe meeting and that she be giventime to prepare. It should also beensured that the investigation hasbeen even-handed and confined tothe facts of the case. It shouldsearch all the relevant evidence, andnot just any evidence that supportsallegations against an employee. Asshe has not been suspended youcould also challenge the seriousnessof the allegation if it goes to adisciplinary hearing.

If you have a question about your workplace rights, call our employment law specialists on 0800 3282673in the UK or 1800 805272 in the Republic of Ireland or email helpdesk@tssa.org.ukHours: Monday to Thursday 8am–6pm Friday 8am–5pm

0800 3282673/1800 805272UK

Republic of Ireland

26 May 2012

e lections

EVERY YEAR, TSSA members elect anew Executive CommitteeRepresentative for a third of TSSA’sDivisions. This year it is the turn ofthe Midlands, South Wales and West,Anglia and London North East andLancashire and Cumbria Divisions.

Bill Monteith was electedunopposed for South Wales and Westand John Prest was elected unopposedfor Anglia and London North East.

Midlands and Lancashire andCumbria elections are still on-goingand the results of these will bepublished online and in the Journal assoon as possible.

All new the EC members will takeup their posts on 1 July 2012 for athree year term of office which willconclude on 30 June 2015. They willthen be eligible for re-election for afurther three year term.

Bill MonteithSouth Wales and Western

Bill has been an active member ofTSSA since joining from ASLEF onpromotion to a management position.A Railwayman for 35 years, he is a repwith First Great Western at Bristol. Heis chairman of the National TOCCommittee and a member of the TOCFilm and Communications Group. Acommitted trade unionist he is amember of the Labour Party and for 16years has been a councillor, twicebeing elected to serve as Mayor of hishometown, Bridgwater. Bill is marriedwith three children.

Bill says ‘These are worrying times,

not least for those within transport.Apart from the concerted assault onour wages, pensions, conditions andliving standards we are confronted byinitiatives such as McNulty, which willseriously impact our members. Ifelected I will do my utmost to protectour members and to represent themto the best of my ability. ’

John Prest Anglia and London North East

John says ‘For over 20 years since Ifirst started work, I have been anactive trade unionist and have had theprivilege of belonging to a number oftrade unions during my varied careers.Since joining Network Rail in 2001 andbecoming a TSSA Rep, I believe thatthe current climate we are in isunquestionably the most testing forthose of us with traditional tradeunion values.

‘Our members face constantattacks on their livelihoods and theirworking conditions from governmentand ruthless employers who haveforgotten that the people who workfor them are their most prized assets.As an EC member and an active TSSANational Rep, I will embrace thechallenges we all face and continue toensure that those of us who serve ourmembers ensure that their bestinterests always comes first.7

How should it be structured? Who should be accountable? Who sets the fares?If billions are to be spent on railinfrastructure is HS2 the right recipient?

Speakers include: l Maria Eagle MPShadow Secretary of Statel Manuel Cortesgeneral secretary, TSSAl Mark Dowdchair of the group of Integrated TransportAuthorities

Saturday 16 June 9.30-2pmFriends Meeting House, School Lane,Liverpool, L1 3BT

To book a place:email Mike Parker, chair of the LabourTransport Group, atmikeparker12@googlemail.comby 20 May.

What’s the future of railunder the next Labourgovernment?

Railway EmployeesPrivilege TicketAssociation2012 REPTA membership is available now forall transport industry staff and families,active and retired. Many free, discounted andspecial rates are available to members asdescribed in our information packedYearbook.£4.50 per year including p&p. Additionalcards for family members £3. New for 2012:Family membership – two adults and allchildren up to age 18 for £9 including P&P.Send cheques/postal orders payable to ‘REPTA’to: Colin Rolle,4 Brackmills Close, ForestTown, Mansfield, NG19 0PB or join on line.See: www.repta.co.uk. New: Discount cinema tickets. You can alsobook rail travel with Raileasy viawww.repta.co.uk.

Executive Committee elections 2012

TSSA Journal 27

equalit ies

WITH SO MANY major eventshappening across the UK,2012 is shaping up to be abusy year. In the LGBTcommunity, we have a reasonto celebrate in particular, asWorld Pride comes to Londonthis summer.

The Pride movementstarted in America in the late1960s, at a time whenanti–LGBT feeling was high.Attacks on the lesbian, gay,bisexual and transgendercommunity were common,police raids on gay barsfrequent.

The Stonewall Inn was oneof the few bars in New YorkCity that welcomed openlygay customers. It catered to avariety of people but wasknown to be popular with thepoorest and most

marginalised in the LGBTcommunity, including dragqueens, members of a newlyformed transgendercommunity and homelessyoung people.

In the early hours of 28June 1969, a group ofcustomers who had grownangry at the continual policeharassment took a stand. Ariot broke out. As word spreadthroughout the city, thecustomers of the inn weresoon joined by hundreds ofother gay men and women.Police reinforcements arrivedand beat the crowd away, butthe next night the crowdreturned in even largernumbers, reaching over 1000.For hours, protesters riotedoutside the Stonewall Innuntil the police sent a riot-

control squad to disperse thecrowd. As a result of this,activists organisedthemselves and over the nextfew months, lesbian and gaygroups started to form bothin the US and elsewhere –including here in the UK, withour own Gay Liberation Front.

Pride began in New York onthe first anniversary of theStonewall riot and quicklyspread to every majorAmerican city, as well as toCanada, Australia, andWestern Europe. The LondonPride parade has run since1972 with many UK citiesfollowing suit. The aim is tocampaign, celebrate andpromote lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender issues.Throughout the yearsactivists have campaigned toequalise the age of consent,against Section 28, for trans-equality and for equalmarriage.

World Pride wasestablished to promote thison an international levelthrough parades, festivals andother cultural activities. This

year the parade takes place inLondon on 7 July with TSSAproposing that we celebratethis in the same way as wecelebrate all other majorevents like the World Cup andOlympics.

Spectrum, the selforganised group of LGBTmembers in TSSA, has puttogether a template letterthat has been sent toemployers asking them toconsider how they will join into celebrate World Pride. TSSAand Spectrum arecoordinating a training eventfor those interested incampaigning on LGBT issuesin the workplace, on theweekend of the parade inLondon. 7

If you want to be involvedand attend the weekend, pleasecontact Kerry Abel (Equalitiesand Diversity Organiser) onabelk@tssa.org.uk orSpectrum onSpectrumLGBT@tssa.org.uk.If you would like postersadvertising the event for yourworkplace please contact us.

Please join us for an informal meeting of TSSA members for a meal and a few drinks in Cardi�. Open to all LGBT TSSA members and friends.

Saturday 12 May 2012 7pmMeet in Golden Cross, 282 Hayes Road, Cardi�

Spectrum is the self-organised group for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered members.

Spectrum social

Eileen Barnard-Harris, TSSA Spectrum

World Pride comes to London

Join World Pride on 7 July: For full details seewww.pridelondon.org/bigday/worldpride

i

28 May 2012

letters and reviews

Branches: a great supportnetwork When Colin Savage initiallywanted advice about how totake forward his ideas forrecruiting and activatingAmey employees locally, hecame to his branch (LondonS.E. and Sussex), who wereable to help him. The othermembers offered himguidance, passing on theirextensive knowledge.Throughout his endeavoursand those of his colleagues,he was supported fully by thebranch even when thingswere not going to plan. He inturn was able to help hiscolleagues elsewhere in thecountry.I believe this proves that

going to your local Branch canhave far reachingconsequences for yourmembers and should beencouraged.Hilary HoskingLondon S.E. and Sussex

A history of hopes for a better future‘Socialism with a Northern Accent –Radical traditions for modern times’by TSSA member Paul Salveson is a224 page volume containing thestory of the roots of socialism inEngland. Brought to light are thosehalf-remembered events andcharacters that lurk in the minds ofmany union members. The storystarts in 1789 with FrenchRevolution and runs through to2010. By way of asides, there are aseries of one and two pagebiographies of the many charactersscattered through the text.The text pulls together many

strands to produce a coherent story ofsocialism.Without mentioning it explicitly,

the divide between North and Southbecomes clear. However this is not ablueprint for a return to the old ways,more a laying out of the story so farand a desire that progress from hereon is built on good foundations.In the past, the north was home of

great enterprise and this spirit is farfrom dead.

It’s no accident that Grand Central,which very much runs from the NorthEast and the West Riding of Yorkshireto London has the highest customerrating of any TOC!This book is essential reading if the

past is to inform the future.

Available to TSSA members at£11.99 plus postage, direct frompublishers Lawrence & Wisharthttps://bit.ly/northernbook.

letters & reviews

This is your chance to share your views with thousands of other TSSA members. The deadline for the next issue is 1 June. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. Email journal@tssa.org.uk or write to TSSA Journal, Walkden House,10 Melton Street, London, NW1 2EJ.

Join us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/tssaunionFor all the latest news, join thenew TSSA Facebook page

Obituary: Bill BrettBILL BRETT – more recently Lord Brett has passed away aged 70 after a long illness. Born in Manchester he left school aged 16 andbecame a booking office clerk. Two years later – in 1960 – he got his first union job as an administrative assistant for the TSSA. Hesubsequently worked for several unions before becoming assistant general secretary of the Institution of Professionals, Managersand Specialists – now Prospect.

After retiring in 1999 he was deeply involved in the International Labour Office in both Geneva and London as well as being anactive member of the Lords after his ennoblement in 1999. He served as a government whip and stand-in Home Office spokesmanin the Lords.

He is survived by his third wife Amanda, two children from his first marriage and two from his second.

i