Going Underground – What You See Is What You Get
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L A N R U O ASLEFThe AssociATED sociETy of LocomoTivE EnginEErs & firEmEn J mAy 2016 Going Underground – what you see is what you get FINN BRENNAN: TfL Underground and Overground SADIQ KHAN: Making London a better and fairer place TERRY WILKINSON: Operating the Night Tube Remembering EU: should we stay The train drivers’ Steve Grant or should we go? union since 1880 railway enginemen’s tax free saver plans disability cover for the cost of a flutter on the horses tax free policies from £5 per week products saver plan children’s saver plan saver and disability plan for further information call us on freephone 0800 328 9140 visit our website at www.enginemens.co.uk or write to us at Railway Enginemen's Assurance Society Limited, 727 Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham, B8 2LE Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority & the Prudential Regulation Authority Incorporated under the Friendly Societies Act 1992 L A N 6 R 1 0 U 2 y O A J Published by the AASLEFssociATED sociETy of LocomoTivE EnginEErs & firEmEn m Peter ‘Muppet’ Wilkinson doesn’t understand you He wants to break us but doesn’t know you HiLE, on behalf of our members, we try to 4 8 deal with the uncertainty in the steel W industry, it is hard not to have serious concerns for the future of those directly employed. The government’s belated action, to deal with an News issue of which they had prior knowledge, is not just woeful and inadequate but negligent; particularly for voting against tariffs to protect our mPs join us at our Parliamentary reception 4 steel industry in light of the increased tariffs the People before profit and Huffpo off the rails 5 chinese have announced. car manufacturers are concerned for the future and it has serious Wendy Hurst reports on the women’s TUc 6 implications for the supply chain. As a country, we Bucket list time but Jim Peters only 7 cannot afford to be at the whim of another nation wanted to drive a train again 10 dominating the market, destroying competition, and then ramping up the price of essential strike a light with the fireflys at matchfest 8 materials in the future. The Wilkinson affair rumbles on. There is, apparently, no retraction of his lies about £60k a year three day a week train drivers and we are not Features aware of any action being taken against him. But his influence in directing, from his £265k a year sadiq Khan: Help make London a better 10 seat, the poor iTTs, and the consequences of and fairer place on Thursday 5 may seeking to impose conditions outside our agreements, has started on southern gTr and finn Brennan reflects on a TfL land grab 11 gatwick Express with other Tocs gearing up with and the London mayor’s vanity projects similar nonsense. He said he would break us and we have asked the Department for Transport and going Underground: Terry Wilkinson, 12-13 the government whether this is their policy? gary comfort, Jason Wyatt, marc Tanner 12-13 surprise, surprise! That question has not been answered. They obviously do not know you, or The EU: should i stay or should i go? 14-15 what you expect from your union. Transport for London are at it again. They won’t pay the due rise until June. What a poor employer! Regulars morale was already low and the system is creaking. our hopes lie with a new mayor who not only cares about London but those who work to keep Branch news and 100 years of Union 16-17 the capital running. obituaries 19 Like many of you, i have stood on picket lines showing support for the junior doctors. They Letters and classified Advertisements 20-21 know, better than anyone, what safe patient care is Last Word: mick Humphrys and cliff 22 and how to achieve it. mr Hunt, who seems to have Holloway look back through the archives gone missing in action, patently does not and now we are having to recruit another 4,000 doctors food & Drink, Prize crossword, AsLEf’s 23 19 from abroad. Add to that the thousands of Legal services and change of Address teachers leaving their profession every year, exacerbated by academy dogma, and vocation is a dirty word in 2016. The ASLEF Journal is published every month by: We have lost a true friend and comrade in Bro steve grant, former district organiser on the AsLEf, 77 st John street, London, Ec1m 4nn Tel: 020 7324 2400 Underground. our thoughts are with Doreen, his email: [email protected] website: www.aslef.org.uk family and friends. He was, and will be remembered as, one of the best. EDITOR mick Whelan l DESIGNER michael cronin l PRINTER TU ink, 107 fleet street, London, Ec4A 2AB Yours fraternally ADVERTISING Ten Alps, Portland House, Bressenden Place, London, sW1E 5BH. contact Edwin rodrigues on Mick Whelan, general secretary 0207 657 1819 or [email protected] l CLASSIFIED ADS [email protected] or call 020 7324 2400 The acceptance of an advert does not necessarily imply endorsement of that product or service by AsLEf CHANGE OF ADDRESS Please post your details to AsLEf, 77 st John street, clerkenwell, London, Ec1m 4nn May 2016 l The ASLEF Journal 3 News Down by the river side om WATson, deputy leader of the Labour T Party, in a powerful speech at AsLEf’s parliamentary reception at the Palace of Westminster on 11 April, said that the party, one year on from a debilitating defeat in the general election, is now in position to take the fight to the Tories. Tom spoke other opinion formers. Kelvin about the historical ties between called for a dedicated rail freight the trade unions and the Labour corridor in Britain, shadow Party, and about how together, in Transport secretary Lilian the labour movement, we can greenwood reaffirmed Labour’s Photos: Andrew Wiard prepare the ground for victory at commitment to public ownership, the next general election. and gs mick Whelan said there central & Acton); ian Lavery our annual reception, hosted would never be a better time to (Wansbeck); Andy mcDonald by Kelvin Hopkins, Labour mP for build a better railway than under (middlesbrough); Liz mcinnes Luton north, and chair of the the next Labour government. (Heywood & middleton); ian AsLEf parliamentary group, is an Labour Party leader Jeremy mearns (gateshead); grahame ASLEF activists lobby peers and opportunity for executive corbyn took time out of a busy morris (Easington); Jo stevens MPs at the Palace of Westminster committee members, district schedule – he arrived hot foot (cardiff central); gareth Thomas organisers, reps and activists to from the chamber where he was (Harrow West); rosie Winterton TWEETS OF THE MONTH put our views to mPs, peers, and tackling the Tories for being soft (Doncaster central); Peter Hain, on tax evasion – to come and talk former mP for neath who now sits Nicky Morgan is The Thick QUOTE … to AsLEf activists and patiently in the House of Lords; val of It come to life. ‘David Cameron’s gift to the pose for a series of selfies! shawcross, who speaks on Patrick Brusnahan world: trickle down tax- our guests in the Terrace transport for Labour in the dodging.’ – Marina Hyde Pavilion included Dave Anderson London Assembly; Kevin maguire, The battle against in The Guardian (Labour mP for Blaydon); John associate editor of the Daily inequality is being lost. …UNQUOTE cryer (Leyton & Wanstead); Peter Mirror ; and steve cavalier, chief Faiza Shaheen Dowd (Bootle); rupa Huq (Ealing executive of Thompsons solicitors. are working together Keep it Co-op to return our railways Answers? Questions! to public ownership. CLAIRE McCARTHY , general secretary of As Mick Whelan said Questions? Answers! last year, at a joint the Co-operative Party, explains why ASLEF’s general secretary Mick Whelan ASLEF/Co-op event at you should vote ‘Yes’ wowed an audience at Sheffield Cathedral, the Labour Party and 1.5 million radio listeners, when he Do you shop, bank or movement has a voice conference, appeared on Any Questions on Radio 4 on 18 insure with the Co- in the rooms where ‘Passengers and March. First question for Mick and the other op? Has a ballot paper decisions are made – employees must be at panellists – Chuka Umunna, Labour MP for dropped into your in Westminster, the heart of these Streatham; Nadhim Zahawi, Conservative inbox, or letter box, in Holyrood, Cardiff Bay changes.’ By voting MP for Stratford upon Avon; and Heather the last couple of and in town halls up ‘Yes’ to Motion 12 you McGregor, a former investment banker who weeks? If so, please and down the can keep this writes as Mrs Moneypenny in the Financial SILVER SURFER open it and vote ‘Yes’ country. Motion 12 important work Times – was why are the poor paying for the This image of EC5 to motion 12 before asks members of the going. For more mistakes of the rich? Other topics included Howard Kaye, 18 May. Co-op Group if they information, visit the sugar tax; schools being turned into standing for Police Co-operators and want to continue that www.keepit.coop and Crime trade unionists share relationship. academies; the EU; the Budget and the Commissioner for common roots. Just as Railway workers resurgence in left-wing politics. The Surrey on 5 May, the trade union were the original programme has been broadcast, without went viral. movement set up the pioneers of the co-op interruption, since 1948. Rebecca Croft- Labour Party to give movement.