ASLEFJOURNAL JULY 2019 The magazine of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers & Firemen Going Underground Meet me by the entrance of the Tube – District 8 special report plus The train drivers ’ Daniel Davis on how to change your community in three minutes; Dave Tyson on the Norwich banner; and Gregor Gall on blacklisting union since 1880 GS Mick Whelan ASLEF’s on track ASLEFJOURNAL JULY 2019 The magazine of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers & Firemen for a diverse and modern railway E HAVE only just W returned from the Mick: ‘Our most diverse AAD first report we’ve had in our 139 year showed the history but there is still a long industry in a way to go before the employers bad light’ have systems in place that encourage proper career mapping and are truly reflective of the communities in which we live 7 and work. 10 In 2012 we published the first On Track with Diversity report which revealed the rail industry News to have very low numbers of women, young, l GTR under fire for ‘false’ passenger poster 4 and black and minority ethnic drivers. We used that report to hit every HR director’s desk and l Susan Calman on her specialist subject – 5 say, ‘We have membership density in this trains – plus Simon Armitage, Roger Scruton, industry in the very high nineties but can only Tim Finch and Neil Jordan go Off the Rails recruit as members the drivers you employ.’ The situation was compounded by the McNulty l New report: On Track With Diversity 2019 6 Report and a Tory government which tried to l Tube drivers’ pay offer is not good enough 7 blame the unions for the lack of diversity on the grounds of ‘flexibility’ – the same government l Soham rail explosion heroes remembered 8 12 which, when asked by us to introduce an Features equalities impact assessment before awarding a franchise, refused. Two decades of campaigning l Daniel Davis on how you can start to 10 for job shares, flexible working, pre-retirement change your community in three minutes links, and reduced hours working, in the years before part-time working attracted pro-rata l DO8 Finn Brennan reports on TfL, London 11 Underground, and the Mayor of London rights to leave and pension, have all been conveniently ignored. l Going Underground: Finn Brennan, Gary 12-13 We launched an updated version, On Track Comfort, Kris Davis, Trevor Robinson and with Diversity 2019, at the Palace of Westminster Marc Tanner on 17 June, calling on employers (not all are bad) to work with us to create more Gregor Gall on the blacklisting scandal that 14 l opportunities to build a workforce which better blights construction sites like Crossrail represents the communities we serve. To those l Dave Tyson proudly unfurls (and explains) 15 14 companies who refuse to respond we will be the history of the new Norwich banner asking what you have to hide. Are you playing Conservative Bingo? Who’s Regulars going to be the next Tory leader, and unelected Prime Minister, with 13 initially out of the traps, l Branch News and 100 Years of Union 16-17 including old union-hating, union-baiting Boris l Obituaries 19 Johnson, the worst London Mayor and Foreign Secretary we’ve ever had, with spectacular Letters and Classified Advertisements 20-21 l integrity and moral issues. Only two candidates, l Last Word: Chris Proctor ponders the big 22 of course, go to members of Conservative question – was she the worst PM in history? 15 constituency associations. Not one of them has pledged to reduce l On Track: Richard Holbrooke and the 23 poverty, food bank usage, or the widening US in Vietnam; Prize Crossword; wealth gap; increase benefits and the minimum Legal Services; and Change of Address wage; scrap tuition fees or the public sector pay Cover: Alice Underground gap, rehome the victims of Grenfell, or protect linocut by Gail Brodholt those in Britain’s core industries which are now under threat. Instead we hear about tax cuts for The ASLEF Journal is published every month by: the rich. Whoever wins should be obliged to call ASLEF, 77 St John Street, London, EC1M 4NN an immediate general election to allow real life Tel: 020 7324 2400 l email: [email protected] 23 and death issues to be discussed for a better website: www.aslef.org.uk l twitter: @ASLEFUnion future for this once great nation. EditOR Mick Whelan l dESiGNER Michael Cronin l PRiNtER College Hill Press, London, SW19 4HE Yours fraternally AdvERtiSiNG ASLEF Journal, 77 St John Street, London, EC1M 4NN. Contact Keith Richmond on 020 7324 2407 Mick Whelan, general secretary or [email protected] l clASSiFiEd AdS [email protected] or call 020 7324 2400. The acceptance of a display or classified advertisement 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 July 2019 l The ASLEF Journal 3 News Standards Authority You spin me round as the poster campaign ‘completely erases the true like a wonky record history of the company’s failure, TR is under tangible passenger without even a hint of fire from benefits and we want an apology. It is clear G passengers to hear how you to us that the and industry analysts want to spend it: advertising materials after an extraordinary either at your local are an attempt to attempt to pull the station or on a wider derive PR value and wool over the eyes of passenger benefit reputational capital their ‘customers’ – as scheme.’ the GtR timetable debacle caused misery for from what is the company likes to GTR was fined by tens of thousands of commuters; and the ‘PR essentially a false call commuters – the ORR after the spin’ poster that has angered passengers political following the timetable fiasco in communication in a privatised train spring last year and etc. One passenger, £15 million on public space.’ operator’s run-in with ordered to spend Simon Tilley, dryly passenger benefits…’ The ORR is also the Office of Rail and £15 million on tweeted John Cannon understood to be Road. improving its service. @roguetrader1980: @johnmcannon unhappy because ‘it is Posters have Not that you would ‘You typed it in a wrote: ‘I think you And Commuter highly doubtful’ that appeared at stations know the truth from hurry and messed up. should be explaining Justice posted: ‘It’s a ‘any such served by Southern, the company’s Fear not. Mr T has why you suddenly fine because you improvements’ will Thameslink, and expensive PR spin. fixed your have money for screwed up.’ ‘constitute Great Northern, Thameslink grammatical error’ passenger benefits. The Association of reparations to those announcing: ‘Govia tweeted @TLRailUK: and waspishly – but Customers need to British Commuters who were affected by Thameslink Railway is ‘We have £15 million accurately – changed know this is a fine for has now reported the the breach of contributing £15 to spend on the opening to ‘We your woeful company to the passenger million towards passenger benefits’ have to spend performance’. Advertising information rules’. LUCIO ELECTED TWEETS OF THE MONTH Lucio Buffone, Paddington branch chair and Lights! Camera! Action! GWR company council, has been elected to Where on earth was Michael Gove the national committee of LGBT+ Labour, the when we needed a Tory leader that campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans was passionate about coke? #Orgreave rights, on a job share with Maria Exall, of the #MinersStrike #TruthAndJistice #Gove CWU, as trade union liaison officer. #Thatcher www.otjc.org.uk Richard Fisher @Aslefisher CROSSRAIL OF THE NORTH More than 5,000 businesses have called on the Number of jobs at risk from the government to invest in a £39 billion high collapse of British Steel is over 32,000, speed rail link – dubbed the Crossrail of the much higher than previously feared – new North – across the north of England. study by @GMB_union @AlanJonesPA ARE FRIENDS ELECTRONIC? Members can receive the ASLEF Journal – and BBC bosses blundering badly again by reps can receive circulars – electronically if dan Smith, executive producer of an itN not loudly pinning blame on election they choose to do so. Just contact admin at documentary about crossrail, to be manifesto promise breaking Tories for head office. broadcast on channel 5 this summer, spent axing free TV licences. The corporation will an hour interviewing GS Mick Whelan at carry the can unless it revolts. Tony Hall’s head office in St John Street last month. effing this up big time QUOTE… @Kevin_Maguire ‘The Intercity 125 was probably the most iconic train operating in the UK.’ Duck! Donald offers Brexit Britain a Let’s celebrate the moderation of – Andrew McLean , head curator, ‘big trade deal’ – if he gets the NHS people who chuck milkshakes at National Railway Museum those who would be happy to send trade …UNQUOTE Although the president’s unionists to concentration camps men tried to row back @FinnBrennan after Donald Trump, on a state visit to Britain last The simple joys of 6 year olds: my son Our hip, hot and very much month, said the NHS worked out that the toilet on the happening red baseball would be ‘on the table’ in any future trade deal heritage train carriage emptied directly cap will keep the sun out of between the UK and the US, and Matt onto the track after he had flushed it (in a your eyes this summer. Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health, station) so he ran to the back of the £5 (inc p&p); email insisted ‘the NHS is not for sale’, Jason Cowley carriage as we departed so he could see his [email protected] or visit pointed out in the New Statesman : ‘The US, by poo on the track our online shop at www.aslef.org.uk virtue of its size and power, will dictate the Kerry Cassidy @ladytraindriver terms of any deal.’ 4 The ASLEF Journal l July 2019 News That’s entertainment! Off the Rails USAN Calman, the diminutive stand-up SIMON ARMITAGE , born into a working- S comic, TV presenter and class family in a terrace house in panellist on radio shows such as Huddersfield in 1963, is the new Poet The News Quiz and I’m Sorry I Laureate, for which he will be paid the Haven’t a Clue , confesses in her princely sum of £5,750 and a barrel (720 Good Housekeeping column that bottles) of sherry a year.