And Labour Is on Ours
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ASLEFJOURNAL DECEMBER 2019 The magazine of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers & Firemen Elections are all about taking sides – and Labour is on ours It’s time to take our country back: railways, post office, gas, water, The train drivers ’ and electricity. And to make sure the NHS isn’t sold off to Donald union since 1880 Trump and his chums. Vote Labour. For the many, not the few railway enginemen’ s tax fr ee saver plans tax fr ee savings plans for anyone who works on the railways... we don’ t mean just train drivers..! tax fr ee policies fr om 70p per day , £5 per week and £20 per month 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 @RailwayEnginemens Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authorit y. Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authorit y. Incorporated under the Friendly Societies Act 1992 GS Mick Whelan Vote for the railway ASLEFJOURNAL DECEMBER 2019 The magazine of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers & Firemen E ARE not able, as train drivers W who provide a public service, in a 24/7 industry, to celebrate Christmas and New Year fully. But we hope that the security and ‘A lot for our industry safety of everyone in in this manifesto’ this party period is paramount, and that the travelling public takes a moment to think of all 4 those in the railway family doing the necessary 5 maintenance and upgrade work that keeps our News railway running, and who want to see their own loved ones over the festive fortnight. l Back Britain’s railways at the ballot box 4 We have the cynical timing of a failing government seeking to impose a poor anti- l Nye Bevan on the Tory Party; plus Off the 5 worker Brexit, not getting their own way, and Rails: Philip Norman, Mick Holder, Lenny forcing an election when students have gone Henry, and Diving Against Intolerance home for the holidays and those in seasonal l Trevor Robinson on the Grenfell fundraiser 6 work may have their ability to vote impacted. Democracy denied is democracy undermined. l Saltley service awards and Obama on woke 7 So I would urge all those eligible to vote, l Tributes to Tony West as he is laid to rest 8 8 regardless of their electoral preference, to l Graham Dean on the TfL pension fund 9 register; and those who may have problems at this dark, cold, time of year to get a postal vote, out of respect for all those who fought for Features everyone to have a voice. l Sherelle Cadogan on ASLEF’s equalities 10 Naturally, as an affiliated union to the weekend; and Helen Balami on what bosses Labour Party, we have a pronounced bias to the can do about migraines in the workplace party that will protect our NHS and schools, give a free broadband guarantee for a better We’re all gonna rock to the rules that I make: 11 l start in life for our children and grandchildren. Tom Corbin, Howard Kaye, Ed Mayne and That will improve education, build houses, Julian Vaughan want to be elected restore trade union rights, and do away with l Chris Proctor has a waspish word or two 12-13 the bedroom tax, zero hours contracts and faux about Grant Shapps, Chris Grayling, and 14 self-employment. That will introduce green Pacers in his wicked review of 2019 policies that will take our economy forward with a just transition with quality, unionised, l Jennifer Stewart on the STUC women’s 14 conference in Perth; Alan Moss on a D3 jobs for future generations. employment law day in Manchester Labour will do a Brexit deal and put it to the people with the option to remain on the ballot l Bill Dale on the RMS AGM at Ashford 15 paper. We remain in favour of Brexit but believe, after all the concerns raised by those Regulars on both sides of the debate, that no one was fully informed, and so support this way forward l Branch News and Upcoming Events; 16-17 as sensible. plus 100 Years of Union Labour will nationalise water, mail and rail. 22 The party has promised a rolling programme of l Obituaries 19 electrification, an extension of HS2 into l Letters and Classified Advertisements 20-21 Scotland, Crossrail for the North, and more connectivity, as well as the re-opening of l Last Word: Pre-Raphaelite Sisters at the 22 National Portrait Gallery in London branch lines. Support for publicly-owned rail freight and the end of driver only operation – l On Track: John le Carré on Britain, betrayal, 23 something against which we have campaigned and Brexit; Prize Crossword; Legal Services; for 30 years. There is a lot for our industry in this and ASLEF’s Change of Address form Labour manifesto – and far more for the country as a whole. The ASLEF Journal is published every month by: As always, we will enter the New Year in a ASLEF, 77 St John Street, London, EC1M 4NN spirit of renewal and hope. Thank you for all Tel: 020 7324 2400 l email: [email protected] you do and please may you and yours have a website: www.aslef.org.uk l twitter: @ASLEFUnion 23 great Christmas and holiday period. Please be safe. EDIToR Mick Whelan l DESIGNER Michael Cronin l PRINTER College Hill Press, London, SW19 4HE ADVERTISING ASLEF Journal, 77 St John Street, London, EC1M 4NN. Contact Keith Richmond on 020 7324 2407 or [email protected] l cLASSIFIED ADS [email protected] or call 020 7324 2400. The acceptance of a Yours fraternally display or classified advertisement does not necessarily imply endorsement of that product or service by ASLEF Mick Whelan, general secretary cHANGE oF ADDRESS Please post your details to ASLEF, 77 St John Street, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 4NN December 2019 l The ASLEF Journal 3 News But a party that seeks TWEETS OF THE MONTH Back Labour – and Britain’s to alter hard-won t&cs by Grant Shapps prefers to talk planes railway – at the ballot box implementing not trains during meetings with changes through Network Rail boss Andrew Haines. The fat SLEF is invitations to tender controller previously ran the Civil Aviation affiliated to for future franchises is Authority and the Transport Secretary, a A the Labour no friend of the train private pilot who boasts he owned his own Party. The decision by driver. And successive wings, generously gives Haines the benefit members to affiliate, Tory Transport of his experiences in the sky during and to enshrine it in Secretaries say, when encounters. The minister’s head in the our rule book, was we raise the plight of clouds obscures cancelled iron horses below. taken because the the freight sector, ‘the @NewStatesman party was founded by market must assert trade unions to give itself’. What’s happened to the Brexit us a voice in ‘Labour is offering countdown clocks in Number 10 and Parliament to fight Jeremy corbyn marches with Ec5 Howard voters a radical, but Tory HQ? Just asking for the rights – Kaye and Do5 Nigel Gibson at Burston sensible, socialist @George_Osborne including universal building on the The Tories, platform on which suffrage – of working foundations of those disingenuously, have any of the great Thank you Nigel Farage for confirming men and women in who worked on the tried to persuade Labour Party leaders two Tory parties are standing and Britain. footplate in the past, people that they are of the past – such as Brexit’s a right-wing plot between Johnson’s ‘We need the to get where we are’. the ‘workers’ party’. Keir Hardie, Clement Tory Brexit Party and your Brexit Tory Party Labour Party now Attlee, and Harold @Kevin_Maguire more than ever,’ says Labour Party commitments: Wilson – would have GS Mick Whelan. been happy to stand,’ Is this the age of the train? In the year ‘Nobody gave us the l A Labour government will work with says Mick. ‘That’s why to July 2019, rail passengers between salaries and ASLEF to develop minimum standards I urge you to vote Glasgow and London rose by 57,000 while conditions we enjoy for train drivers’ cabs. Labour on 12 air travellers declined by 81,000. That’s a today; it has taken us l And the party has pledged to roll back December and return shift of about 6% from air to rail based on 139 years of DOO and put a second safety-critical a Labour government 2.5m journeys annually. industrial negotiation person on every train. to help build a better @SimonCalder and political struggle, Britain.’ FAT CONTROLLER STEPS DOWN Lest we forget Sir Patrick McLoughlin, 62, Tory MP for Derbyshire Dales, has stood down after 33 I was fortunate to be invited to a service of years in the Commons. He was Secretary of remembrance at Southwark Cathedral on State for Transport from 2012 to 2016 under Wednesday 6 November in memory of the David Cameron. Andy Botham, Derby branch, railwaymen of Great Britain and Ireland who and East Midlands Trains company council, hit died during the Great War of 1914-1918. the headlines – the media loved the ballot box More than 186,000 railway workers from the battle between the train driver and the Fat United Kingdom fought in the First World ‘At the going down of the sun, and in the Controller – when he stood against the Tory War – of whom 20,850 lost their lives in the morning, we will remember them’ heavyweight in 2015 and 2017.