Victimised Whistleblowers: A Trade Published by London Hazards Centre Reviewed by Julia Brandreth THIS PAMPHLET, with contributions from victimised Trade union Health and Safety reps Greg Tucker, Sarah Friday and Laurie Holden, is essential reading for all trade union activists. It highlights the problems facing principled trade unionists as they battle against profit-hungry rail companies and inadequate legislation, dealing with apathy from statutory bodies and, too often, their own trade union leaderships.
The pamphlet describes a rail service hazardous to work on or use - with further disasters like Ladbroke Grove just waiting to happen. Drivers are: working impossibly long shifts with too short breaks and so are in increasing danger of passing signals at danger and falling asleep at the wheel. Train companies bully anyone who consistently raises the issue of safety and legal remedies for whistleblowers are woefully inadequate. ••
choose." Greg Tucker
In his introduction Greg Tucker, Secretary of the RMT Train Crew and Shunters Conference, describes how the private train operating companies that took over running trains in the mid-90s used the carrot of higher basic wages to introduce longer hours and more "flexible" working arrangements. He and other contributors are critical of train drivers union ASLEF for being prepared to sacrifice working conditions for higher wages. Breaks were cut and the working day increased to up to lI hours.
Mike Merritt of London Hazards Centre highlights the commercial interests of Public Private Partnerships and the resulting downgrading of safety considerations. He criticises the roles of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Health and Safety Commission. He also highlights the farcical idea of customer choice, "If the squalid, broken, overcrowded, unhygienic 8.25 from Maidenhead isn't good enough to travel on, there isn't a nice, clean, roomy and competitively priced alternative for the 'customer' to
Sarah Friday, RMT Train Drivers Health and Safety Representative at Waterloo Depot from 1997 to 2000, writes about a survey of Waterloo train drivers she conducted in 1998 in which 99 per cent of respondents said they suffered stress caused by the length of time continuously worked without a break. She also quotes research showing that 12 per cent of British train drivers admitted to "nodding off" several times a month. also seen as key.
Alex Gordon, RMT Council of Executives member from 200l-2003, describes the current threat for the rail industry in Europe, with the European Commission supporting the opening up of the 'market' with sations. a split between operations and infrastructure across Europe.
Encouragingly, rail unions across Europe have also got together to fight for another system, one "in which welfare [email protected] and social justice, conditions of employment, health and safety, public services, the right to strike and trade union rights are all respected." The message is clear: international threats require international, co-ordinated trade union responses.
The contributors make a number of concrete recommendations to improve the current situation. These include the introduction of legislation on are based on sound economics. stress, automatic right of reinstatement for safety representatives sacked on other pretexts, legal protection to stop them being victimised when carrying out their legal work and the abolition of employees gagging clauses. The introduction of Automatic Train Protection (promised by the Tories over a decade ago!) is
Most crucial, though is strong will re-offend. workplace organisation. Unity and solidarity are the best way to tackle employers with scant regard for safety and to turn unions into truly fighting organi• Copies for El each (including postage and packing) are avail- a burden. able from Sarah Friday: [email protected] 3 London Hazards Centre:
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undergoing therapy. have had. Prison turned me into a Marxist IAM WRITING with regard to the article in SR8 Scandal of Blunkett's Bang 'em up Britain". I am a long-term prisoner serving 8 years for robbery. I have served numerous other prison sentences in the past.
Through education in prison I have become socially aware and developed Marxist beliefs.
Although I agree with a lot of your article you were very brief on alternatives. More could be said on non-custodial options that do not work for many people.
As part of my education I have researched and made proposals for other options. They may be radical but they
The prison I am in is a special therapeutic prison aimed at those who have had enough and wish to "mend their ways". There is an intensive programme of therapy that lasts 18 months to 2 years, and is very successful. More of these therapeutic communities would be a good idea.
Wouldn't it be better to use the E30,000 it costs for a prisoner on a punishment and rehabilitation plan? For example a prisoner serving 5 years will cost the tax payer around €100,000 plus more for his supervision on release, assuming he serves 3 years 4 months i.e. gets full remission. There is absolutely no guarantee he will find employ ment on release and if he can't get a job it is very likely he
Instead keep him for 2 years if he agrees to learn a vocation and then use the money saved approximately €40,000 - to subsidise a 2-year employment placement for him. That way he will not only pay tax but there is a good chance he won't re-offend. He will no longer feel he is an "outsider" and will end up putting back what it cost to keep him in prison. He would become an asset rather than 1 myself have actually done most of my rehabilitation under mowsteam. Har @omeoffarugs-18 months ago. I have passed my "A levels and begin an Oper Universiry Social Science degree in February: have found work for when l am released, and as l already stated im Socialist Resistance has been launched by the International Socialist Group, the Socialist Solidarity Network and other individual activists in the Socialist Alliance the Global justice and anti-imperialist SOVER SEE Our central aims are:
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[email protected] Toby Abse, Patrick Baker, Julia Brandreth, Andrew Burgin, Brenda and Brian Bushell, Mathew Caygill, Duncan Chapple, Frances Curran, Norma Dowd, Andy Gibbons, Jamie Gough, Catriona Grant, Patrick Hall. Rick Hatcher, Wayne Holmes, Nick Lidgett, Frank McMahon, Lesley Mahmood, Margaret Manning, Alan McCoombes, Martin Milne, Piers Moystn, Karen O'Toole, Surykant Raithatha, Norman Traub, Rick Simon, Colin Smith, Murray Smith, Sarah Taversham, Doug Thorpe, Tony Traub, Bill Walton, Roger Welch. Published by SOCIALIST RESISTANCE, PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU Printed by East End Offset, London E3