June 2023
REGIONAL NEWSLETTER
Issue 12
CONTACT US:
North East Region
Your North East Regional Council can be contacted at N69a2e@rmt.org.uk
NORTH EAST OUT ON STRIKE The North East is once again showing its colours in the latest round of strikes from members employed by train operating companies. United on well-attended picket lines, members were out on strike on 13th May and 3rd June. Picket lines across the region were visited by MPs, local councillors, trades councils and members of activist groups such as the People’s Assembly – clearly showing the public is still on our side. Mayor of North Tyne, Jamie Driscoll, was as ever a supportive force on the Newcastle picket line, alongside MPs Ian Lavery and Kate Osborne, and staunch union supporter Laura Pidcock (National Secretary of the People's Assembly). The picket line at York was supported by MP Rachel Maskell, and Darlington by local councillors Dave Kay and Matthew Snedker. It was particularly heartening to see Network Rail staff, whose dispute has been resolved, standing on the picket lines alongside their TOC comrades. A united railway where workers stand side by side is exactly what the government and the employers fear: the modus operandi of the Tory party has always been to sow seeds of discontent amongst the working class, and we at RMT continue to refuse to do anything but show our collective solidarity. We must stay strong in the renewed attacks on our jobs, terms and conditions and pay. The cost of living crisis is ever-deepening, with fulltime railway workers admitting to resorting to food banks: it is crucial that we do not give in to pressure to submit. Your second stage (company council) reps have been invited to a meeting in London on June 14th to share thoughts and opinions about the dispute and the strikes with RMT officers please see your reps to give your feedback and to submit any questions.