ORGANISING WORKERS ON THE RIVER THAMES September 2022
RIVER THAMES UPDATE By Branch Secretary Sarah Emmings Having worked on the Thames for some considerable time and taking over the responsibility of the River Thames branch in 2018 we have progressed and actively grown our membership across a number of companies operating on the Thames. We have members from the large employers to those employers with small operations who see the benefit of being a member of the RMT union. We have seen a presence at various workplaces on the Thames by not only the branch, but regionally elected officials, National Executive Committee members and the National Secretary Darren Procter. The feedback we receive when doing visits is always a positive reception with some individuals having never seen a union, or as maybe the case didn’t even know what a trade union was!
Whilst all the above is positive, we could do so much more if we had members who would become more involved in organising and supporting the workload of the branch. As branch officials of the RMT we are volunteers and we give up our time to help support and organise those working on the River Thames. However, we need more members to become actively involved, you don’t have to be a workplace representative, you don’t have to have had experience in a trade union previously. If you want to make a difference and think that we as a branch should be campaigning around a particular topic that we can all develop, then please get in touch. There are so many underpaid, undervalued workers trying to make ends meet on the Thames and we need to develop a local strategy based on your input, your experience, your knowledge and your desire to bring about dignity and respect for all those working on the Thames. I hope you enjoy reading this initial newsletter and respectfully request that you make us stronger by sharing this newsletter with a colleague who is not currently in the RMT and ask that they consider joining.
CONTINUE WITH THE GOOD WORK! By Darren Procter, National Secretary Firstly, I would like to congratulate your branch officials for the work it has has done to rejuvenate what was a nonfunctioning branch into a branch with structure and a vision to build membership through organising workers who expect decency and respect in the workplace. I recall the initial steps shortly after I was elected into the position as National Secretary in 2018 to elect branch officials and support those
individuals who wanted to rebuild the branch. On a recent visit along the Thames, talking to workers employed in the various roles, at various employers, it is clearly recognisable that whatever your role, whoever your employer, that individuals feel vulnerable as employers seek to put the cost of the pandemic at the doorstep of the employee, whether this be through temporary working arrangements, fire and rehire or real terms pay cut or attacks on terms and conditions. All workers have an option, sit back and be shafted, or join a union and become organised. When a workplace is unorganised the boss will ordinarily treat the workforce with contempt and rarely is there a Cont’d Page 2