Leadership of the RMT - Bob Crow, succeeded by Mick Cash (ongoing discussion)

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Often happens with events such as this. Messages merged into main topic.

[TonyK]

Thank you, Lee. I looked, but did not see.

[chuffed]

Found this amongst the comments in the Daily Telegraph !

The engine with murderous blood was damp,
Brilliantly lit by a brimstone lamp;
While an imp, for fuel, was shov'ling bones,
The furnace rang with a thousand groans.

The boiler was filled with lager beer,
And the devil himself was the engineer;
The passengers were a most motley crew-
And faster and faster the engine flew.

Rich men in broadcloth, beggars in tweed,
And all of them signed up to the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers),
The train rushed on at an awful pace,
The sulphurous fumes scorched their hands and face:

And out of the distance there arose a yell.
"Ha, ha," said the devil, we're nearing Hell!"
Then, oh, how the passengers all shrieked with pain
And begged the devil to stop the train!

But he capered about and danced for glee
And laughed and joked at their misery.
"My faithful friends, you have done the work,
And the devil never can a pay day shirk."

"You've justice scorned, and corruption sown,
And trampled the laws of nature down.
You have picketed, cheated, and gone on strikes
And mocked at God in your hell-born pride."

"You have paid full fare, so I'll carry you through;
For it's only right you should have your due.
Bob Crow's in first class, I expects my hire,
And I'll land you safe in the lake of fire."

[anthony215]

Say what you like about the man, he certainly knew his own mind, and made sure everyone else did too. His untimely death will leave a big gap, at a time when a number of major negotiations are under way, not least about the Underground. Expect genuine expressions of sadness from both sides of the table.

Seems Boris has also been paying tribute to Mr Crow. Despite being on opposing sides I do think there was some mutual respect from both of them towards each other

[TonyK]

Expect genuine expressions of sadness from both sides of the table.

Seems Boris has also been paying tribute to Mr Crow. Despite being on opposing sides I do think there was some mutual respect from both of them towards each other

BoJo was the first name in my mind when I made that comment. They seldom met, apparently, but directed operations in a way that normally kept trains running, with sufficient behind the scenes give and take to keep TfL^» (Transport for London - about) in particular reasonably content, and union membership happy, and rising.

[RichardB]

I have to say I think that Daily Telegraph poem is in pretty poor taste.

Boris Johnson's sensitive, respectful comments were much more on the mark for me. 

Bob Crow polarised opinions but, whatever you think of his tactics, he served the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) and its members well.  And, from a human point of view, 52 is a very early age to go.

[Electric train]

I listened to an interview yesterday on Radio 4's 'PM' with the head of ACAS he said Bob Crow was one of the most skilful negotiators he had ever come across.

I was not always a fan of Bob Crow but British society is worse off with this loss, he was some who stood up for what the members of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) wanted I feel we have lost some colour out of our politic in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) things will get even more grey.

R I P Bob

[Chris from Nailsea]

With particular thanks to recent posters on this subject, I've now taken the opportunity to merge several previous topics into this one here - as something of an obituary of our own, out on the forum.

I personally mourn and regret the passing of Bob Crow - I never met him, but he was actually on my list of 'people I'd like to meet', before my own time is up. 

Like him or loath him, Bob Crow did indeed stand up for, and get results for, his members.


Note: There is another topic in our 'frequent posters' board, which is only viewable by our established members: I've quite deliberately left that out of this particular merging of topics, simply because that is where our existing members contribute their views within that context. 

[TonyK]

One assumes the papers only report the bad side of union leadership, not the everyday grind and the 90% of negotiations that doesn't end in dispute. I thought the recent furrore about what turned out to be Bob's last holiday,  cruising from Bermuda to Brazil during a threatened strike, were somewhat misguided, as he was on the phone daily and in any case not directly involved in the talks. It did provide a chance to see the wit of two men - Bob Crow asking if the press think he should spend every holiday under a tree, reading Karl Marx, and BoJo saying he is welcome any time for a chat over a cup of tea, a beer, or a pi^a colada.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Plymouth Herald, an article by Charles Howeson:

Bob made me honorary member of RMT

As chairman of First Great Western Trains I knew Bob Crow pretty well and leaving aside the politics of the re-nationalisation of the railway, (a strategic objective upon which he had pretty fixed views), he was a ferocious fighter for his members at a tactical level.

It has to be said he would exploit any weakness in management generally, and perhaps that was good for customers indirectly, as in our case it helped us in our determination to improve.

Back in 2007 he made me an honorary member of his union after making a formal written complaint against me objecting to my wheeling a refreshment trolley and serving drinks (taking a member's job!) one Friday evening in one of our high speed express trains that had broken down in Paddington fully loaded with increasingly stressed commuters. This was in the bad old days when almost everything about FGW^▸ (First Great Western) was in a far less good state than it is in today, I am pleased to be able to say.

Following a 'tooing and froing' of both official and personal letters sent by courier over the weekend, we managed to end the incident in great good humour and on Christian name terms, exchanging the very real threat of potential industrial action with a level of mutual role recognition, and, at my end, a rather nice gold and green enamel union members tie badge... which I always keep handy nowadays, when...... I'm helping with the refreshment trolleys on our trains, which I am delighted to declare that I continue to do frequently!

I am hugely proud of all of our FGW staff, and its good to note that as a company we have since enjoyed a pretty good and mutually respectful, (if occasionally feisty!) relationship with the RMT, as one would perhaps expect, and I'm personally very sorry that Bob has left us all so early and unexpectedly in this way."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) leader Bob Crow's funeral to be private, says union

The funeral of Rail, Maritime and Transport union leader Bob Crow will take place on Monday and will be a private service, the union has said.

The general secretary died last week of a suspected heart attack, aged 52.

Mr Crow's family have requested the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium funeral be private but trade unionists, friends and colleagues will be invited to line the route of the procession.

A bigger event is being planned for May Day, the union said.

Mr Crow had led the RMT since 2002, and became one of Britain's most high-profile union leaders.

Mick Cash, the RMT's senior assistant general secretary, said the union was hoping for a big turn-out at the annual May Day march in London to honour Mr Crow. "On behalf of Bob Crow's family, we are able to confirm arrangements for the funeral and commemoration of the life and work of our general secretary, whose death has rocked the trade union movement, both in this country and around the world, to its very core," he said.

"The thousands of messages of condolence from every part of the globe are a testament to the courage, leadership and strength that Bob shared with so many people. Whilst Bob Crow's funeral itself will be a strictly private affair his friends and family recognise that many people will want to show their solidarity, respect and support, both on the day itself and on May Day. These arrangements give everyone a chance to play their part."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Union members pay tribute at RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) leader Bob Crow's funeral


A banner was held by RMT members at the gates of the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium

Thousands of people have turned out to pay their respects at the funeral procession of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union leader Bob Crow.

The union general secretary, who led the RMT from 2002, died of a suspected heart attack, aged 52, on 11 March. Friends and colleagues lined the route of the procession ahead of a private service.

Mr Crow's coffin was carried in a horse-drawn carriage from his house in Woodford, east London. The four horses were dressed in blue and white, the colours of Mr Crow's beloved Millwall Football Club.

Hundreds of union banners were displayed along the route, alongside flags from groups including the Stop The War Coalition, which Mr Crow supported.

The procession finished at City of London Cemetery and Crematorium, where a private funeral was held at the request of the Crow family.

Posters featuring a photograph of Mr Crow were also displayed at Tube stations across the capital.

Paul Kenny, leader of the GMB union, said: "Bob was a remarkable fighter for working people, but he was also passionate about protecting the health and safety of the public, which he never got any credit for. He was a funny, witty, interesting man, and the union movement - in fact the whole country - will be a duller place without him."

RMT president Peter Pinkney said: "Bob's death leaves a massive gap in the lives of everyone who was fortunate enough to know him and represents a huge loss to the trade union and labour movement both in this country and internationally, and specifically, for the RMT members Bob led with such stunning success."

Tributes to Mr Crow will also be paid on May Day, with a special event planned in London.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From Christian Wolmar's website, an obituary from The Guardian:

Bob Crow Obituary

March 11th, 2014 Guardian

Bob Crow, the leader of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) (the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers), who has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52, managed to popularise the cause of trade unions at a time of declining membership and increasing hostility. He was often the face of trade unionism in the media, and had a higher profile than leaders of much larger unions.

This was achieved through a mixture of militancy, media savvy and charm, backed by a very keen brain and strong emotional intelligence. Crow^s public image as a troublemaker and bully boy was misplaced. Of course he was prepared to talk aggressively on television and radio as a way of ramping up support for his cause and ensuring that the bulk of his members were behind him. However, behind the scenes it was another story. The rail industry managers who had to sit on the opposite side of the negotiation table from Crow were virtually unanimous in their assessment that ^you could always cut a deal with Bob^.

Unlike Arthur Scargill, the miners^ leader who founded the Socialist Labour party that Crow briefly joined, Crow always put his members first. According to a manager who frequently negotiated with him: ^Yes, he wanted to change the world, but he saw his first task as bettering the lot of his members rather than encouraging some kind of revolution.^

That said, he did not like his aggression being met with a commensurate response. Crow took a particular dislike to the London Underground boss Derek Smith, who pushed through a public-private partnership in the late 1990s against both union and Labour opposition. At one point, coming into a meeting to discuss a disputed ballot that was heading for the courts, Crow threw a newspaper with an article that he felt was offensive on the table and was surprised to find Smith throwing it back with greater force.

The word ^moderate^ to describe Crow popped up surprisingly often in conversations with railway managers. This was partly because Crow was wont to warn negotiators that his executive was on the warpath and he would need concessions to keep them happy. However, it was also the case that there were executive members who were further left politically than Crow and far more eager to see disruptive industrial action.

Crow, born in east London, left Hainault high school at the age of 16 and soon became interested in trade unionism after joining London Transport in 1977, initially as a member of a tree-felling gang. In 1983 he became a local trade-union representative and two years later the national officer for trackworkers in the National Union of Railwaymen, which became the RMT when it merged with the National Union of Seamen in 1990.

Crow established himself as a powerful voice in the union, often speaking out against the leadership of Jimmy Knapp over fears that the union was becoming too distant from its members. This enabled him to create a strong base in the grassroots, which stood him in good stead when Knapp died in 2001 while still in office as general secretary. Crow won the subsequent election easily, polling almost two-thirds of the votes.

The union was often in the spotlight and under his leadership membership grew from 57,000 to about 80,000 today, bucking the general trend among other unions. This was undoubtedly helped by the strong line taken in many disputes, but although there were often successful ballots for industrial action, for the most part agreements were reached before workers walked out. The strike calls were part of the negotiating position and Crow was adept at wading through the anti-union legislation introduced by Margaret Thatcher and largely left by Labour, which was one of his reasons for falling out with the party.

While Crow was generally happy to negotiate with managers, there were limits to his tolerance. One fellow trade unionist remembers travelling to Washington with him as part of the International Transport Workers^ Federation for discussions with the World Bank and seeing Crow ^finding it hard to restrain himself. He wondered why we were speaking to these people at all, a position which several other trade unionists, but not all, agreed with.^ For the most part, though, Crow was an extremely skilled negotiator and in public speeches knew exactly what buttons to press. Sure, there would be jokes and routine denunciations of the Conservatives, but these were only padding for the two or three key messages Crow wanted to get across.

Within his union, there were dissenters from the right, too. Crow was very keen on defending the rights of low-paid workers, such as cleaners, who for the most part worked not for the rail companies but were outsourced. Some of his well-paid members, such as drivers, queried why the union should concern itself with these lower-paid workers whose lack of job security meant they were far more difficult to reach and retain in the union, but Crow, true to his principles, always argued in favour of supporting them.

The RMT was expelled in 2004 by the Labour party for supporting rival candidates. Crow was not a member of a political party when he died, though he had supported the now disbanded Socialist Alliance, and believed socialist parties should unite to fight Labour.

Not surprisingly, Crow did attract hostility. Most notably, he was seriously injured in an attack by two men with an iron bar in January 2002, six weeks before his election, which he put down to ^management^, but the culprits were more likely to have come from the then quite active far-right in Dagenham, where he lived. Such attacks were encouraged by coverage in the rightwing press, which regularly called him ^the most hated man in Britain^.

In fact, the frequent media attacks upon him largely did not stick, because of Crow^s skill at handling the broadcast media, which meant he always came across as straightforward and honest on both radio and television. Even when espousing ideas that most of the public would regard as outlandish, he managed to sound reasonable and matter of fact. He was a regular on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)^s Question Time and for the most part his interventions received enthusiastic approbation from at least a major section of the audience.

Whenever I bumped into him, he did not forget that I had once called him a ^bit of a political dinosaur^ but nevertheless was always charming and ready to thrash out differences. Indeed, few people who met him disliked him and interviewers report how he was always engaging and he generally managed to get the better of them.

Crow was lucky in two respects. First, he was general secretary of a union that still had industrial strength because of its ability to be able to paralyse the railways or the London Underground by withdrawing labour. Not many other unions have that ability. Secondly, he became general secretary of a rail union at a time when the industry was booming, which gave him a strong negotiating position.

The last major dispute in which he was involved, in February this year, played to his strengths. As it was centred on an issue that chimed with the public, the closure of all the ticket offices in the Underground system, the public was surprisingly supportive of the tube workers despite the fact that their journeys were disrupted for two days. In fact, the second strike was called off when Transport for London agreed to further talks, and certainly the London mayor Boris Johnson, who had always refused to meet Crow officially, came off surprisingly badly in the dispute. The fact that it was Johnson rather than Crow who had been obdurate was highlighted by the fact that TfL^» (Transport for London - about) had all along planned to retain ticket-selling facilities at several busy stations, but, prompted by Johnson, had publicly suggested that they would all be closed.

Crow^s weak point was his lifestyle. He earned a package worth ^145,000, far more than any of his members, and yet lived in a council house. He defended this strongly, saying social housing should be for everyone, which rather betrayed a blind spot over the perception of his salary and his housing. It was apt that Crow supported Millwall, a football club with a similar reputation to his own and whose fans^ favourite chant, ^No one likes us, we don^t care^, could equally have applied to him.

[TonyK]

I've been a union member for almost 40 years, and have in the past held positions in various workplace committees that meant I was a negotiator in discussions with the local management. I never found a big problem with that, as we generally wanted much the same thing, but I had none of the skill that Bob Crow showed in getting the extra mile out of a deal. I also had the task of enthusing members into backing national strikes, easier in the 1980s than now, and relied on a passion that I lack these days.

Keeping that passion is what sorts the men from the boys in union politics, and Bob Crow was a man. Union officership seems to be almost as destructive as being a comedian. Jimmy Knapp was born two weeks before Cliff Richard, but died aged 60.

I have 426 more days that I need to walk through the office door to get a handsome pension (well, I'll get by with my other canny investments). I believe that stopping suddenly is bad for the health, so I have been slowly winding down over the last 30 years. I admire those who live life on the edge for one reason or another, but I'm glad I'm not one of them. I'm not sure I'll make old bones, but I will try.

I agree entirely with the sentiment that the country is a poorer place for the loss of Bob. I am glad that proper respects have (largely) been paid.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Edinburgh Evening News:

Capital man aims to take over UK^▸ (United Kingdom)^s rail union


Alan Pottage leafleting outside Haymarket. Picture: Ian Georgeson

A former Waverley Station train guard is in the running to become the most powerful union boss in the country.

Alan Pottage, who took a job on the railways at 18 to help pay for a new amplifier for his band, could replace Bob Crow, below, as the leader of RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union, with the power to bring the UK to a standstill.

Mr Pottage, a former Leith Academy pupil, will inherit his late friend Mr Crow^s ^145,000 salary and his mantle as the UK^s most ^controversial union baron in the country if he wins a national leadership ballot on September 22.

He brought his leadership campaign to Edinburgh yesterday, handing out leaflets to commuters at Haymarket Station, criticising rail-fare increases and plans to remove train guards.

He said: ^ve been a train guard, and I^ve intervened in situations on trains. If you take away that, the trains will still run, but the public will get less for the money it^s spending.

^I started off when there was a nationalised industry under British Rail. The problem then was that successive governments starved it of investment.

^What we^ve had since 1995 is the complete break-up of the industry. We^ve now got over 500 different companies competing against each other. It^s confusion, and it^s not good. As we^ve exposed time and time again, there^s more money going into private railways now than there ever was when it was nationalised.

^That^s why time and time again polling shows the public support bringing the railways back into public ownership.^

The election was triggered by the shock death of Mr Crow, who served as general secretary since 2002, dividing opinion with uncompromising ^tactics and flamboyant style.

Mr Pottage, who describes himself as a ^frontrunner^ for the RMT leadership, said: ^My views are the same as Bob^s, that we need to have a strong union, one that will stand up and make a case against things like rail fares going up, and cutting staff to add to the profits of private operators.^

His 32 years in the union have taken him as far as South Africa, where he was arrested and expelled in 1990 for demonstrating against apartheid. But his railway career was only sparked by his musical desires. He said: ^When I was 18 I was in a band, so I wanted an amp. My brother worked in the railways, so he got me a job, but I didn^t really see it as a long-term thing.^