National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers | |
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| Predecessor | National Union of Railwaymen National Union of Seamen |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990; 36 years ago (1990) |
| Headquarters | London,NW1 |
| Location | |
| Members |  80,521 (2024)[2] |
General Secretary | Eddie Dempsey |
President | George Welch[3] |
| Affiliations | |
| Website | rmt.org.uk |
TheNational Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as theRMT) is aBritish trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is George Welch and its current General Secretary isEddie Dempsey.[4][5]
The RMT is one of Britain's fastest growing trade unions. Membership rose under and following the leadership ofBob Crow, increasing from 57,000 in 2002[6] to almost 81,500 in 2019.[7][8]
The RMT was formed in 1990 through a merger of theNational Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and theNational Union of Seamen (NUS) to create a single transport industry trade union.
The predecessor unions to the National Union of Railwaymen and the National Union of Seamen were founding members of the originalLabour Representation Committee[9] and after its creation the RMT became a prominent voice on the left of theLabour Party. In 2003 someScottish branches of the RMT voted to donate some of their funds to theScottish Socialist Party (SSP) in protest against the policies ofTony Blair andNew Labour, such as notrenationalising the railways.[9] This led the Labour Party to expel the union in early 2004 for breaching its rules.[which?][9]
The RMT announced in 2009 that it would be standing a slate of candidates in the2009 European Parliament elections under the banner ofNo to EU – Yes to Democracy, a broad left-wingalter-globalisation coalition which aimed to offer an alternative to the pro-business policies of theUK Independence Party.[10] The RMT then became a founding member of theTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), a left wing political party which has contested the2010 and2015 general elections.
The RMT was in favour ofthe UK's withdrawal from theEuropean Union inthe 2016 referendum on the subject. However, RMT members Sean Hoyle,Peter Pinkney, Paul McDonnell and John Reid signed a letter inThe Guardian, voicing their opposition to theElectoral Commission choosingLeave.EU,Vote Leave orGrassroots Out as the official group advocating for British withdrawal in the referendum, saying that:
We call on the commission not to give taxpayers' money to the Tory andUkip-dominated Vote Leave, Leave.EU or Grassroots Out campaigns, or any amalgam of them ... We believe there are millions of trade unionists, young people, anti-austerity campaigners and working-class voters, whose opposition to the big business-dominated EU would not be represented by these organisations. ... We call on the Electoral Commission to recognise that a significant proportion of those who will vote against the EU do so because they support basic socialist policies of workers' rights, public ownership, and opposition to austerity and racism.[11]
In July 2015, the RMT endorsedJeremy Corbyn'scampaign in theLabour Party leadership election.[12]
The RMT represents mostLondon Underground staff, as well as many other workers in the London public transport network. The RMT has had a number of disputes withTransport for London and private sector contractorsMetronet andTube Lines[a][13] over pay, safety, pensions and job security on the Underground. These disputes have often resulted in industrial action, leading to periods of travel disruption in the capital over the last decade.[clarification needed][14][15][16]
In May 2022, the union began balloting 40,000 members on a strike action that might be joined by theTransport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA). Both managers and operators would be affected. Rail insiders have accused the union leaders of balloting prematurely without negotiation.[17] Of primary concern to the unions were the upcoming job cuts atNetwork Rail and a demand for pay rises to offset the cost of living.[17] Coming out of the pandemic, fewer passengers are currently using railways, however. Rail ministerWendy Morton and rail companies have emphasised the need to modernise the sector and reduce its cost base.[17]
Union members backed industrial action overwhelmingly, and 24-hour strikes were scheduled for 21, 23 and 25 June.[18][19] Both the RMT and the TSSA warned of a level of disruption not experienced since the1926 general strike.[17] Rail companies began drawing up plans to prioritise freight delivery over passenger services in order to keep supermarkets stocked.[18]
The RMT is affiliated to a number of political organisations and trade union confederations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the RMT is affiliated with theTrades Union Congress, theScottish Trades Union Congress, theWales Trades Union Congress[20] and theIrish Congress of Trade Unions.[21] Internationally the RMT is affiliated to theEuropean Transport Workers' Federation and theInternational Transport Workers' Federation,[20] as well as theWorld Federation of Trade Unions.[22]
Politically the RMT was affiliated with the left wing political party, theTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC),[23][24] which it co-founded, until it disaffiliated in 2022.[25] The RMT is also affiliated to theLabour Representation Committee,[26] a pressure group which aims to promote traditional socialist principles within the Labour Party.
The RMT has provided 23,000 trade union cases to the Railway Work, Life and Death Project. This data includes information on accidents and disabilities on thousands of members, from the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and National Union of Railwaymen during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[27]
RMT Credit Union Limited is a savings and loansco-operative established by the trade union for its members in 2004.[28] It is a member of UKCreditUnions Limited, a national trade association representing smallercredit unions, steering groups and support organisations.[29] The credit union is authorised by thePrudential Regulation Authority and regulated by theFinancial Conduct Authority and the PRA. Ultimately, like the banks and building societies, members' savings are protected againstbusiness failure by theFinancial Services Compensation Scheme.[30]
Rail insiders accused the union leaders of balloting for strikes prematurely and without attempting to negotiate
Members of the RMT at Network Rail and 13 train operators overwhelmingly backed industrial action in a ballot last week.
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