THE TWO major unions in British 180,000 strong national Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and the 27,000 strong drivers union ASLEF have formed a federation which is intended to lead to a single railworkers.
wages settlement.
A key element in this productivity plan is the grade of 'trainman' which will draw in workers cmiene reis creation or ululs. creation this new grade along with other measures intended to intensify the work railworkers do, will virtually wipe out pattorm staff. As many as 30,000 Jobs are up tor grabs.
the rail unions should welcome this tederation ~ vuL as a way forging unity to resist Rail, the union for all The Tory press have seen this proposed the productivity strings. Such unity will not come automatically.
The llall of existence LWU unions, but the way that divisions fostered through the individual unions themselves. Inside Ine NUR each grade organised separately each other.
Crucial to resisting the Rail Board's offensive will uniting the different grades of railworker and then eventually with the miners and steelworkers who, NUR, make up the triple alliance.
The willingness of railworkers to forge this type fighting alliance was seen in the preparations LicalCICu strike. Sidney Weighell, seci clal) the NUR, admitted this when he explained to the press that the union 'had organised for war but sued for peace What he failed to dis. tinguish was that the ranks had organised tor war and he had sued for peace. It is clear that , forging of unity and the building of the trin e aliance will have to be taken out of his hands.
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merger as an aid to implementing the produc- tivity demands placed alongside the recent