RMT takes motions on EU referendum and co-ordinated strike action to TUC Congress and plans direct challenge to Ed Miliband over betrayal of working people

Transport union RMT will be taking hard-hitting motions calling for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU (Motion 16) and co-ordination of strike action and campaigning against austerity (Motion 54) to the Trades Union Congress which assembles in Bournemouth this weekend.

RMT has also pledged to take every opportunity to directly challenge Labour Leader Ed Miliband, who addresses the Congress on Tuesday, over his betrayal of working people on the anti-union laws, support for privatisation and the bosses’ pro-cuts/pro-austerity agenda.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow will be addressing a number of fringe meetings throughout the Congress, notably the “NO2EU – Yes to workers’ rights” fringe at 12.30 on the Monday at the Hermitage Hotel and the Action for Rail meeting on the Monday at 5.30pm in the BIC.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

“This year’s Trades Union Congress marks the point when the talking has to stop and the action has to start. With our colleagues in the postal sector and the fire service looking at the prospect of action over the coming months, and unions across the industries and services the length and breadth of Britain engaged in fights over jobs, privatisation, working conditions and pensions, there has never been a better time to unite the struggles into co-ordinated, generalised action.

“The trade union movement also has to recognise that we cannot be by-standers while the issue of Britain in Europe is being discussed everywhere from the canteen to the boardroom. Our movement cannot duck the issue of support for a referendum any longer and whether you support the RMT’s position of withdrawal, or want to remain in, the time has come for that debate to take place and to end the nonsense of the European issue being hijacked by UKIP, big-business and the chattering classes in their own self-interest.

“On Tuesday, Ed Miliband will be in Bournemouth and RMT will take every opportunity to ask the Labour leader just why he is signed up to an agenda that betrays working people at every turn on key issues like workers’ rights, privatisation, benefits and the bank-led austerity assault. The treatment of millions of trade union members as nothing more than voting fodder is a sure fire way to let the ConDem coalition sneak back into power in 2015.”