Last week, when I spoke at the STUC Congress against the SNP putting both Scotrail and the Caledonian Sleeper in the hands of privateers, I said that actions speak far louder than words.
Let’s face it, the SNP hardly misses an opportunity to argue that the public sector should play a key role in delivering public services.
Yet its rhetoric simply fails to live up to the reality of what it is doing in government. Continue reading
There have recently been widespread sensationalist and inaccurate media reports about the relationship between our Party and trade unions. But the money that working people contribute to British politics is the cleanest in the business.
The long-standing relationship between unions and the Labour Party has not always been easy even though it has delivered great advances such as the NHS, the minimum wage, anti- discrimination laws and paid holidays. The status quo isn’t working. For example, in 2004, our union successfully moved a motion at Labour Party Conference in favour of public ownership of our railways. Regretfully, this did not appear in subsequent manifestos. I believe that we should use the review as an opportunity to strengthen our link so that trade unions can better pursue their members’ wishes. Continue reading
This morning, talks between TSSA and Virgin Trains broke down after Virgin Trains refused to commit to observing their own procedures when addressing concerns regarding staff sickness, capability or discipline.
Virgin Trains management, including Patrick McGrath, HR Director, read a pre-prepared statement and then left. The message that they gave us was: Continue reading
