Midlands Aslef member
As train drivers in Aslef stand united on the picket lines on Saturday 26 November, the time has come to renew the six-month strike mandate required by Tory anti-union laws. We say bring it on!
From debate and discussion between members on picket lines, in branch meetings, at open forum Q&A online meetings, and chinwags in the messrooms, there’s one thing coming out clearly: members are prepared to fight on for decent pay!
We should completely reject any attempt by the bosses and their friends in Westminster to use the divide-and-rule tactics of comparing our members’ pay to other workers, trying to say ‘we should be grateful for what we’ve got’.
We make no apologies for the hard-won salaries of our members, performing crucial safety-critical work through all weathers and conditions. The Tories bang on about wanting a ‘high-paying, high-skilled’ economy, but apparently that only relates to bankers not transport workers!
Unlike this wretched government, Aslef members want nurses, public sector workers, all workers to have a pay rise. We don’t believe in normalising poverty pay, we want to uplift all workers’ pay, not a race to the bottom.
While this current dispute is a battle over pay, we know this is part of a larger upcoming war against workers, potentially including even more anti-union laws.
That’s why it’s so crucial we send the strongest message possible, not just through the largest possible ‘yes’ vote, but increasing our physical presence on our picket lines.
