Re: industrial action by cityrail train guards - 22 july

["John" <johnst@aics.net.au>]

>
> I would suggest to you that in Melbourne there has been no reduction in
the
> quality of service because the guards have gone, to the contrary, there
has
> probably been an improvement in the quality of service in some ways.
>
> The real facts are, to many unionists in the rail industry thought they
had
> jobs for life, after all, thats what they were told when they started.
>
> In reality those who were prepared to adopt change in the majority of
cases
> kept their jobs albeit they were much different jobs than when they joined
> and there weren't as many, but they were jobs.
>
> The best example of this (apart from Drivers) would be shunters, the
> shunters in the Melbourne Yard put every obstical they could in the way of
> management, bans for the sake of bans, you name it. The result, they
closed
> the Melbourne Yard and moved everything out to Tottenham (long before
> Melbourne Yard was projected as a sporting complex), the railways went out
> of their way to avoid putting anythink into Melbourne.
>
> It was only the advent of privatisation that has threatened the Tottenham
> shunters.
>
> People can bury your heads in the sand thinking they can carry on the same
> as before, but by the time they look up they will find that the world has
> passed them by.
>
> We all in the rail industry hate the way things have turned out, but the
> only survivers in the long run will be those who are prepared to embrace
> change.
>
> As for the union letting the membership down, maybe this is true? But may
I
> also suggest that unions are not a group of officials sitting in distant
> offices, they are a collective of people, "The membership" The best way to
> get something done is to do it yourself, ie: Don't remain a part of the
rank
> and file (as honourable as that may be) run for office. Change things!!!!
> Shake them up if your think your not being represented.
>
> Bob.
>


You are exactly right! There is not an industry anywhere that is not
undergoing change and it madness to bury your head in the sand.
You are also right about getting out of the "rank and file" and running for
office. If you don't get elected on your philosophies then obviously the
majority of members who vote don't agree with you.
I know of a Guard who was so dead against the PTU that he left and went to a
union that has no legal coverage of Guards. He has some "head in the sand"
ideas but he would have been better off staying with the PTU and running for
a position to fight within. Although the poor guy has zero credibility and
would be lucky to get a half a dozen votes!