RMT head office closed due to strike action
The head office of a leading railway workers’ union remained closed on Monday amid action by staff in an internal dispute.
Employees of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out on Friday, forcing its annual conference (AGM) to be abandoned and the London HQ close.
In a letter, staff said they had been labelled scabs by the AGM, adding that their integrity had been called into question by their own employer.
A member of RMT staff told the PA news agency that the credibility of the union was at stake.
“The shocking events at this year’s AGM should not be seen in isolation. In recent years a toxic culture of bullying, violence and harassment has been allowed to fester and grow inside the union with the perpetrators receiving little or no punishment,” he said.
“RMT staff members feel threatened and vulnerable in their own workplace.
“Abuse and threats to staff via social media have become a matter of routine.
“Staff who have complained have seen those complaints kicked into the long grass for months on end, giving the perpetrators the green light to carry on with impunity.
“There is a stunning level of outright hypocrisy running throughout the organisation and its senior lay structures.
“If we don’t collectively get our own house in order those same employers will rightly call out RMT’s bare-faced hypocrisy to the detriment of the unions members.
“The credibility of the union is now on the line.”