GFTU BGCM Minutes 2017

Underground. That meant that our underground system was no longer secure

and it was our members who were getting the brunt of that. As a result of that,

and I have to praise Sadiq Khan since taking over as Mayor, he has put in 325

jobs into the system. I know we all have disputes, but it is not very often that

you can come back from a dispute and say not only did we win, sometimes we

get a little score draw here and there, but this was a massive victory. 325 new

jobs put into the London Underground after 850 were taken out by that vandal

Boris Johnson. You know what? That would have never happened if we did

not have a Labour Mayor in London and that shows why politics is important. I

understand that some unions have not got a political fund and I respect that,

but trying to change things just in the workplace is like trying to go into a boxing

match with one hand tied behind your back and that is why our union has

always, always involved itself in politics, because we understand that to shape

things you need to get involved with the decision-makers and try and make

them change what is happening around you.

That dispute was good for us, we got 325 jobs, but Boris and the Tories are so

bloody vindictive. In comes the new Mayor and what do they do? They cut his

budget. London is going to become the first capital city in the industrialised

world, the first capital city in the industrialised world to operate a public

transport system without a subsidy. It is criminal, it is criminal what the Tories

are doing. You know why they did it? Because Sadiq Khan had the tenacity to

say (and fares had increased by about 20% under Boris) that during his watch

he will freeze fares, so they have tried to make it almost impossible for him to

keep that promise, but this is the level of vindictiveness that we have to live

with.

I thank you for your support, because I know you are going to support these motions and onwards and upwards and let’s vote Labour on June 8 th .

(Applause)

The motion was formally seconded

Motion 11 was CARRIED unanimously

206