Election of new rail union leader sparks fears of militancy
Publikováno: 27 May 1998
On 6 May 1998, it was announced that Lew Adams, who had been general secretary of the train drivers' trade union, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), for the previous four years, had failed to retain the post in an election. In a first ballot, Mr Adams had topped the list of five candidates but failed to achieve the necessary 50% of votes (obtaining only 45.1%), thus necessitating a second ballot involving himself and the second-placed candidate, Dave Rix, a local union official from Leeds who had polled 23.9%. In the second ballot, Mr Adams polled 3,357 votes, compared with 4,558 for Mr Rix, who was thus elected general secretary. More than 14,300 ballot papers had been sent out, and around half of ASLEF's members actually voted.
Fears of strikes on the railways and a resurgence of trade union militancy were triggered in some quarters in May 1998 after the surprise election of a "hard-left" candidate as leader of the UK train drivers' union, ASLEF.
On 6 May 1998, it was announced that Lew Adams, who had been general secretary of the train drivers' trade union, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), for the previous four years, had failed to retain the post in an election. In a first ballot, Mr Adams had topped the list of five candidates but failed to achieve the necessary 50% of votes (obtaining only 45.1%), thus necessitating a second ballot involving himself and the second-placed candidate, Dave Rix, a local union official from Leeds who had polled 23.9%. In the second ballot, Mr Adams polled 3,357 votes, compared with 4,558 for Mr Rix, who was thus elected general secretary. More than 14,300 ballot papers had been sent out, and around half of ASLEF's members actually voted.
Mr Rix stood in last years general election as a candidate in Leeds Central for the Socialist Labour Party (SLP), a left-wing breakaway party led by Arthur Scargill, the president of the National Union of Mineworkers. Mr Rix's elevation to general secretary of ASLEF raises the possible prospect of a merger with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, if closer links are forged. At the RMT, Bob Crow, another SLP member, is number two to Jimmy Knapp, the general secretary. Mr Rix attempted to defuse talk of a merger by saying that he did not "intend to be the last ASLEF general secretary ... ASLEF will continue into the next millennium as a strong and independent union and I will be there to make sure that takes place."
The election result was a shock to many union officials, some of whom have said that Mr Rix's appointment to general secretary could disrupt moves made by the Trades Union Congress to transform the unions into a modern force that works with business and the Government, and could also transform the relationship that ASLEF has with the Labour Party. The train drivers' union still exerts considerable industrial "muscle" because of the disruption it can cause to services. Fears of strikes on the railways and a resurgence of trade union militancy were triggered in some quarters by Mr Rix's election.
Mr Rix's defeat of Mr Adams came just a week before the Prime Minister was due to meet union leaders over forthcoming union recognition legislation (UK9804119N). Some commentators argue that the election result reflects anger among the rail union members at the Government's actions over this and other issues, such as rail privatisation.
Eurofound doporučuje citovat tuto publikaci následujícím způsobem.
Eurofound (1998), Election of new rail union leader sparks fears of militancy, article.
