The RMT was formed in 1990 through a merger of the
National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and the
National Union of Seamen (NUS) to create a single transport industry trade union.
Political activity The predecessor unions to the National Union of Railwaymen and the National Union of Seamen were founding members of the original
Labour Representation Committee and after its creation the RMT became a prominent voice on the left of the
Labour Party. In 2003 some
Scottish branches of the RMT voted to donate some of their funds to the
Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) in protest against the policies of
Tony Blair and
New Labour, such as not
renationalising the railways. The RMT then became a founding member of the
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), a left wing political party which has contested the
2010 and
2015 general elections. The RMT was in favour of
the UK's withdrawal from the
European Union in
the 2016 referendum on the subject. However, RMT members Sean Hoyle,
Peter Pinkney, Paul McDonnell and John Reid signed a letter in
The Guardian, voicing their opposition to the
Electoral Commission choosing
Leave.EU,
Vote Leave or
Grassroots Out as the official group advocating for British withdrawal in the referendum, saying that: We call on the commission not to give taxpayers' money to the Tory and
Ukip-dominated Vote Leave, Leave.EU or Grassroots Out campaigns, or any amalgam of them ... We believe there are millions of trade unionists, young people, anti-austerity campaigners and working-class voters, whose opposition to the big business-dominated EU would not be represented by these organisations. ... We call on the Electoral Commission to recognise that a significant proportion of those who will vote against the EU do so because they support basic socialist policies of workers' rights, public ownership, and opposition to austerity and racism. In July 2015, the RMT endorsed
Jeremy Corbyn's
campaign in the
Labour Party leadership election.
London Underground The RMT represents most
London Underground staff, as well as many other workers in the London public transport network. The RMT has had a number of disputes with
Transport for London and private sector contractors
Metronet and
Tube Lines over pay, safety, pensions and job security on the Underground. These disputes have often resulted in industrial action, leading to periods of travel disruption in the capital over the last decade.
2022 strike In May 2022, the union began balloting 40,000 members on a strike action that might be joined by the
Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA). Both managers and operators would be affected. Rail insiders have accused the union leaders of balloting prematurely without negotiation. Of primary concern to the unions were the upcoming job cuts at
Network Rail and a demand for pay rises to offset the cost of living. Both the RMT and the TSSA warned of a level of disruption not experienced since the
1926 general strike. Rail companies began drawing up plans to prioritise freight delivery over passenger services in order to keep supermarkets stocked. ==Affiliations==