The Union nationally gets behind

Issue 21, May 2012

Alan Pottage to be RMT General Secretary
RMT branches, activists and members the length and breadth of the
UK are backing Alan Pottage to be the next General Secretary of the
RMT.
Alans support extends from offshore workers in Aberdeen to railway
workers in Cornwall and every grade and location in between.
Following the sad and untimely death of Alans good friend and comrade
Bob Crow, members understand that only Alan Pottage has the history, experience, skills and charisma to lead our great union.

hands on experience
the only candidate with our union:
of
in all industrial sectors
road

ng Rail - offshore - shippi

r
gotiator and organise
a proven formidable ne
national level
at local, regional and
lues. WILL WORK
strong principles and va
rs all over the country
tirelessly for our membe
aigning, fighting
will keep the RMT a camp
and democratic union

Alan has the

history and
experience to be
General Secretary
An active member of the RMT
for 32 years. Alan started in
the industry as an 18 year old
guard at Edinburgh Waverly.
He was first elected as a local
rep in 1983 and later was
trusted to be elected full time
to the regional negotiating
council.
Awarded the prestigious RMT
Youth Award in 1989.
Banned and expelled from
South Africa in January 1990
for building links with black
workers in the rail and dock industries.
Elected onto the Council of Executives in 1994. Worked
alongside Bob Crow and developed a close working relationship. This became a lifelong
friendship.

I am proud to state that I have always supported Bob Crow. I campaigned for Bob because I appreciated his honesty, determination
and his principles. He proved his enemies wrong by becoming the best
leader our union has ever produced. It is vital that we do not slip backwards. I will ensure we will become stronger by building on our successes. We will stamp out discrimination and harassment and we will
remain a campaigning, fighting and democratic union. Every single
member will feel valued in our great union.

Appointed as Bob Crows right

hand man in 2002, charged
with developing the unions Organising and Education unit.
With Crow in charge of the
union and Pottage in charge of
the organising strategy, the
RMT becomes the fastest growing union in the country, gaining over 20 thousand members.

To be General Secretary of the RMT you need to have experience, longevity and a proven record; all of which Alan has in spades.
Alans attitude to trade unionism is exactly like the Engineering Grades I represent and am proud to be a part of. He believes that
there should be no industrial snobbery and not one grade is above another. Alans lifelong commitment to the RMT is second to
none. Sacked by the bosses for his trade union activities, his commitment to the RMT remained 100% rock soild. The bosses tried
to oust him from the industry but they could not take away his union. I have absolutely no hesitation both voting for Alan for General Secretary and recommending you do the same. Greg Hewitt, team leader off track maintenance, Brighton.
President RMT Engineering Grades conference

Why YOU should Vote

Alan Pottage is the man for the job. A true campaigner. He has the
head, heart and skills to carry on Bobs legacy. I will be voting for
Alan because he has always gone above and beyond to help RMT
young members with campaigns and demonstrations. He is always
available for moral support and advice should we need it because he
believes in the importance of the YM movement and the fact that
young workers are ultimately, the future! Rosie Kirk, Dover Shipping. President RMTyoung members conference

ALAN POTTAGE

for RMT General Secretary

Alan Pottage is an inspirational organiser who fully understands the importance of building a strong, active membership. As someone who regularly addresses new train drivers on behalf of the RMT within London Underground, I have always welcomed the invaluable advice and support Alan gives me. Under Alans leadership, building on Bobs legacy, our Union will grow ever
stronger. Vaughan Thomas, train driver, White City. RMT Trains Functional Council, London Underground.
As Vice President of the RMT Women's conference, I have always found Alan very supportive of women's issues. He is the
strongest candidate for General Secretary and will work hard with all our members to continue Bob Crow's fight against Capitalism and the erosion of trade union laws. Mary Jane Herbison, guard, Glasgow Queen Street. Vice Chair RMTWomens
conference
Alan Pottage is a man of integrity. If it wasn't for Alan and his organising unit then my branch ( Nott`s and Derby`s bus branch)
would not be operating today. He is by far the best candidate for the sadly vacant General Secretary's position. He has experience
in ALL aspects and grades. Bus workers across the country should put their faith in him, as should all other members.
Joe Galea, bus worker, Nottingham. Vice President Midlands Regional Council.

Fighting racism, for equality and international solidarity

Alan Pottages commitment to equality for
all members is second to none. His personal
history of putting words into deeds has always been clear to those who know him. It is
intermingled with the history and principles
of the RMT itself.
When our union decided to play its part in
building a sister union in South Africa, Alan
was there immediately. Solidarity was the
order of the day.
The organisation Rail Against Apartheid
was formed to serve those ends.
That union was achieved at the height of a
State of Emergency that saw good trade
unionists being arrested, tortured and murdered by the SA regime. At the end of that
solidarity initiative 50 SA trade unionists lay
dead, but The South African Railway and
Harbour Workers Union (SARHWU) was
born, playing a major role in bringing down
Apartheid.
At the request of the SA trade union leadership Alan Pottage, along with Geoff Revell,
went to SA both to show solidarity with our
striking brothers and sisters in SARHWU
and gain first-hand knowledge of the infamous Germiston Massacre. In that mas-

sacre over twenty trade union reps were

butchered as they left a train at Germiston
Station. They were murdered as security personnel stood by and watched.
Revell had been arrested (prompting a
young union tutor called Bob Crow to sit in
at the London SA Embassy demanding his
release) but Alan was co-opted on to the
SARHWU negotiating team until he joined
Revell and both were deported from the
country.
Solidarity is something you give and
greatly gain from. Alan understood from that
experience the priority of placing organisation at the forefront of the way the union operates. The more workers that join RMT the
stronger we all become, this is not just a slogan but the core ingredient for collective
power.
Alan knew the importance of a unified
membership and the importance of rolling up
our sleeves to achieve and maintain that
unity. This is why Bob Crows first appointment was to bring in Alan as his close ally
and collaborator, together they rescued a financially wrecked, weakened, collapsing
union and completely turned it around.

We became the campaigning fighting democratic trade union that we all wanted, we
stand together undivided by gender, race,
age, or sexuality. We are gradually placing
ourselves in the vanguard of the whole trade
union movement.
Bob Crow was a brilliant General
Secretary. Lets give his trusted comrade inarms the chance to continue that brilliance.
Vote for Alan Pottage!

For more information and to join the campaign to elect Alan Pottage RMT General Secretary email

alanpottage@yahoo.com or visit http://alan-pottage.squarespace.com