Mick Cash Interviewed by Frank Paterson

Interview with Mick cash conducted by Frank Paterson on the 27 October 2021 in the Railway Maritime Transport Union headquarters in London. Duration 01hr. 33min. 37sec. Early Career; Trade union involvement; labour party member; Merger with NU Seamen 1990; roles of president/General Secretary and Executive; British Rail/Railway Maritime Transport Replace Machinery for negotiation; prelude to privatisation; impact of Clapham; impact and tasks of RMT; Bargaining tactics; British Rail paybill deductions; NEC attitude to privatisation; Two tier railway workforce; NEC negotiating team; Railtrack easiest to privatise; signalman’s dispute; personal involvement; changes in local relationships; personal 1994-2002; Development of RMT blue book of aspirational terms and conditions for all technical staff; elected assistant general secretary RMT; value of corporate memory; reflections; Save our Railways; Jimmy Knapp; Guard issues; ballot Driver Only Operation; voting; Involvement with Keith Williams Review; funding mechanisms.

One of over 150 oral history recordings made as part of the Britain’s Railways All Change (BRAC) archive project. BRAC was set-up to cover gaps in documenting the railway privatisation process in the United Kingdom, between 1994 and 1997, when the government-owned British Rail was dismantled into over 100 privately-owned companies. The interviews capture the recollections of people involved in the planning and implementation of the privatisation process, the management of change and running the railway during privatisation.