By Joe Quinn, Political Editor, Scottish Press Association
09/12/03

Britain’s biggest rail union has further distanced itself from Labour after a vote by its Scottish regional council, it emerged today.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said the council had backed a move by three branches for the council to disaffiliate from Labour.
The council now plans to ask the union’s national executive if it can affiliate to the Scottish Socialist Party.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “The decision by the Scottish regional council was taken democratically.
“It reflects the failure of New Labour to deliver policies and action in the interests of working people.”
But he added: “The RMT will remain affiliated nationally to the Labour party.”
And the move by the Scottish council will not affect the ability of branches to decide who to affiliate to, although that requires the permission of the national executive.
The Scottish council move will be discussed at a meeting of the national executive later this month or in January, a spokesman said.
It follows steps by three branches in Scotland last month to disaffiliate from the union and back the SSP.
The spokesman said those three branches had later been joined by two more, and the national executive had agreed their bid at a meeting a fortnight ago.
Tommy Sheridan’s Scottish Socialist Party increased its number of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament from one to six at the May elections.
Two months later the union’s annual conference agreed to cut annual funding to Labour while relaxing its rules to allow branches to support other parties.