A PLAN of action which could pave the way to a federation of four British transport unions won unanimous backing at the annual conference of transport workers’ union RMT in Newcastle yesterday.

The proposal came against the backdrop of ferocious attacks by employers on workers in Britain’s transport systems, including regional and national rail networks and London Underground.

If successful the plan could result in co-ordinated action to stop greedy transport bosses in their tracks — as is already planned on London’s underground network.

The plan was put forward by RMT’s Neasden branch delegate Lewis Peacock, a maintenance technician for London Underground. He said: “We know that with a Tory government elected we are going to see further and more stringent attacks on working people.

“To build on our strategy [this resolution] calls for us to look for co-ordinated action in our regions and nationally, building and working with other unions in our industry — like on London Underground.

“For the first time in a long time we have got the four unions balloting over night working.”

The four unions at London Underground — RMT, drivers’ union Aslef, office staff union TSSA and general union Unite — are balloting independently, but will co-ordinate their strikes and other action.

Co-ordination will mean 20,000 Tube workers taking action together.

The unions, while not opposing overnight and all-weekend working per se, refuse to have it imposed without agreement on pay and conditions. Their resistance could scupper London Mayor Boris Johnson’s grandiose plans for the Underground. Delegate Paul Shannon, an instructor-operator on London Underground, said: “This is extremely important; 60 per cent of the cuts have not yet come in.”

He said he had visited devastated mining communities — and that other communities face the same fate.

“Everybody has the right to a good job, good terms and conditions, and we have to fight for them. But it has to be by working together, all the trade unions, and we have to build on that.”

Signaller David Filby from Horley said: “We have to deliver a message to the TUC: ‘Get off your backsides!’”

General secretary Mick Cash warned it was one thing to adopt policies, and another putting them into action.

But he said: “What we have got to do is be united. We should be looking at how we co-ordinate the work. We are supporting the resolution.”