What does RMT stand for: when was it founded – how to get involved

RMT union members at Network Rail and 13 train operators are involved in the industrial action which will seriously disrupt rail services across the UK.

Only about every fifth train will run, mostly during the day on main routes.

But what is the RMT union? What does it stand for and when was it founded?

Here’s everything you need to know.

The full title of the RMT union is National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

It is a British union covering the transport sector.

The RMT was formed in 1990 by the merger of the National Union of Railwaymen and the National Union of Seamen into a single transport industry union.

Although a significant number of its members work within the railways (the union is the largest of the three railway unions), a growing proportion of its members work in sectors related to the broader transport sector.

Privatization and the splitting up of organizations such as the National Bus Company and Associated British Ports have increased membership in these sectors.

Today, the RMT represents more than 80,000 members in almost all facets of the transport sector.

RMT members are spread over 200 branches across the country and these are organized geographically into eleven regional councils.

The Union’s current headquarters are just off London’s Euston Road in Unity House.

Lynch’s first encounter with the unions came when he worked in construction and joined a union and was unlawfully blacklisted as a result.

He started working at Eurostar in 1993 after being unable to find employment in the construction industry and it was here that he first came into contact with the RMT.

Lynch served two terms as deputy general secretary of the RMT and two terms on its executive board, and was elected acting general secretary of the union in 2020 when his predecessor was furloughed due to illness.

However, he resigned after a few months, accusing members of the national union executive of bullying and harassment, but would win an election for the permanent role of general secretary in May 2021.

Lynch has received much attention for his appearances in interviews and debates during media coverage of the 2022 RMT strikes.

He faced a bizarre series of questions and became a hit on social media with his combative media exchange.

One of the strangest moments came when Piers Morgan suggested Lynch’s Facebook profile picture of Thunderbirds villain The Hood meant he was associated with an “evil, criminal, terrorist mastermind”…