Transport union marks anniversary of overturning racist recruitment policy at Euston station
Union leaders have praised the “brave actions” of a railway worker who overturned a racist recruitment policy in the 1960s.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) marked the 54th anniversary of the breaking of the ‘colour bar’ at London’s Euston station by pledging to continue its campaign against racism.
Asquith Xavier
On 15 August 1966, the colour bar at Euston station was defeated when West Indian guard Asquith Xavier was allowed to start work after initially being refused a job.
British Railways had announced, after negotiations with local leaders of the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR), that no grade would in future be closed on racial grounds anywhere in the London division.
The RMT’s assistant general secretary Mick Lynch said:
Today we remember the brave actions of Asquith Xavier and those NUR officials who supported him in a campaign which eventually defeated the colour bar at Euston station.
Read on...
We owe so much to those who challenged racism on the railway in an era when it was all pervasive.
The union remains eternally vigilant in the fight against racism, and in this modern era of Black Lives Matter it is important we remember Asquith Xavier and those trade unionists who blazed a trail for us over five decades ago.
Campaign to have the colour bar lifted at London stations
Xavier, who died in 1980, was part of the Windrush generation, moving to England from Dominica after the Second World War.
He had started work for British Railways in 1956 as a porter, working his way up to rail guard at Marylebone station in London.
Following the closure of the Marylebone main line as part of the Beeching rail cuts, guards were no longer required and were being transferred to stations such as Euston.
Xavier, an experienced guard, received a letter from management telling him that he had been rejected for a job at Euston.
Sid Greene, the general secretary of the NUR – now the RMT – contacted the British Rail Board about racist policies being practised in their name which he said had been a longstanding problem. Union officials said colour bars were in place in several London stations, but the NUR campaigned to have them all lifted.
A plaque will be unveiled next month at the train station in Chatham, Kent, where Xavier lived.
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
