DO ENIOY the job, I mean, it kills me; it really wears me down. shiftwork doesn't do you any good at all. But at its best moments 1 enjoy it. It's one of the few jobs where you OCTULE responsibility and you can also talk to people: learn from them. You mect an incredible number of people every day.
There's a young girl, for example, 1 used to talk to when she was at school. lt started a couple of years ago; T don't know how but we got chating. It was a general friendship kind of thing, but we were also taik ing politics quite a lot. 1 used to carry leallets for various campaigns and keep Cem in my locker or in my pocket.
remember one time we discussed InE atnarA DOnn C ampa0 -11 ucmonstranons. nayway, suc was al Christian at the time, and we used to arpuc abour icuyon bur soc was hecome interested in slight influen things like tha DULME SIC ESCO LO UE SE DE BRE Then she got on the bus just aller the May Day demo aas yenr and she'd been absolately knocked our by it- thoupht if was really fantastic The next time I saw her on the hus she said: "Oh, l've given up all that religious crap, by the way. I'm a SOLISUN HOM "Td go insane!' The last cime 1 saw her, she'd left school and poes to a tech, and appears to be really active. She was wearing a Cays against Fascism badae. Feltina ting way I micht have helped in that process more uportaots nat e m ta touch with her, and she's said she'll he going along to Socialist Challenge hall-hour journcy you can pet in a how you handle the job, If I were to zombic, l'd so insane.
Passengers are surprised, first of all, that any conductor is politica! Unti recentiy there WETE VerY ICH political conductors. The far left and the Communist Party have minimal forces on London Transport The hadge revolution has helped; go d tenn senid, F Three years badge people would inmedsateiy sec you as a loonie leftie. I've worn all kinds of badges on the bus: Rock Against Racism, Fight Racism, the Anti Nazi League, badges against the Ive consciously never wor an Ireland badge, which is a cop out, or a gay badge - not so much because I don't consider myself TELSEL NETLE BH BEE on. I used to feel very tervous about displaying an anti-racist badge, but that's changed now. The rise of the anti-racism movement and the ANI has changed things very much.
"You get the lot' You really see what is going on in our society working on the buses. What the right-wing calls erosion of salues but for different reasons. The bus queue is the place where you soe it most. Nearly all the situations of near white.
If everyone is pushing and a black person hi ust sedine there thally pople middle-aged woren becanse it's that time of day — who wheel round and say: 'Doer, look at im, they always push in." That's very mild. Then il's:
'Out of the way, fucking sambo." You get the lot.
Sonetimes during the tush hour you'll see that repeated at maybe five or six stops, and you begin to think: christ what's happening. You have to intervene, whatever kind of person you are. If you're political and you're conducting a bus you can't just watch everytime.
That's the nearest I've ever been lo being assaulied on a number af occasions: T've directly contronted racists and said: You either shut your lucking mouth or you're off my bus. big *If everyone is pushing in the queue and a black person is just standing there, they'l! wheel round and say: *Ooer, look at 'im THEY always push in". Then it's "Out of the way, fucking sambo"
*You have to intervene. If you're political and you're conducting a bus you just can't just watch every time.' bur them pleasant).
it very loudly, so that anyone else can cither stand up and be counted...Sc that at least the black people know they've got some kind of solidarity.
As a white bus conductor you per people come up to you and say the most revolting racist, often insane black- things. They 'l repeas fansasies to you abour blacks and they expect you to agrec with them.
A oman came up to me the otlier usually day: it was very -bot crowded on the downstaits deck Three black women had got on at the stop before, and this woman as she was getting off came up lo me and there's a lot of smelly pople in there.
I hought, no, she can'1 mean those black wamen.
about people iweating in ihe heal, Sh BOL DEl, anu saa ED mean", and walked off down the siteel. A very biller woman in her fitties.
The week before 1 was ralking to a moman abour the cuts in the services. anerhil since they come on. Andil dosesill since they come on asked, who. She repeated it again. still whispering in my ear.
then.
"You come home tired' and fairly The able to sursive.
You canse She must be joking LOT BIBE1 aboul troops cut demonstration, or whalever.. and 1 •I really CULKE denunced hes in front of the whole ol the bottom dock; acreamed at her about the "30s and christ knows what else. She got off, and she's been very priviege of quiet every time she's been on since Bluckpool Gazelte, That can be depressine. If you have ten people comsing up to you ano saving that in a conidential way during the day, you've pot to have a lot of confidence in hunan aature te always rejected hanse very tired sometimes, particularly if you've also been doing agitacion for a campuign.
Everybody you know you tilk 1o;
Ireland, a E've taken up Ireland with people ar Bic I've begun to know fairly closely. 1 used to scrawi "Frce Frank Stage" all over the bus and ended up wotins "Avenge Frank Stage" after the British murdered ham. The nigh-wing in che garage used to write underneath it:
political myseit. elecied Il'sastonishing that 've never been reported to management. When I was on the buses in Blackpool for six months. I had very long hair. I was reported regularly. 1 even had the complaint in the describing. this long-haired conductor who looks like a golliwog. An alderman wrote thatYer I've put myself on the dine a lor more in the last three and a half years and I'venever had a sinçle complaint. If you run your bus to the satisfaction of your passengers as much as you can, then the few hostile people are by the other passengers. If anyone starts going al me then I've usually gor a few people who know me who will stand up for been mic, and that really does heln ASITS One tbing about the job is that most SOLaCE Bus: WOTkers and management don't know what you do on the back of your bus; that's the somewhal illusory fredom of the job. That's the reason why a lot of people are ont at. in fact, becuuse they feel they re their own boss on the bus.
R's also a compensation fot a it's very difficule to be involved in trade union an: political work, you've still got this tremendous propaganda forum on the back af Vouc hus. and aso a means for personal survival. l was in thai situation before l came to my present But there is constant aggravation on the bus, because it's a shilly servise with immense culs being implemented, combined with the chaotic traffic system in London And that's the hardest thing abou working on the bus. That's obe of the biggest reasors, even bipeer than assaults → just simple aneravation -that'sdriven many people off our job The statling on the bus section oi Transport is Just MiNatibe moment. in Aprilainne 280 left. which is a considerable percentage.
"I just go mental' * The jab is becoming harder all the time. You've gos to have the patience of a fucking saint, and anyone who hasn't por a hear of poli or ist can't undersland going on, They just can't put up witl it, which is why you meet so many conductors who will blow up at the slightest thing. There are needling comments all through the day, plus outright ahuse when people iwear at (blow up about every two montts l just go mental; l can't control That's one side of the picture, yer ILEN CURET HIROS AAINDE their bus and they're really enjoging it. It's the only time in their life wher they've got a chance to really use their in talking to people; in naking the bus less horing to be hi. The familiar sort of very humorous London bus conductors: there's fow of them left The relationship with the driver B very important, just in terms of getting through the day. My driver b In the Socialist Workers Party, so we base a very good realionship, to communicale what's going on at cach end of the bus. Il I hare peopic o) who I think are Tascises and might glass and be keeps his eyes open. And we've worked closely together in the branch where he's now chairperson.
The present branch leadership wa:
the basis of unton •and a militant light against racism. Over half the garage i: black or Asian, some Cypriots. Wi affiliated to che Anti Nazi League and attended the ANL Cartival, and supported the demonstration over the killing of Altah Ali 'Their faces cracked"
Eiglu of us in the garage — the main branch committoe militants ATe WCREinG AVE badges and it's causing tension, but good politicn tension. We've argued for an oper fight on racism, on the joh as well as le che union. We supporsed the Right to Work campaign One of the key events which led to us winniag leadersbip was Grunwick Al that timte branch mectings used to be sight or ten people five ripht wing, five lefl wing, and most of the metings weren't even quorate We mobilised over Grunwick and we had 40 people down there, over half of them, Asian. There was a de faco Asian caucus before hand. They had a discussion belore the teeting and they all came in topetlier. The faces of the right wing cracked Wewere the only garage in the fleet to send a delegation to Grunwick 11 was a major victory. The righr-wing union rep resigned the nesr wock.
The Asians had Telt they weren't wanted at branch meetines.
committee of whites mainly in their fifties and carly sixties, all right-wins racist Labour supporters. But if has SUTCULI momentum. Two or three of the are how tuvolved on the branch committes. But there's so much to do after 20 years ol inactivity and lack of democracy This contribution by D is taken from conrersation GEOFFREX SHERIDAN. I is the first in a series on socialists (und others) at work. I you know someone perhups yourself! - who would make a good sabject, do let us kaow SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 6 July 1978 Page 13
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D, a bus conductor in North London, describes his encounters with racists and other experiences (some of
sererin m cat ade who fatu c ommie bastards do olacks:" So 1 realy lunaw.