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0607a Aslef journal.qxd 29/6/06 13:56 Page 20LETTERS to the EDITOR20YOU TELL USThese are the pages whereyou talk to us. We welcomeyour letters, either by mailto the Journal at 9Arkwright Road LondonNW3 6AB or by email tojournal@aslef.org.ukBecause of our spaceconstraints, please try tokeep your contributions asshort as you can.This month we continueour STAR LETTER feature.The immensely luckywinner will pocket a richrange of ASLEF regalia!Nice one, FredFRED ROGERS from thisbranch retired early this yearand we would like to thank himfor all his good work for thebranch and ASLEF.Fred started the case for equalpay for women Metro operatorsand after almost three years ofhard work won a great victory.Before he retired he started theequal pay claim for the maleMetro operators which is stillongoing. Well done Fred andenjoy your retirement. You haveearned it.Best wishes from all yourASLEF friends.Trevor Graham Secretary -Tyne & Wear Metro BranchKeep it clean inthe cab!I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agreewith recent comments about thestate of cabs, but I do feel thatthere is some onus on drivers tocontribute to keeping their cabsclean and tidy.I am a driver with First GreatWestern (High Speed) in Exeter,and time after time I climb intocabs where my colleagues haveleft behind their empty cups,cans and the various other rubbishthat they have accumulatedduring their journey.They do not see fit to removeit when they leave the cab, andmerely leave it to someone elseto remove.The smoking fraternity alsocontribute to this unpleasantenvironment. Cigarette ends andash litter most cab floors andother surfaces within these drivingcabs. Do these smokers dothe same thing when they are satin their arm chairs at home – Ithink not!In summary, yes, TrainOperating Companies should domore to improve our workingenvironment, but we as driversshould do our bit as well. Ittakes a few moments to put yourrubbish in a bin, so why notmake the effort, and not leave itto someone else!Richard Hubbard Driver -FGW Exeter DepotGood heavens!I THINK I can help to answerthe question from KeepingTrack (June 2006). The phrase‘fiat justita, ruat coelum’ (moreusually quoted as ‘fiat justitia,ruat coelum’) is not the letterwriter’s name; it is a Latinexpression thought to date fromat least the first century BC. It isroughly translated as ‘Let justicebe done even though the heavensfall’.It has become a maxim ofEnglish Law and other legalsystems. The phrase, or variationson it, has also been widelyused as a motto.Mark Maloney (by e-mail)VRS can make adifferenceIN response to Carl Southward'sletter regarding problems withthe National Radio Network(NRN), I understand we shouldall see improvements around2007/8 as the in-cab VoiceRadio System is introduced.Executive CommitteeMember Dave Calfe invited meto join a ‘Driver Interface Panel’reviewing the new system whichshould become standardthroughout the whole of Europe.This will be a real advantagewhen drivers change employeror traction – because all cabsshould have virtually identicalradios.Whilst it is another new thingto learn I believe there will bebenefits and I came away feelingpositive about the new system:drivers are having input atthe design stage which I trustwill be of value to all.R W McMillan Vice Chair –WolverhamptonA matter of trustI READ with interest lastmonth’s feature about Bro PhilWiggin from Poole and his selflesssupport of the AnthonyNolan Trust. Like too many ofus, I had not given blood forsome time – let alone bone marrow!After reading the article Ithought it was about time I gavesomething back and went to mylocal doctor's surgery to find outwhere I could give blood. Thefollowing week I made my firstvisit to the blood bank whereafter a few nervous moments (Ihave been scared of needles allmy life) and after some supportfrom the nurses, I was able togive my blood - and because ofthe unusualness of my bloodgroup it seems I will be in greatdemand.I have since registered withAnthony Nolan Trust and I urgeall members to do the same andto give a little blood when youcan, as you never know whoselife you could be saving.G Ferret LutonW2 comes to NW3ON BEHALF of myself and themembers of Paddington Branchwho recently attended HeadOffice for our re-arrangedBranch visit, I would like tothank Andy Reed, Stan Moran,Chris Proctor and the membersof the Executive Committeewho took the time to talk to usand answer our questions. Also,thanks to Gary Fabian for thetour of the building and his vastknowledge of ASLEF and thehistory of 9 Arkwright Road.It provided us all with anenjoyable day – but I’m sure thewide smiles that everyone leftwith was probably more to dowith some hot ‘off-the-press’news that came from the ECroom relating to matters facingour branch.Stephen Austin Secretary– Paddington BranchMany many gooddaysIn the early 60s we had a guardat Bletchley who, when askedPraise for the real professionalsI HAVE been a train driver for fifteenyears and am a qualified instructor/assessorand have a degree. Whilst I find thearticles on people coming from differentbackgrounds into our grade interesting,there is no mystery as to why bank managers,chemists or journalists might nowfind our job appealing.By far the most professional drivers Iknow (I certainly don't claim to be one of them) were herebefore privatisation and came to the railways as their first choice– I met many of them during my time at Eurostar. They rarelyhave any formal qualifications but their dedication, knowledgeand abilities are simply outstanding – and they were prepared todo this work when the hours were long and the money was short.I am uncomfortable that the renumeration for train driversseems to outstrip that of people who have undertaken years oftraining and study to the extent that they are willing to changecareer – there is something wrong with our country when ourprofessional classes choose to do this. I also imagine that ourmanagers/directors have a keen eye on this disparity and I'drather we weren't drawing attention to it.Should our pay and conditions revert to pre-privatisation levelsI wonder if our job would seem so attractive to such wellqualified outsiders?Kevin Peat First Great Western