He became a rail worker for
British Rail in 1978, looking after
railway signals at Watford Junction signal box
West Coast Main Line. He was eventually elected assistant general secretary of the RMT, and was subsequently elected general secretary in September 2014, following the death of
Bob Crow, defeating four other candidates. Cash retired as general secretary of the RMT in June 2021.[3]
Political positions
He was a member of the
Labour Party's
National Executive Committee (NEC) until the RMT disassociated itself from the party in 2004, and remains a Labour Party member as he has been since 1982.[4] In that regard, he was widely considered as less radical than his predecessor, Bob Crow.[5]
He served as a Labour councillor on
Watford Borough Council for 8 years,[4][6] serving as the Deputy Leader of Watford Labour Group.[7]
He has been a vocal
Brexiter urging the rail workers to vote against the European Union.[8] He then voiced concerns over other trade unions that were considering asking for a second referendum.[9]
Coronavirus pandemic
During the
COVID-19 pandemic, Cash criticised the
Government in its handling of relaxing the
lockdown, with him calling on public transport workers to "refuse to work" if they feel unsafe.[10] He also criticised the decision of the
Department for Transport to force
Mayor of LondonSadiq Khan to place two special representatives on the board of
Transport for London, stating "London transport workers have been vital to fighting COVID-19 and any attacks on their pay, jobs and conditions arising from this imposed settlement will be a complete betrayal."[11]
^Gall, Gregor (2017). Bob Crow: Socialist, Leader, Fighter: a Political Biography. Manchester, United Kingdom: Manchester University Press.
ISBN978-1-5261-0028-3.
OCLC982012444.