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Mick Cash elected general secretary of RMT union Mick Cash elected general secretary of RMT union
(33 minutes later)
A new general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union has been elected as the successor to Bob Crow. Rail, Maritime and Transport Union acting general secretary Mick Cash has been elected its leader following the death of Bob Crow in March.
Mick Cash has been acting general secretary since Mr Crow died in March. The 54-year-old, who was Mr Crow's deputy for 12 years, said he was "proud and honoured" to be given the "enormous responsibility".
The 54-year-old, who was Mr Crow's deputy for 12 years, beat four other candidates in a postal ballot. Mr Cash beat four other candidates to become general secretary of the union.
He has been a member of the RMT, and its predecessor the National Union of Railwaymen, for 35 years and worked as a railway engineer before becoming a union official. He has been a member of the RMT, and its predecessor the National Union of Railwaymen, for 35 years.
Mr Cash thanked RMT members for giving him an "overwhelming mandate" and said the union was "in fighting shape" for battles that lay ahead. Mr Cash thanked RMT members for giving him an "overwhelming mandate" and said the union was "in fighting shape".
He said: "I am proud and honoured to have been given the enormous responsibility of now taking our fighting and militant union forwards, six months after the bitter loss to the Labour movement of Bob Crow.He said: "I am proud and honoured to have been given the enormous responsibility of now taking our fighting and militant union forwards, six months after the bitter loss to the Labour movement of Bob Crow.
"Let me make this clear. There will be no deviation from the industrial, political and organising strategy mapped out by RMT under Bob's leadership."Let me make this clear. There will be no deviation from the industrial, political and organising strategy mapped out by RMT under Bob's leadership.
"Our fight on pay, jobs, working conditions, pensions and safety continues on every front and in every industry where we organise members.""Our fight on pay, jobs, working conditions, pensions and safety continues on every front and in every industry where we organise members."
'United and determined'
Mr Cash, who worked as a railway engineer before becoming a union official, thanked the other candidates for a "comradely and hard-fought campaign".
He added: "RMT stands united and determined in the on-going struggles we are engaged in on London Underground, on the railways, offshore, in the shipping industry and on the roads and buses.
"This union is in fighting shape for the battles that we know lie ahead."
Mr Crow died of a suspected heart attack on 11 March.
He had been elected general secretary of the RMT in 2002 following the death of former leader Jimmy Knapp.
Under his leadership, the RMT's membership increased by more than 20,000 to 80,000.