THE RMT today called for the end of right to buy, rent controls and real action to tackle the housing emergency during a fiery AGM debate in Glasgow.

Delegates poured scorn on the state of council and social housing, with many sharing their experiences of poor housing and housing rents, particularly young trade union members.

Seconding the motion, Michael Bainbridge from RMT Offshore said the housing emergency was due to “a private landlord set up, rigged in favour of capitalists, slum landlords and spivs.”

“They are the ones who profit from it,” he said. “They think that being poor is a lifestyle choice.

“They have no concern for the working poor or their wellbeing.”

Jim Buchanan from Dorset Rail branch said: “Homeownership has become a pipe dream for most young people.

“And if you’re a youngster working in our industries, you have almost no chance.”

Mr Buchanan highlighted a bullet point in the resolution, which calls for establishing rent costs as a major factor in national wage bargaining, saying that such a position would greatly benefit his members locally.

He said that the proliferation of Airbnbs had in his local area led to “people moved out, evicted... so I can now have a load of stag-do wallies underneath me every weekend in the summer.

“There is only one solution to this: an extensive programme of rented housing provided by the state for as the need exists or for life,” he said.

Rhys Harmer from LU Fleet said he counted himself “lucky to live and work in central London in social housing in a good unionised job,” while the friends he grew up with outside London all live in houses of multiple occupations.

“I’ve got what I think everyone should have by right,” he said.  

He condemned the political class, saying: “They do not care because they are all homeowners.

“If you look at Tories and Labour, there is a humongous issue of home ownership in the political class.”

Mr Harmer added that the crisis in housing had spread from London to major cities like Birmingham and Manchester, saying: “There is a serious issue over what housing is.

“Is it a necessity where people deserve to live or a commodity for the rich to make money on?”