Yearly Archives: 2013

Postal workers’ strike: Royal Mail should expect a battle royal

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http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/16/postal-workers-strike-royal-mail-cwu-privatisation

Image of post office van next to postboxIt’s been a case of third time unlucky for the postal workers’ union (CWU). It defeated the privatisation of Royal Mail in 1994 under the Tories and again in 2009 under Labour. Despite employing similar tactics of political lobbying and industrial action, on Tuesday the company was floated on the stock exchange. The share price has risen by almost 50% since then. And just a tiny handful of postal workers refused to take up the free share offer open to them.

Some have proclaimed it’s “game over” for the CWU and any planned industrial action – the left-leaning New Statesman pronounced striking now was “a little bit pointless”.

Yes, the CWU was caught on the hop by a sell-off timetable that was brought forward, a bargain basement initial share price and having to take extra time to fully check the accuracy of its membership records in order to avoid a possible high court injunction to stop any action.

But exactly the opposite is now true. So while industrial action is extremely unlikely to bring Royal Mail back into public hands any time soon – especially as the Labour leadership reneged on its own party policy within days of it being set , it is still vital. This is because it is necessary to allow the workforce to have the chance to contest what privatisation turns out be. And, that’s why postal workers today voted by 4-1 for action on a high turnout.

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Teachers strike over pay, pensions and conditions affects thousands of schools

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http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/oct/17/teachers-strike-pay-thousands-schools-nasuwt

National Union of Teachers and NASUWT stage term’s second day of walkouts from schools across England

Thousands of schools are expected to face disruption this Thursday as teachers stage a fresh wave of strikes amid conflict over pay, pensions and working conditions.

Pupils in the south-west, south-east and north-east of England, plus in Cumbria and London, will be affected as members of two of England’s biggest teaching unions take part in the second day of walkouts this term.

The industrial action has been organised by the National Union of Teachers and NASUWT.

The government condemned the move, saying it was disappointed by the decision to strike.

Chris Keates, general secretary of NASUWT, said that the overwhelming majority of teachers in affected areas would be on strike.

She said: “No teacher has any wish to inconvenience parents or disrupt pupils’ education, but this action is not the failure or due to the unreasonableness of teachers. It is the failure and unreasonableness of the secretary of state, who, day in day out, is disrupting the education of children and young people through his attacks on the teaching profession.”

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Related: Michael Gove adviser says genetics are more important than teaching

 

Continue ReadingTeachers strike over pay, pensions and conditions affects thousands of schools

IET: High Speed 2 should be part of integrated transport policy

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http://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/institution-of-engineering-and-technology/article/iet-high-speed-2-should-be-part-of-integrated-transport-poli

Europe’s largest body of engineers is calling for the High Speed 2 (HS2) proposals to be reassessed to become part of an integrated transport programme of metro, rail, bus and road projects to revitalise the cities of the Midlands and North.

The call, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), comes as the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin reasserted the case for the new rail line.

Prof Phil Blythe, Chair of the IET Transport Policy Panel, said: “We are supportive in principle of high speed rail, but we believe that much more detail is needed to fully understand the costs and benefits.”

“The economics of a new high-speed line cannot be considered in isolation. We need to understand the assumptions regarding future growth in passenger numbers, and hence, future capacity needs, if we are to consider transferring passengers from the most profitable services on existing routes to the high speed line, the economics of the other lines will be degraded. In order to properly understand the benefits it is necessary to see what plans exist for other rail routes and their financial implications.”

“These unanswered questions call into question whether the current HS2 proposal is the vehicle to deliver what is needed.”

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Why does The Children and Families Bill fall so short on disabled children’s rights?

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http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/10/why-does-children-and-families-bill-fall-so-short-disabled-childrens-rights

by Cherie Blair[!]

... Four in 10 disabled children live in poverty; children with special educational needs (SEN) are 9 times more likely to be permanently excluded from school; and 3/4 of families with disabled children experience poor mental health as a result of the social, emotional, and financial isolation they face.

To put it simply, they are at crisis point.

And at the heart of this issue is the critical lack  of support for disabled children within their own community, support that other families simply take for granted – be it access to the right school or nursery place, or to leisure activities they can enjoy.

Recent research by the disability charity Scope has found that two thirds of families with disabled children cannot get this most basic state and local authority support in their own area. Instead they have to travel or stay away from home, often creating many more difficulties in terms of increased time and costs for families that are already struggling.

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David Cameron recently said ‘When you’ve had the privilege of bringing up a profoundly disabled child, you suddenly realise there are two different sets of places: those that are disabled-friendly, that are accessible, that are helpful; and those that aren’t… And what this all about really, is greater equality in our country, making sure that all places are more friendly, and accessible to disabled people.’

But this welcome and undoubtedly genuine sentiment is sadly nowhere to be seen in the reforms in the Children and Families Bill. The Government must rectify this if families with disabled children are to be included in David Cameron’s vision to be most ‘family friendly government ever’.

 

 

 

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David Cameron says Atos decision-making must improve

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24548738

David Cameron has said the company that carries out “fitness-for-work” tests on disabled benefits claimants has to improve its decision-making.

But he rejected an angry call by Labour MP Dennis Skinner, at Prime Minister’s Questions, to “get rid of” Atos.

The Bolsover MP dubbed Atos a “cruel, heartless monster”, referring to a constituent with cancer who had to wait 11 months for an appeal.

The man, a “butcher and farmer in Bolsover”, had now died, he told MPs.

The veteran Labour MP, his face red with anger, told Mr Cameron: “Isn’t it time we put an end to this system, where people that are really suffering should not be allowed an appeal, having to live on £70 a week? Him and his widow.

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Continue ReadingDavid Cameron says Atos decision-making must improve