More than 1,000 British Gas workers across Scotland will launch twelve more days of strike action from tomorrow (Friday 12 March), in response to Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea’s refusal to drop his controversial ‘fire and rehire’ policy.
Engineers will walk out from 00.01 hours on Friday 12 March until 21.59 hours on Monday 15 March, again on Friday 19 March to Monday 22 March, and finally on Friday 26 March to Monday 29 March, taking the total number of strike days in the dispute to forty-two.
The latest wave of strikes was confirmed after workers across the UK voted by a resounding majority of four-to-one against proposals tabled through ACAS over the future of their terms and conditions, with Centrica refusing to lift the ‘fire and rehire’ imposition.
After thirty days of previous strikes, more than 250,000 homes across the UK are in a backlog for repairs and 350,000 planned annual service visits have been axed.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Hazel Nolan said:“This dispute can end now if Chris O’Shea finally does the right thing by dropping his controversial ‘fire and rehire’ policy.
“It’s shameful that in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, Centrica are using this public health crisis to threatened workers with the sack if they don’t accept imposed changes to their livelihoods.
“This is the kind of behaviour you would expect from a cowboy contractor and not the CEO of a great British institution. It’s not modern, it’s Dickensian and there should be no place for this in our country.
“The message is loud and clear: Stop the fire and rehire in British Gas, and let’s return to proper negotiations over the future of this business and its workers.”
Impact of Travel Restrictions on UK Airports Revealed
The pandemic’s devastating impact on the UK aviation industry has been laid bare in new research highlighting the reduction in passengers using British airports.
Research by travel website MyBaggage.com revealed the true scale of the massive decline in passengers using our airports during 2020 compared to the previous year.
The figures reveal the scale of Covid’s impact on the aviation industry with airlines estimated to have lost a staggering £20bn last year.
With Governments across the globe limiting air travel there was an overall fall of 75% in passengers using UK airports during 2020 with some hit more severely than others.
Researchers for MyBaggage.com looked at Britain’s 15 busiest airports in 2019 and compared CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) data for 2019 and 2020 to measure the impact of the pandemic.
The biggest fall was seen at London City Airport where passenger numbers plunged 82.3% from 5,122,000 in 2019 to just 908,105 during 2020.
Leeds Bradford Airport saw the second largest reduction in passenger numbers, losing 81.2% of travellers with a drop of 3,992,000 in 2019 to only 751,048 in 2020.
East Midlands Airport experienced the third largest drop in passengers in percentage terms, a loss of 80.7% with 4,674,000 people using the airport in 2019 compared to only 900,832 last year.
The UK’s largest airport, London Heathrow, recently reported a £2bn loss in revenue and the new study shows passenger numbers there were down by 72.7%, going from 80,887,000 to 22,109,550 across the two years.
Gatwick had an even greater passenger reduction in percentage terms with numbers falling 46,575,000 to 10,171,867, a reduction of 78.2%.
In Scotland, Glasgow airport was hit hardest with passenger numbers falling from 8,843,000 in 2019 to only 1,944,981 in 2020 a fall of 78%.
In Northern Ireland, Belfast International saw passenger numbers fall by 72.2% going from 6,278,000 in 2019 to only 1,746,951 during 2020.
While the new research lays bare the devastating economic impact of the pandemic on the UK’s airports, the figures are likely to be welcomed by environmental campaigners with the period seeing a 60% fall in CO2 emissions from aviation.
A spokesman for MyBaggage.com said the research revealed the impact of the pandemic not only on the aviation industry as a whole but also on a regional level around the UK.
He said: “The past 12 months has been nothing short of devastating for the UK aviation industry with a fall in passengers using our airports of around three quarters.
“But not all airports have seen the same impact, some have definitely been harder hit than others with the number of people travelling down by more than 80% in some locations.
“While these numbers are stark they still don’t show the whole picture. Each of these airports is a regional hub employing thousands of workers. With passenger numbers down to this extent, there will have been a dramatic knock-on effect across many industries.
“The tourism industry has of course been massively impacted but the full economic effect can only be guessed at.
“With the vaccine programme now well underway everyone in the travel industry is hoping for a more positive second half to 2021 and for the aviation industry to recover over the coming months and years.”
A new strategy for Scotland’s rented sector will improve accessibility, affordability and standards, as part of a new 20 year route map for housing to be published next week.
The Rented Sector strategy will be a key element of Housing to 2040 – Scotland’s first long-term housing plan which will set the path for how homes and communities should look and feel in 2040. It will specifically address private and social rent and agricultural tenancies, to ensure an affordable, quality sector offering choice to meet people’s needs.
Tenants will be closely involved in the development of the strategy with a national network of social rented tenants developed alongside a Tenant Participation Panel.
Housing to 2040 will also include a proposal for a new Housing Bill, to be introduced early in the next parliament, in order to take forward further reforms in the rented sector and increase the rights of tenants.
Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s virtual Scotland’s Housing Festival 2021, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Housing to 2040 sets out Scotland’s approach to improving the nation’s housing over the next two decades, and making improvements in the rented sector is a vital part of that.
“It will set out our plans to develop a new Rented Sector strategy that will improve accessibility, affordability and standards across the whole rented sector, so we can increase affordability and quality of choice when finding a home.
“In the private rented sector, we need to address the economic impacts of the pandemic and ensure homes are affordable now and in the long term. Local authorities need to be able to tackle unreasonably high rents, so we will also reshape the existing Rent Pressure Zone legislation to make it an effective tool for them to use.
“Subject to the outcome of the election, we will make sure this is in law by bringing forward a new Housing Bill early in the next parliament, which will also strengthen the rights of tenants with greater protections from unreasonable rent increases and unfair evictions.”
Freemasons’ Hall has announced its first Organ Concert of 2021, which will take place on 30 March at 7pm.
The event, being held virtually, will showcase the magnificent Willis pipe Organ, which resides in the Grand Temple of Freemasons’ Hall in London, an art deco masterpiece completed in 1933.
The concert is to be given by Carl Jackson, MVO, director of music at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and he has held organ scholarships at Downing College, Cambridge as well as his current base of Chapel Royal.
Before his current role at Hampton Court Palace, Mr Jackson taught at Goldsmiths’ College and he has held positions at Croydon Minster and St Peter’s, Eaton Square.
He has also appeared regularly on television with the Chapel Royal choir and features with them on CDs. He was appointed MVO in the 2012 New Year Honours list.
Dr David Staples, Chief Executive of the United Grand Lodge of England, commented: “It is an honour to welcome Carl Jackson to perform for our first Organ Concert of 2021.
“The various lockdowns the country has faced during the pandemic have left many people feeling isolated and lonely. The virtual concert will bring world-class music and joy into people’s homes whilst also giving the audience an opportunity to take in some of the stunning architecture of our headquarters here in London.”
The concert will be held at Freemasons’ Hall, which was designed as a pentagon to suit the irregular area in which it is located. Built in the central courtyard of the splendid art deco building, the Grand Temple is rich with multi-coloured details of blue, gold and white.
While enjoying the concert online, attendees will be able to experience the splendor of the Grand Temple, including the majestic 1.25-tonne organ with its ornate pipes as well as the stunning mosaics that surround the ceiling.
The original organ was installed in 1933 by Henry Willis, the third generation of an extended family line of organ builders. It originally had three manuals and 43 stops, giving a total complement of some 2,220 pipes, and was the last big organ built by the Willis firm.
After 80 years it was in need of a complete renovation, which was carried out in Durham by Harrison & Harrison in 2014 and included the cleaning, repairing and re-voicing the existing mechanisms, as well as mounting a new case of some 400 pipes on the east wall.
– Customers across the UK can nominate special mums via local stores’ Facebook pages –
– Mums will also receive acts of kindness in stores, including gifts of flowers and chocolates –
Morrisons is giving away an afternoon tea hamper from its stores across the UK this Mother’s Day, to celebrate mums in the community.
Mother’s Day will be a little different this year with lockdown still in place, but mums across the nation deserve more recognition than ever; having faced all sorts of challenges including home schooling and feeding the family.
Morrisons customers are able to nominate a ‘special’ mum to win a hamper via their local store’s Facebook page, to give back to mums in the community who deserve a treat.
Each of Morrisons’ 497 stores across the UK will be taking part in the giveaway and planning to pack a box with a variety of items that mums can use to make an afternoon tea. From cakes, to teas and jams, the hampers will provide an afternoon tea treat that mums won’t forget.
Morrisons will also be carrying out acts of kindness in stores, such as giving flowers and chocolates to special mums who cannot see their children on Mother’s Day.
Rebecca Singleton, Customer & Community Director at Morrisons said: “We know that Mother’s Day will be different this year, and we wanted to recognise the incredible efforts of mums around the country over what has been an extremely difficult 12 months.
“We look forward to putting a smile on the face of nearly 500 fantastic mums as they tuck into a range of delicious afternoon tea treats.”
As plumbing and heating professionals around the globe prepare to celebrate World Plumbing Day today (Thursday March 11), the Covid pandemic has vividly highlighted their importance as critical workers on the frontline of public health and safety.
While World Plumbing Day was inaugurated in 2010 to mark the link between quality plumbing and health, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity, the past year has also demonstrated the vital contribution of plumbing to clean water and sanitation systems.
SNIPEF, the Scotland and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation, recognises how PPE-clad engineers and plumbing professionals have held the line in the pandemic, putting themselves at risk to keep the taps running and the heating on.
Here, SNIPEF highlights one of the industry’s heroes and asks what it takes to make such an important contribution in an increasingly critical sector:
17, including two apprentices, the second of whom qualified just last month.
How long have you been a plumber and how did you get started?
I began serving my time in 2003, and unfortunately qualified just as the financial crisis hit in 2007/8. I was made redundant, so really circumstances dictated that I should have a go at starting my own business. I took on my brother as an apprentice and he now trains people himself and brings them on.
There was, of course, a lot of uncertainty in the economy when we started out – rather similar to the way things are now. But in many other ways, they were different days. The technology for self-employed people was much less developed, and we had to learn everything about business by ourselves.
What is your favourite part of the job?
I’m not really on the tools these days, but still muck in as and when needed, which I really enjoy.
Our company Value ‘willing to sweep floors’ means no matter your position in the company, everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. I have worked really hard over the past four or five years to build a business that can run without me being continually involved in it.
I want to work on the business, rather than in the business. So, I have invested heavily in putting systems and processes in place which, for a trade-based business, is quite unusual. I did not want Celsius to be over-reliant on me.
What I enjoy most about the job at the moment is dealing with internal processes, how we automate and how we employ technology.
What is the greatest challenge in your job?
Very early on in the pandemic, we recognised that although people’s confidence was low, we still had to have access to their homes and workplaces.
But we were only carrying out essential work and anything non-essential had to be placed in a backlog of work. This was quite difficult, since we are a reactive company – work comes in, we get it done and we invoice.
Once we came out of the first lockdown, we were very busy clearing the backlog and once we emerge from this one, we will use the lessons we have learned to catch up with the work we have had to postpone.
How has the pandemic changed your day-to-day?
Safety has always been an over-riding priority, but the last year has placed an emphasis on making sure that our customers, as well as our team, feels safe.
Early last year, we created a Covid Response Video which is communicated to our customers when our engineers are on the way to them so that they know what to expect.
We have to go into a lot of elderly people’s homes and it is vital that they feel safe and confident in us. I am super-proud of the team – you just have to look at our reviews.
Have you implemented any changes during the pandemic that you will continue after?
We knew that cashflow was going to take a hit because we could only do essential work. One solution we have implemented, and it has been really successful, is that we now take payment in advance for work.
It is not normal in the trade. It shows a remarkable degree of trust from our customers, who have been very supportive of our situation. We will continue to do this after Covid.
Have you done anything to help during this difficult time?
As key workers, we have managed to keep most of the team in full-time employment, but when people were furloughed we felt it was really important to keep in touch with them to make sure that they were coping. Tradespeople are naturally busy, and suddenly, overnight, they were confined to the house and not doing anything.
We wanted to let them know that they were not forgotten about and, as well as Zoom meetings, we instituted a Friday check-in. We all know that mental health in isolation has been a major issue over the past year and the feedback from the team has said that our efforts have been very helpful.
International Women’s Day has just passed. How are you helping females into the sector?
Women are valued members of the team. They are an integral part of our organisation, and we couldn’t do without them.
We have three with us at the moment: Monique is an engineer, who specialises in water and Legionella testing and certification; Ailsa, who is a senior maintenance co-ordinator; and Ailie, who started as an apprentice junior administrator and is now a maintenance co-ordinator. We have a blog on our website about their contribution.
What advice do you have to people starting out or thinking about becoming a plumber?
For a small business, we try to do our bit for apprentices. We have helped 10 youngsters in the 14 years we have been going, and we will continue to be ambassadors for apprenticeships.
Obviously, we cannot take on every applicant, but when young people approach us, we always get in touch with them and offer advice about what they could be doing to find an employer. We are going to have an apprentice page on our website, to which we can direct people, and other people in the industry can send applicants to it.
We would advise would-be apprentices to establish a LinkedIn page – it’s free to use and connects you to people in the industry. They should be aware that four years can seem like a long time, and like hard work, but once they are qualified, they have a skill for life. A qualified plumbing and heating engineer should never be out of work.
What has being a SNIPEF member brought to you?
Credibility, in a word. The team at SNIPEF is always on hand to answer any difficult questions we may have and their support for apprentices is first class. When we were taking people on at first, SNIPEF’s advisers were able to guide us in areas such as contracts and employment law. We wish we had joined sooner.
Morrisons has announced it will be donating over half a million meals to local pet rescue centres to help feed the nation’s cats and dogs – after demand for pet food has surged during lockdown.
Last year saw an unprecedented rise in pet ownership. With more of us at home than ever before, the desire for a companion reached peak levels with over two million dogs alone bought between March and September.
However, with millions more cats and dogs to feed in households up and down the UK, the need for pet food has dramatically increased.
In response to the increase in demand, Morrisons will set aside half a million meals in an effort to support local animal shelters – and to ensure no four-legged friend is left behind. Its network of ‘’Community Champions’ will work closely with their local shelters to distribute the meals up and down the UK.
Many animal shelters have been struggling through lack of funding and the economic fallout of Covid-19. And as hope for summer and a return to normality grows, animal shelters are facing the risk of more pets needing rehoming as their owners can no longer meet their needs.
Faye Atkins, Pet Food Buyer at Morrisons said: “Throughout the pandemic, our focus has been on feeding the nation, so it only felt right to support those pets who may not have found their forever home just yet as well.
“We hope this donation will go some way to supporting the many shelters doing a fantastic job looking after some of our most vulnerable animals”.
Earlier this week, Morrisons announced it is working closely with its suppliers as they invest in increasing their capacity. Whilst there is not 100% full availability in stores, there remains plenty of stock for all its customers and their new pets.
The essential, everyday services provided by Scotland’s Councils – upon which we all rely – have once again been undervalued and underappreciated by Tueday’s passing of the Scottish Budget, says COSLA.
COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Gail Macgregor, said: “Our ask of Scottish Government throughout the Budget process was to give Scotland’s 32 Councils the fair funding and flexibility they deserve to be able to deliver the essential services that they provide to communities and have continued to provide throughout the COVID pandemic.
“We are pleased that the Cabinet Secretary has listened to Local Government and agreed to baseline the £90m that was made available to councils who chose to freeze Council Tax during 2021-22.
“However, our key ask around fair funding and local flexibility has not been met with the passing of the Budget today – instead we are left with a Budget deal which does very little to address a decade of cuts to Local Government’s core funding, and once again ring fenced pots of money for specific Scottish Government policies. Without flexible additional funding to our core Budget, our ability to help recover from COVID is severely eroded.”
“The essential services that Local Government deliver are the foundations for strong communities across Scotland – today’s announcement means that these foundations will come under even more pressure.
“This is not the deal we wanted – it is not a good deal for communities and serious financial challenges lie ahead for councils. Not least in relation to our ability to recognise the amazing effort of our workforce – where Scottish Government has not recognised the pressures such as pay being faced by Councils.
“Scottish Government has raised expectations yet further through their public sector pay policy – without any increase to Local Government’s core funding, a pay increase for our workforce will have to be funded from elsewhere. This will only lead to a reduction in everyday essential services that communities rely on.”
Police have released a CCTV image of two men they wish to speak to as they may have information which could assist with ongoing enquiries into an assault that occurred around 1.30pm on Monday 2 September, 2020 on Montgomery Street.
One of the men is described as being white and in his late 20s to early 30s. He has short dark hair, stubble and was wearing black casual clothing.
The second man is white, in his mid-20s, 6ft to 6ft 4in tall and of slim build with fair hair. He was wearing a grey jumper, dark bottoms and black body warmer jacket.
Detective Constable Philip Wright of Gayfield CID said: ” As part of the investigation, we are eager to identify the two men in the CCTV footage and would urge them, or anyone who recognises them, to get in touch with us immediately.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1528 of the 2nd September 2020, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
