Geography, background or ability should not be a barrier to getting online
An ambition to achieve ”world leading” levels of digital inclusion is at the heart of plans to equip Scotland for the technological transformation of the post-coronavirus (COVID-19) world.
The updated Digital Strategy, developed by the Scottish Government and COSLA in consultation with business and the third sector, also highlights a shared commitment to deliver digital public services that are accessible to all and simple to use.
On the economy, it recognises the potential for technology and digital ways of working to support Scotland’s post-pandemic recovery and its environmental targets.
Setting out the vision for every business to become a digital business, the strategy makes clear that improved digital education for children and continued upskilling of the existing workforce will be crucial if Scotland is to keep pace internationally.
The strategy also aims to support the success of Scotland’s tech industry as an innovative and global player, fostering a network of digital and data talent and attracting inward investment.
Innovation Minister Ivan McKee said: “Digital technology is a source of incredible opportunity – to open new markets, work in new ways, tackle climate change and make links across the globe.
“The pandemic reminds us every day that access to the internet is an essential lifeline and I’m determined to ensure that no one is left behind.
“Progress has been made to address this with Connecting Scotland bringing 55,000 people online by the end of this year. Now we want to go further and achieve world-leading levels of inclusion – as part of an ethical digital nation in which everybody has the skills, connectivity and devices required to reap the benefits of technology.
“The response to the pandemic has seen the public and private sectors deliver new services online and at speed. We’ll build on that momentum to support Scotland’s people and its businesses to thrive in the digital world.”
COSLA resources spokesperson Gail MacGregor said: “Digital technologies are changing the way we live our daily lives. The Digital Strategy for Scotland sets out an ambitious vision of a Scotland where everyone has the necessary skills and connectivity to thrive and where technology is used to improve access to services designed around the needs of people.
“The response to the pandemic has sped up the pace of digital transformation and has demonstrated the progress that can be made when we work together. Local Government will continue to take on a leadership role in achieving this shared vision of an open and inclusive digital Scotland where no one is left behind.”
Every employee of the City of Edinburgh Council will earn at least the Scottish Local Government Living Wage (SLGLW) in their base pay from 1 April.
The news was announced by Council Leader Adam McVey at yesterday’s Full Council meeting and follows months of joint working with the Trade Unions to arrive at a simpler, fairer and sustainable pay structure for the organisation.
Consolidating the Scottish Local Government Living Wage means the Council can deliver an increase in pay to nearly 4,500 of its lowest-paid employees, demonstrating progress in its continued efforts to become a Scottish Fair Work employer and work towards eradicating poverty in Edinburgh by 2030.
Since 2013, the Council has topped up pay to meet the Living Wage. By now consolidating the Living Wage into base pay we are making changes to the lower part of the pay structure, which means that 4,400 of employees in grades 1 to 3 will have a pay increase, equivalent to more than £200 extra per year on average for full-time employees.
The new pay structure also reflects the Council’s efforts to incorporate the principles of the Edinburgh 2050 City Vision, which were developed based on residents’ aspirations to build a welcoming, thriving, fair and pioneering Capital city.
Discussions will continue with the Trade Unions on further proposals to simplify pay and related allowances for other employees, to help deliver a fairer, simpler and sustainable pay framework for the future.
Cllr McVey said: “We’re one of the Capital’s largest employers and we want to – and must – lead by example if we’re to help steer Edinburgh towards the fair and equitable future we collectively strive for.
“I’m therefore delighted to confirm our commitment to being a Living Wage employer by announcing that, from 1 April, everyone who works for the Council will earn at least the Scottish Local Government Living Wage as part of their basic pay. This means on average full-time employees in grades 1-3 will have an uplift in their pay of more than £200.
“As a city, we’ve set ourselves the hugely ambitious target of eradicating poverty by 2030 – in fact, we’re the first UK local authority to set such a target. Today’s confirmation of a new simple and fair pay structure proves we’re ‘walking the talk’ on poverty and rewarding our hard-working employees properly for the roles they play in helping to look after this great city and our communities.”
Depute Council Leader Cammy Day said: “I want to say thank you to all the Trade Union representatives who’ve worked so hard on this with our team so that we were able to make this announcement today.
“Our people have been doing an incredible job in exceptionally challenging circumstances during this pandemic so to be able to make sure every single one of our employees will earn at least the SLGLW as part of their basic pay from next month is extremely welcome.
We want to go even further than this, though. That’s why we’ll continue to engage constructively with the Joint Trade Unions towards making positive and lasting change to the organisation on behalf of our colleagues.
“There’s much still to be done to simplify pay and conditions of service and in a way that’s fair, sustainable and, importantly, financially viable.
Speaking before last month’s council budget meeting, Unison City of Edinburgh branch secretary Tom Connolly said: “Staff in local government need to be rewarded and paid well for the jobs that they do, there are many low paid workers in local government providing face to face support to or most vulnerable children and adults, in school, care homes, etc.
“Other council staff keep our public buildings clean, keep our roads clear, clean our streets and empty our bins, administrative and clerical workers dealing with benefits and other essential administrative tasks, all examples of low paid and undervalued workers who have continued to keep the city running.
“These workers now need to be given the value that they have always deserved and rewarded with decent pay and conditions. Clapping does not pay the bills.”
NHS LOTHIAN: ‘THIS SHOULD BE RESOLVED VERY QUICKLY’
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has said that an urgent investigation is needed into the breakdown in communication between the Scottish Government and people in the Edinburgh and the Lothians expecting their first vaccination letters.
The target to have everyone over 50 in Scotland vaccinated with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine by mid-April, is expected to be met. Lothian residents are however being told they won’t get their first vaccination until May.
Additionally some residents aged 60 and over are phoning the Covid-19 vaccine helpline, to be told their vaccination is due next week, but they haven’t received a letter.
Yesterday (Thursday 11th March) the Lothian MSP raised the issue of vaccination letters with the First Minister:
‘I have been contacted by a number of constituents who are becoming increasingly concerned about the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Edinburgh and about the inconsistencies relating to people in different age groups being called to be vaccinated.
‘I have raised those concerns with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. I appreciate that there will be some overlap within age groups, but there seems to be confusion about when those in the 60 to 65-year-old age group will receive their vaccination in Edinburgh.
‘I am sure that the First Minister agrees that it would be unacceptable for NHS Lothian residents to be behind those in other health board areas. What additional resources will NHS Lothian receive? Will she investigate the situation? Why is the Scottish Government not publishing age-specific vaccination uptake figures for health boards?
There has also been a delay to people hearing back from the online system where people submit a vaccination form if they think they should have had a vaccination appointment letter, due to the “high volume of enquiries”.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“It is the responsibility of the Scottish Government to distribute vaccination appointment letters to everyone in Scotland.
“This week something has obviously gone very wrong with people not receiving their letter, or being told their appointment is not until May.
“An urgent investigation is needed to give people clarity on when their appointment will be and they are not being forgotten about.
“The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination is too important to get wrong and we all want it to happen as quickly as possible so that restrictions can be lifted safely.
“SNP Ministers have to date refused to provide a breakdown of the numbers of people in age groups in each Health Board who have received the vaccination. It would be totally unacceptable for people in Lothian to be at the end of the queue.
“I would encourage people aged between 60-65, due for COVID-19 vaccine, who live in NHS Lothian and who have not received an appointment letter then phone 0800 030 8013.”
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman insisted there are no ‘systemic problems’ when she led the daily media briefing this afternoon.
NHS Lothian finally clarified the situation this evening:
.’We are vaccinating the “priority groups” of patients as fast as the vaccine supply allows. We are currently vaccinating group 6 and next week (week commencing March 15) will extend into group 7, which is patients aged 60 years and over.
‘Appointment letters are being distributed by a central system to patients across Scotland. We understand there has been a delay in sending out some appointment letters this week (March 12).
‘This should be resolved very quickly and the letters are expected to arrive by this weekend. However, if you are over 60 and have not received an appointment letter by Monday (March 15), please call the national helpline on 0800 030 8013.’
A study of all healthcare workers employed by the NHS in Scotland and their households, shows that the rate of infection with Covid-19 for people that live with healthcare workers is at least 30% lower when the worker has been vaccinated mostly with a single dose.
Since household members of healthcare workers can also be infected via other people (not just via the healthcare worker they live with), this 30% relative risk reduction is an underestimate of the ‘true’ effect of vaccination on transmission.
Research led by Public Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow (with contributions from researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Strathclyde) involved over 300,000 people in total and ran between 8 December 2020 and 3 March 2021.
The study, using record linkage, compared cases of Covid-19 and hospitalisations due to Covid-19 in household members of both vaccinated, and unvaccinated health care workers.
Where healthcare workers had received a second dose of the vaccine at least 14 days before, their household members had a rate of Covid-19 which was at least 54% lower than household members where healthcare workers had not been vaccinated.
While the study was not designed to examine the uptake of vaccination among healthcare workers, current work does suggest that at least some patient facing healthcare workers, particularly younger staff and those not in high exposure roles, may not have been vaccinated yet.
PHS hope that these findings would give them extra encouragement to be vaccinated, as it suggests that the vaccine offers protection not only to themselves but also to their close contacts. Any patient-facing healthcare worker who has not yet been vaccinated should contact their local health board.
Public Health Scotland will be publishing more definitive results on vaccination uptake in patient-facing healthcare workers on our daily dashboard later today (Friday 12 March).
Dr Diane Stockton, PHS Lead for COVID-19 Vaccination Surveillance Programme, said: “The results from this study as part of our vaccine effectiveness work, are very encouraging because it suggests that the vaccine helps prevent people from passing on the virus to others – something that has been suspected but hasn’t previously been shown.
“Despite this good news, it is important to remember that infection prevention and control practices in healthcare settings remain of paramount importance, as do the mitigations to prevent spread in our daily lives. The risk of transmission did not go down to zero after the healthcare worker was vaccinated.
“As Scotland continues to deliver its national Covid-19 vaccination programme, this study does give one more reason why everyone invited to have a vaccine should take up the offer, as not only will it help protect them from COVID-19, but it will help protect the people close to them.”
Dr David McAllister, University of Glasgow said: “Our study has important implications for informing vaccination strategies. The JCVI in the United Kingdom recently commented on the lack of real-world evidence evaluating the role of vaccination programmes on transmission.
“We provide the first direct evidence that vaccinating individuals working in high-exposure settings reduces the risk to their close contacts – members of their households. Our work will also be of interest to modellers, as it can be used to inform their predictions about future rates of COVID-19 in the community.”
Are you looking for some recipe and meal inspiration to impress the family and want to test your culinary skills to make restaurant quality dishes at home without breaking the bank?
Then you’re in luck because Aldi has partnered with award winning Scottish Chef and professional MasterChef contestant, David Hetherington, to help customers re-create a range of vibrant and delicious meals that will feed four people for less than £1.50 per person using fresh local Scottish produce.
David Hetherington, Head Chef at Glasgow’s Locker Hyndland, Provenance Chef of the Year 2018 and winner of Inspiring Chef of the Year 2020 has developed a variety of recipes using local Scottish produce from Aldi to help inspire customers to create high-quality and affordable meals from their own home.
Starting with a Mother’s Day Spring Pea, Thyme & Lemon Ricotta Tart and Berry Pavlova, over the next four weeks David will release a series of healthy meal ideas for four, with suggestions on how to spice up your lunch whilst working from home, as well as offering a step-by-step guide on how to create the ultimate Aldi Easter Sunday roast.
Weekly recipe suggestions and step-by-step cooking guides will feature across David’s (@chef_hetherington) and Aldi Scotland’s (@aldiscotland) Instagram and Facebook pages starting from 8th March.
David Hetherington, Head Chef at Glasgow’s Locker Hyndland said:“It has been brilliant to see everyone get more involved in cooking at home and by partnering with Aldi, who lead the way on Scottish provenance, I aim to build on this culinary excitement and share both affordable and nutritious recipe ideas for everyone to enjoy.
“By taking advantage of the selection of fresh Scottish produce available at Aldi, my weekly recipes will help guide both experienced cooks and kitchen novices to produce an array of tasty meals. Along the way, I will also provide some top cooking tips on how to find the best produce in your local Aldi store and how to be more adventurous in your own kitchen.”
Graham Nicolson, Aldi Scotland, Group Buying Director said:“We are thrilled to be able to help our customers test their culinary skills and experiment with cooking by using Aldi’s extensive range of quality fresh local produce and ingredients.
“As well as access to great quality Scottish ingredients we know that what matters to our customers is getting great value for money, and that’s why keeping our prices the lowest in Scotland is our number one mission.
“Over the past year, David has done an excellent job in engaging with people to encourage cooking at home but recognising at the moment that keeping dishes affordable is also of key importance, and for the next four weeks I hope our customer are excited to try out the new recipes that David has created.”
Full Recipe Calendar:
· W/c 8 March: Creating a restaurant-quality Mother’s Day feast for under £6
· W/c 15 March: How to spice up your lunches when working from home
· W/c 22 March: How to create a healthy meal for four for under £6
· W/c 29 March: The ultimate Aldi Easter Sunday Roast for £6
Mother’s Day Recipe:
Spring pea, thyme & lemon ricotta tart, mixed leaf and cherry tomato salad
Serves 4
Prep time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Difficulty
Total £3.30
1 bag frozen garden peas – 59p
1 lemon – 14p
2 sprigs of thyme/pinch of dried thyme – Store cupboard
Line a rectangular baking tray, or a round one, with baking parchment, then line with pastry.
Next up, line the puff pastry with baking parchment, and fill with baking beans (this could be lentils, raw chickpeas, or you can buy real baking beans online, I choose to use lentils), this stops the middle of the tart rising while you bake the pastry. Leave a little pastry lip hanging out the top for a wee bit of crunch. Pop the tart in the oven and bake for around 20 minutes or until the pastry is looking golden.
While the pastry is cooking, chuck the ricotta into a bowl, add some chopped thyme (or a pinch of dried thyme), squeeze of lemon juice, some lemon zest and some salt and pepper.
Put a pot of water on to boil. Once boiling add in the frozen peas and allow it to come back to the boil and immediately strain off the water and chill, this is important to keep the colour, nutrients and flavour in the peas.
Once the pastry is cooked, and cooled, fire in the ricotta mix, smooth it out to the
edges and fill the pastry, toss the peas with some olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and a squeeze of lemon, and pile them on top.
For the salad, wash the salad leaves gently under cold water, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, halved cherry tomatoes and serve up everything with love and a big smile.
Berry Pavlova
Serves 4
Prep time 10 mins
Cook Time approx 2 Hrs
Difficulty
Total £2.60
4 egg whites – 48p
250g caster sugar – 27p
250ml double cream – 71p
½ punnet of Wonky strawberries – 69p
½ punnet of Wonky blueberries – 45p
This recipe will always work better if you have an electric whisk.
In a clean dry bowl place the egg whites, and whisk on a high speed until they become stiff. Place the sugar onto a baking sheet, and place in a hot oven at around 180°C, you’ll want the sugar to heat until it becomes too hot to touch with the palm of your hand. This is a culinary trick so please be careful.
Carefully pour the sugar into the egg whites, mixing at a fairly high speed, again we are working with hot sugar here, so be careful and take your time.
Continue to whisk the eggs on a high speed once all the sugar is in and keep whisking until the mix is cold. It should be shiny and hold itself together.
We need to make a small meringue bowl for our pavlova, so divide the mix into four onto a parchment lined tray. Now the best way to do this would be to pipe a little nest, but you can plop a dollop on a tray and make a wee well in the centre with a hot spoon.
Now switch off the oven, it should still be hot from the sugar warming. Pop in the tray of meringues and wait for about 10 minutes before you close the door and leave overnight. It is really important we dry out the shells of our meringues without colouring them.
When you are ready to serve, whip up the double cream, and spoon into your meringue nests, chop up your berries and arrange on top.
Edinburgh College is providing industry specific training to help hospitality and tourism businesses hit the ground running when the sector is allowed to reopen.
The training which allows SMEs up to £5,000 free training provided through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF), is available straight away to help people upskill, reskill and give confidence to those who have been unable to work due to the pandemic.
Hospitality businesses are encouraged to attend a virtual information event hosted on Zoom on Wednesday 24 March, to find out more about Edinburgh College, the FWDF, and how the College’s Training and Development team can liaise with them to design and deliver bespoke training packages with courses to suit all employer and employee needs.
Courses range from REHIS Food Hygiene and Allergy Awareness through to Customer Service and Communication Skills, and Mental Health.
Businesses which pay the Scottish Government apprenticeship levy can apply for up to £15,000 worth of training, while SMEs can apply for up £5,000 of training without any contribution.
Edinburgh College Commercial Development Manager Liam Conway said: “We are excited to be hosting this information event for Hospitality businesses across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“It is our hope that Hospitality businesses will be able to welcome visitors and guests back into their premises soon. In the build up to that becoming the case, Edinburgh College is ready to deliver training to Hospitality employees in time for their reopening – allowing firms to ensure employees’ continuing professional development and retraining is in place ahead of customers’ return.”
The virtual information event is taking place on Wednesday 24 March from 12 – 12.30pm.
Schools, colleges and universities can now apply for funding from today to allow students to study and work across the globe as part of the new Turing Scheme.
The programme, backed by £110 million, replaces the Erasmus+ scheme in the UK and will fund 35,000 global exchanges from September 2021, including university study, school exchanges, and industry work placements.
The new scheme aims to improve social mobility, targeting students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas which did not previously have many students benefiting from Erasmus+, making life-changing opportunities accessible to everyone across the country. The British Council and Ecorys will be targeting disadvantaged parts of the country to promote the scheme to improve take up.
The Turing scheme offers benefits to students that they would not have under the previous Erasmus+ programme, with university students from disadvantaged backgrounds set to receive a maximum of £490 per month towards living costs (currently worth around 573 euros compared to 540 euros under Erasmus+), alongside travel funding, and other forms of additional funding to offset the cost of passports, visas and insurance.
Unlike Erasmus+, which is EU-focused, the Turing Scheme is a truly global programme and every country in the world is eligible to partner with UK universities, schools and colleges.
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said: “The Turing Scheme is a truly global programme with every country in the world eligible to partner with UK universities, schools and colleges.
“It is also levelling up in action, as the scheme seeks to help students of all income groups from across the country experience fantastic education opportunities in any country they choose.”
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “This is a landmark step in delivering on our promise to level up a truly global Britain, strengthening our ties across the world and providing students with the skills they need to thrive.
“The programme’s focus on social mobility and value for money will open up more opportunities for international education and travel to all of our students, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds who were less likely to benefit from the previous EU scheme.
“I urge all universities, schools and colleges from all corners of the UK to start their applications and partner up with countries worldwide.”
Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan said: The Turing scheme will support our levelling up agenda by opening up the world to young people and children from all backgrounds with exciting global opportunities.
“The scheme will enable up to 35,000 students throughout the UK to work or study across the globe.”
As part of the UK-wide launch, education ministers are visiting the devolved nations today to highlight the advantages of the Turing scheme and ensure wider participation for all students across the UK.
In support of the launch, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan will visit Cardiff University and Edinburgh University to discuss the bidding process including how to demonstrate widening access to more disadvantaged students as part of the application process.
School Standards Minister Nick Gibb and Apprenticeships Minister Gillian Keegan will visit educational settings in areas that have not previously benefitted from Erasmus+.
Applicants from schools and colleges are encouraged, with funding levels and eligibility set out in programme guides available to help inform applications.
UK organisations are encouraged to form partnerships across the globe, not just the EU. The Turing website includes the programme guide, funding levels and eligibility, and details of webinars available to help inform applications.
Successful applications will receive funding for administering the scheme and students taking part will receive grants to help them with the costs of their international experience. The benefits of the exchanges will be assessed and the findings used to build on future schemes. Funding decisions for subsequent years will be subject to future spending reviews.
£110m of funding will be available to support projects and activities during the 2021/2022 academic year. This is enough to fund similar levels of student exchanges under the former Erasmus+ scheme.
Programme guidance, including information on the application process, has also been published on the Turing Scheme website.
Poll shows widescale public support for stronger legislation to protect children from abuse online
Comes as NSPCC report says UK Government’s Online Safety Bill must be more ambitious to comprehensively tackle sexual abuse
Charity chief calls for no compromise on children’s safety being at the heart of new laws
The Scottish public overwhelmingly back robust new laws to protect children from abuse on social media and wants bosses to be held responsible for safety, new polling suggests.
An NSPCC/YouGov survey found that more than nine in ten respondents (95%) in Scotland want social networks and messaging services to be designed to be safe for children.
The poll of more than 2,000 adults across the UK*, of which 179 respondents were from Scotland, shows huge support for putting a legal requirement on tech firms to detect and prevent child abuse, while backing strong sanctions against directors whose companies fail.
91% of respondents in Scotland want firms to have a legal responsibility to detect child abuse, such as grooming, taking place on their sites.
And almost four in five Scottish adults (79%) support prosecuting senior managers of social media managers if their companies consistently fail to protect children from abuse online, while 83% of respondents want social media bosses fined for consistent failures.
NSPCC Chief Executive Sir Peter Wanless said it shows a huge public consensus for robust Duty of Care regulation of social media.
He is urging the UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to listen by ensuring his landmark Online Safety Bill convincingly tackles online child abuse and puts the onus on firms to prevent harm. He set out the UK Government’s vision for legislation in December.
The survey found that just ten per-cent of Scottish adults think sites are regularly designed safely for children, but 77% support a legal requirement for platforms to assess the risks of child abuse on their services, and take steps to address them.
It found that UK Government is failing on a third of indicators (nine out of 27), with tougher measures needed to tackle sexual abuse and to give Ofcom the powers they need to develop and enforce regulation fit for decades to come.
Sir Peter Wanless said: “Today’s polling shows the clear public consensus for stronger legislation that hardwires child protection into how tech firms design their platforms.
“Mr Dowden will be judged on whether he takes decisions in the public interest and acts firmly on the side of children with legislation ambitious enough to protect them from avoidable harm.
“For too long children have been an afterthought for Big Tech but the Online Safety Bill can deliver a culture change by resetting industry standards and giving Ofcom the power to hold firms accountable for abuse failings.”
The NSPCC is calling for legislation to be more robust so it can successfully combat online child abuse at an early stage and before it spreads across platforms.
They want a requirement for tech firms to treat content that facilitates sexual abuse with the same severity as material that meets the criminal threshold.
This means clamping down on the “digital breadcrumbs” dropped by abusers to guide others towards illegal material. These include videos of children just moments before or after they are sexually abused – so-called ‘abuse image series’ – that are widely available on social media.
The charity also want Ofcom to be able to tackle cross platform risks, where groomers target children across the different sites and games they use – something firms have strongly resisted.
In its report, the NSPCC called on the UK Government to commit to senior management liability to make tech directors personally responsible for decisions on product safety.
They say this is vital to drive cultural change and provide an appropriate deterrent against a lax adoption of the rules.
The charity wants to see senior management liability similar to the successful approach in financial services. Under the scheme, bosses taking decisions which could put children at risk could face censure, fines and in the case of the most egregious breaches of the Duty of Care, criminal sanctions.
They warn that the UK Government has softened its ambition and at present just propose liability for narrow procedural reasons, which will only to be enacted later down the line.
The NSPCC has been the leading voice for social media regulation and the charity set out detailed proposals for a Bill in 2019.
The UK Government’s White Paper consultation response in December set out the framework for an Online Safety Bill that is expected in the Spring.
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.”
