Day: February 8, 2023

President Zelenskyy visits UK today

  • President Zelenskyy arrives in the UK today to meet the Prime Minister and visit Ukrainian troops.
  • Comes as the Prime Minister announces plans to expand training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to sea and air, including fighter jet pilots and marines, as part of long-term investment in their military.
  • UK also accelerates military equipment to Ukraine in a bid to give Ukrainian forces the upper hand on the battlefield and limit Russia’s ability to target civilian infrastructure.

President Zelenskyy will visit the UK today to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and address parliament as the UK steps up its delivery of lethal aid into the country, and prepares to train fighter jet pilots and marines.                                                                                 

The leaders will discuss a two-pronged approach to UK support for Ukraine, starting with an immediate surge of military equipment to the country to help counter Russia’s spring offensive, and reinforced by long-term support.

The Prime Minister will also offer the UK’s backing to President Zelenskyy’s plans to work towards a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

As part of today’s talks, the Prime Minister will offer to bolster the UK’s training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots to ensure Ukraine can defend its skies well into the future.

The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future. As part of that long-term capability investment, the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to coordinate collective support to meet Ukraine’s defensive needs.

He will also offer to begin an immediate training programme for marines.

That training will be in addition to the recruit training programme already running in the UK, which has seen 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and which will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year. The UK will continue to work with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and international community to scale the programme up in 2023.

Just last week, Ukrainian troops arrived in the UK to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks, following the Prime Minister’s decision to send the main battle tanks to Ukraine.

The Prime Minister will also offer to provide Ukraine with longer range capabilities. This will disrupt Russia’s ability to continually target Ukraine’s civilian and critical national infrastructure and help relieve pressure on Ukraine’s frontlines.

The President and his team will also meet defence and security chiefs, including the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of the Air Staff, to discuss the details of the training programme.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK is a testament to his country’s courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries.

“Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory.

“I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future. It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come.”

The UK will also announce further sanctions today in response to Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine, including the targeting of those who have helped Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin’s war machine.

Police appeal for witnesses following Granton Mains East incident

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man was found seriously injured in the Granton Mains East area.

Around 7.35pm on Friday, 3 February, 2023, a 40-year-old man was found seriously injured and was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment.

Detective Sergeant Will Dickson, of Corstorphine CID, said: “Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident. We believe someone assisted the injured man and we would urge that person to contact police.

“Anyone who may have witnessed what happened or has any information that may assist our investigation should contact police via 101, quoting incident number 3368 of 3 February. Alternatively, details can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Schools: Something’s got to give (2)

EIS to escalate strikes to include targeted action

YESTERDAY, 7 February, marked one whole year since Scottish teaching unions submitted their pay claim for 2022-23 via the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT).

A year on, that pay claim remains unsettled and teachers across the country are engaged in a programme of industrial action in pursuit of a fair pay settlement.

As a result, the EIS has announced an escalation of its action to include targeted strike action in schools within the constituencies of key decision makers within the Scottish Government and COSLA.

EIS Office Bearers and other senior EIS Representatives took part in photo calls outside the Scottish Government and COSLA HQ in Edinburgh yesterday, delivering Birthday cards to mark the 1st anniversary of the teachers’ pay claim being submitted.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “It is deeply regrettable that the continuing inaction, obfuscation and spin from the Scottish Government and COSLA on teachers’ pay has led to an escalation of our programme of strike action.

“It has now been a year since our pay claim was submitted, and teachers should have had their pay rise in their pay packet last April. Instead, the Scottish Government and COSLA initially offered a pathetic 2% pay settlement – at a time when inflation was nearly four times that amount.

“Since then, the Scottish Government and COSLA have dithered, delayed and dragged their feet while the cost of living has continued to soar.”

Ms Bradley added, “The latest offer, for a well-below inflation 5%, has now been kicking around for six months and has been rejected by Scotland’s teachers twice. Our members have already taken part in three days of national strike action, and a further 16-days of rolling action across the country.

“The response from the Scottish Government and COSLA has been, essentially, nil – and this now has forced an escalation in our action. The offer of a 9% real-terms pay cut, which is what is on the table, will never be acceptable.”

The escalation of action means that, in addition to 2 days of national strike action already called for 28th February and 1st March, and a 20 further days of rolling strikes across all local authority areas from 13th March until 21st April, there will be targeted action in the constituencies of the First Minister, Deputy First Minster, Cabinet Secretary for Education, and COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann.

Scottish Greens Education Spokesperson Ross Greer’s East Dunbartonshire constituency area will also be targeted.

EIS members in four of these five areas will be called out on three consecutive days from Wednesday, 22nd February – Friday, 24th February inclusive.

All five areas will be targeted for a further three days of action from Tuesday, 7th March. Precise details of the schools involved in this action on the relevant dates will be published shortly.

Further periods of targeted action are likely, if no new pay offer is forthcoming.

Schools: Something’s got to give (1)

Holyrood and Scotland’s councils on collision course

Measures to ensure that teacher and pupil support staff numbers as well as school hours are protected have been announced by Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville.

The Scottish Government has committed to increasing teacher numbers by 3,500 during this Parliament.

Since 2017/18 local authorities have received funding to protect the pupil-teacher ratio, teacher numbers and to provide places  for all probationers who need one.

Additional annual funding of £145.5 million is also being provided to maintain increased teacher numbers and support staff. In the year ahead (2023/24), if this is not delivered by a local authority, the Scottish Government will withhold or recoup funding allocated for these purposes.

Regulations will also be introduced under legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2016 to enshrine a statutory minimum number of school hours.

Ms Somerville said: “The measures I have outlined today demonstrate our unyielding commitment to closing the attainment gap and making Scotland the best place in the world to grow up. 

“We are committed to recruiting more teachers and support staff, and we have already provided significant additional funding to Local Authorities to help ensure this happens.

“The Scottish Government recognises the challenging budgetary decisions facing councils and that is why the Deputy First Minister has committed to delivering a new deal for local government. However, this Government has a clear commitment to improving education – and maintaining both teacher and support staff numbers and learning hours is crucial to that.

“I recognise the importance of strong partnership working between local government, central government and Education Scotland to achieve our ambitions. 

“I will be writing to COSLA today, and each individual council in the coming days, to set out the details on protecting teacher and support staff numbers, and next steps on learning hours.”

COSLA HIGHLIGHTS MASSIVE CONTRADICTION IN RELATION TO EDUCATION AND COUNCIL FUNDING

COSLA yesterday (Tuesday) highlighted to the Scottish Government a massive contradiction in relation to Scottish Education and council funding. This followed an emergency meeting of Council Leaders on Friday and ahead of Ms Somerville’s Parliamentary statement.

At Friday’s meeting Council Leaders reacted with great disappointment to the Scottish Government’s cutting of Local Government’s funding on the one hand whilst at the same time legislating/intervening to prevent headlines showing the unpalatable consequences of those cuts.

Councils are unanimous that attainment is not just about teacher numbers, especially in areas where school rolls are declining, and depends also on a wide range of other council services and support staff.

Accordingly, councils must be left with the flexibility to manage their inadequate budgets to minimise the impact on attainment and the other services the public depend upon. To do more than this will require the Scottish Government to provide additional funding, not more restriction.

Council leaders were clear that Local Government wants to protect education. Councils want to continue to improve the attainment and achievement of children and young people, whilst also retaining the teachers and support staff that are required to do this.  It’s the Budget which is putting these things at risk, not Local Government.

COSLA said that the reality is that Scottish Government Budgets over a decade have left us with a funding crisis in Local Government the likes of which have never been seen before.

Commenting yesterday in a joint statement, COSLA’s Presidential Team said: “The timing and approach of the Scottish Government’s latest move undermines the democratic mandate of Local Government and is a U-turn on previously agreed flexibilities for councils over their budgets.

“It is not the case that Local Government wants to cut any of our services; we have to work with the budgets we have and unless there is more funding, we are forced to make democratic decisions on priorities for the communities we serve.

“On the one hand our budgets have been cut in real terms, and on the other hand the Scottish Government is intervening with additional policies which means significant cuts will have to be made in other areas that support children, young people, families and our communities.

“We have been clear about the limited options facing Local Government because of the Scottish Government’s Budget for 2023/24, a view which is shared by the independent body Accounts Commission.

“We have also highlighted the impact of the initial proposed interventions on other Local Government services, including those which directly support the attainment, health and wellbeing of children and young people.

“These latest asks and the Government’s narrative demonstrates a Government who does not fully value and respect Local Government’s role. Asks of this nature are addressing a symptom, not the cause.”