Health concerns for workers rise due to tram late running times
Unite has confirmed today that its Edinburgh Trams membership are being balloted on strike action over late running times to the nation’s largest airport which is preventing workers from taking comfort breaks.
The strike ballot opens on 29 July and closes on 12 August.
In a consultative ballot previously conducted by Unite, over 160 tram workers indicated by 99 per cent that they are prepared to take industrial action on an 84 per cent turnout.
Unite claims there is a shortfall of between 5 – 6 minutes in the running time from Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven. Each round trip takes on average 2 hours to complete.
The maximum driving time before a scheduled break is 5 hours, and many tram workers go this length of time without hydration or toilet breaks. This is due to running late and having to make up the time.
The unacceptable situation has contributed to health issues developing among Unite’s membership including stress and infections.
The trade union represents drivers, ticket service assistants, controllers and vehicle maintenance workers.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:“Unite’s Edinburgh tram workers are facing an unacceptable health and safety situation due to the pressures of having to get the travelling public to Edinburgh airport. We will back our tram membership all the way in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
A new tram timetable has added 4 minutes to each run, and delays to a new signalling system have contributed to increased delays.
It has further been reported to Unite that some trams regularly run up to 30 minutes late with control having to turn trams around mid-route. This situation completely removes the ability for tram workers to go to the toilet.
Lyn Turner, Unite industrial officer, added:“Edinburgh’s tram workers are emphatically saying give us our breaks.
“The sustained pressure being put on our members to complete the airport to Newhaven round trip is resulting in an alarming rise in incidents at work including stress and infections.
“The situation has arisen due to delays in the new signalling system and changes in the new timetable which were not properly tested before going into passenger service. Action needs to happen quickly or strike action will be inevitable.”
Residents and industry are being encouraged to share their experiences of Edinburgh’s short term lets (STL) licensing.
Available to take part in online until October, the Council has launched a 12-week consultation as part of a planned review of the local policy. This is in line with a decision taken in 2023 that the city’s policy would be reviewed after a year.
The exercise will allow residents, stakeholders and businesses affected by the operation of the scheme to offer comments and feedback, with targeted discussions with resident groups, industry bodies and other key stakeholders also set to take place. This will cover the Council’s approach to secondary letting, temporary exemptions, fees, and the application process.
Regulatory Convener, Councillor Neil Ross, said: “Since we launched Edinburgh’s STL licensing policy in October 2022, we’ve granted over 1500 applications. This is helping to ensure holiday lets are safe and properly regulated in our city.
“We now want to hear how the scheme has impacted the residents and businesses of Edinburgh. The opportunity for everyone to input into how the short term lets licensing scheme is working was a commitment we gave last year and over the coming weeks, we want to hear your views.
“I’m confident this will help us to better understand how people are finding the regulation through licensing of short-term lets in Edinburgh and help inform any future decision making.”
A report highlighting the results and further recommendations will be brought forward in the Autumn.
A project that aims to capture, transport and safely store CO2 emissions from across Scotland will be granted £2 million from the Scottish Government.
The new funding will be used to explore how a pipeline could transport Carbon Dioxide from Scotland’s central belt to the North East.
The Acorn Carbon transport and storage project is a joint venture with the Scottish Cluster, benefitting from the collective expertise of Storegga, Shell UK, Harbour Energy and North Sea Midstream Partners, along with National Gas.
The project is working with industrial, power, hydrogen, bioenergy and waste-to-energy businesses, including those in Peterhead, Grangemouth and Mossmorran, who wish to capture CO2 emissions and send to permanent geological storage under the North Sea.
Visiting St Fergus in Aberdeenshire, where the Acorn transport and storage terminal will be located, First Minister John Swinney said: “The Acorn project will be essential in securing the future of key industrial sites like Grangemouth and Mossmorran.
“A National Gas pipeline is a critical component of the project and I am delighted that the Scottish Government is providing funding to accelerate this innovative work.
“We are determined to support projects like this to support the development of Scotland’s carbon capture and storage sector and the fair and just transition of oil and gas sector.
“This announcement today demonstrates our unwavering support for carbon capture and storage, and I am confident that the UK Government will work constructively with us to ensure the Acorn Project is awarded Track 2 status. Enabling this innovative work to progress will help unlock so many opportunities not just for Scotland, but for the UK as a whole.”
Managing Director of Acorn Nic Braley said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s support for the SCO₂T Connect project, and the recognition of its importance for the decarbonisation of Scotland’s industry.
“Working together, Acorn and National Gas can provide a CO₂ transport and storage solution to the Scottish Cluster, a diverse range of emitters from across Scotland and the rest of the UK, who are all committed to timely and cost-effective decarbonisation.
“The Scottish Cluster, with Acorn at its core, and the UK and Scottish governments can collectively make a major contribution to UK Net Zero commitments, supporting ambitions for clean energy, green prosperity and value for money.
“We look forward to working with both Scottish and UK Governments to make the Scottish Cluster a reality.”
CEO of National Gas Jon Butterworth said: “We are committed to reaching net zero, and excited to explore how our world-class gas network can be at the heart of the drive to decarbonise with carbon capture and storage.
“We welcome today’s announcement from the Scottish Government. It is a brilliant example of how government and industry can work side-by-side to deliver clean energy solutions.”
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Union says workers are being ‘grossly undervalued’ compared with UK council counterparts
Unite has confirmed that its committee for local government workers has rejected the latest COSLA pay offer following a meeting in Glasgow yesterday (22 July 2024).
Unite said no ‘extra cash’ has been added to the new pay offer by COSLA, which amounts to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. COSLA has taken two months to shift from its previous offer, which was also rejected outright by Unite on 24 May.
Unite is highlighting that the new pay offer ‘grossly undervalues’Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.
An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC). This equates to a rise of 67p per hour or 5.2% for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week. In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2% equates to £800 or a 41p per hour increase.
The pay offer difference means that a Scottish council worker would need to earn above £40,000 to match the offer being made to council workers across the UK. This means the lowest paid council workers are being disproportionately hit by COSLA’s offer.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “COSLA has taken months to put a new offer to our local government membership, and it’s one that does absolutely nothing to address more than a decade of deep cuts to pay and services.
“Unless COSLA and the Scottish government move quickly to make an acceptable offer then mountains of rubbish will pile up across the nation’s streets. The politicians have a choice, and one more chance, to resolve this pay dispute before strike action.”
Unite has the largest union membership on the verge of participating in a first wave of strike action involving waste workers, street cleaners, and recycling centre operators.
The union has strike action mandates involving thousands of its members across 16 councils, and it is in the process of re-balloting workers in 5 other councils (see notes to editor).
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “COSLA’s latest pay offer doesn’t add any extra cash. It continues to grossly undervalue Scotland’s council workers compared with the offer made to their counterparts across the UK.
“A stinking Scottish summer looms unless COSLA and the Scottish government quickly sort this out by injecting more cash into a new offer. Any offer will need to value the lowest paid council workers, at least, on similar terms as the offer made to other UK council workers.”
“The Scottish government can no longer sit idly by, we are on the brink of nationwide strike action which could last for months.”
Opened in 1994, the organisation has grown to become Scotland’s leading arts engagement charity, impacting hundreds of thousands of people of all ages through inspiring, creative projects
Impact Arts makes a call for people who have been part of its work over the last 30 years to get in touch to share their stories and memories
On 22 August, the team at Impact Arts will raise a glass to three decades of life-changing work, as Scotland’s leading creative engagement charity prepares to mark its 30th anniversary.
Since it was established by Susan Aktemel in 1994, Impact Arts has embarked on a mission to tackle social inequality using creativity and art, improving the lives of some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people in communities all over the country.
Over the years the charity has been behind hundreds of projects, from large-scale public art to music projects with the likes of Amy Macdonald and Hector Bizerk, live theatre to pop-up cafes, and interior design workshops to creative learning with those in the criminal justice system.
Since 1994 more than 300,000 people have been engaged in or supported by their work, with projects winning numerous awards and accolades.
Early projects included the creation of the Woodlands Mosaic Bollards in Glasgow’s West End in 1997, which continue to bring colour and vibrancy to the area today. Other community artworks have included the Linkes Mosaic Mural in Knightswood, first created in 2005, and local young people creating stained glass windows to brighten the Pineview Housing Association homes in Drumchapel.
In 2003 Impact Arts launched Fab Pad, which supported hundreds of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness to sustain their tenancies through creative interior design workshops.
The project was delivered right across central Scotland, including at one point taking over a whole floor of the Red Road flats in North Glasgow with a “showroom” and workshop, helping many tenants to transform their homes on a budget while learning valuable new skills.
The project ran until 2015, and continues today as Make It Your Own, supporting vulnerable tenants to help transform their home lives.
Today Impact Arts continues to push boundaries with its life-changing charity work from its bases in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Irvine.
It continues to welcome older communities struggling with social isolation, improving the wellbeing and attainment of children via art therapy, and empowering teens and young adults through employability programmes such as Creative Pathways, and CashBack to the Future, which is currently running with groups in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and North Ayrshire.
Since 2023 Impact Arts has been based at The Boardwalk in the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City, transforming the building into a purpose-built creative and accessible events venue, boasting a 180-capacity theatre, seven studios and meeting rooms capable of hosting everything from dance rehearsals and creative workshops to corporate events and conferences.
The Boardwalk is proving a popular choice for businesses and public bodies looking to support the broad work of the charity when booking event space.
As well as being home to many of Impact Arts’s own projects, The Boardwalk also hosts many of the country’s leading creative organisations, from permanent theatrical tenants like Solar Bear and Birds of Paradise, to dance studios brought to life by the likes of S-MB Company and The Work Room, and transformative creative engagement charities like Playlist for Life and Inspiring Scotland.
On 22 August The Boardwalk will host a special 30th anniversary celebration, with stakeholders, former participants, and friends of Impact Arts invited to relive highlights from past projects and see recent work by a range of groups including some of the work created as part of this year’s Cashback Summer programmes.
The charity has launched its call for those who have been impacted by their work to get in touch and share their stories which it will incorporate in its August celebrations.
Fiona Doring, Chief Executive Officer of Impact Arts, said: “Impact Arts was born out of the recognition that taking part in arts and creative activities can be life changing.
“For 30 years we have built on this philosophy to support the people and communities across Scotland, who are least likely to have access to the arts, to tackle the big issues preventing them from achieving their potential.
“Impact Arts has been at the heart of positive change for thousands of people’s lives and, as we turn 30, we are taking time to reflect upon and celebrate the stories of all of these individual people for whom engaging in arts projects has been transformational.”
Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, is celebrating National Allotment Week (12-18 August) by inviting gardening enthusiasts along to its Edinburgh store for a series of free Grow How workshops throughout the month, focusing on allotment gardening.
The sessions are designed for both seasoned allotment pros and those just starting out, gaining valuable skills and knowledge to make plots flourish, taking place on the first Saturday of the month, then every Wednesday throughout August at 10.30am and 3.30pm at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store.
Dobbies’ Grow How sessions will equip gardeners on the best late-summer crops to sow in August for a flourishing harvest later in the season, how to prune your summer fruits to maximise its yield and ways you can ready the allotment for any upcoming holidays with watering techniques.
For the month of August, guests attending Grow How sessions in the Edinburgh store will have the chance to donate to the Stroke Association, to mark National Allotment Week. Dobbies has supported Stroke Association for several years. Gardening is known to have a positive impact on both the physical and emotional recovery of stroke survivors and the charity supports several groups with allotments across the UK.
Dobbies’ Plant Buyer, Nigel Lawton, is looking forward to welcoming people along to August’s sessions in Edinburgh. He said: “Growing your own produce is something that we’re really passionate about at Dobbies.
“It is also growing in popularity, as many gardeners recognise the benefits of growing fresh produce in both the taste and the positive impact it can have on physical and mental health.
“A thriving allotment isn’t just about delicious homegrown produce – it’s about getting your hands dirty, enjoying the outdoors and feeling a sense of accomplishment.
“We’re thrilled to be working alongside our friends at the Stroke Association to encourage gardeners of all abilities to learn valuable skills and discover how allotments can benefit wellbeing at our Grow How sessions in the Edinburgh store.”
Saul Heselden, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the Stroke Association, said: “Recovering from a stroke can bring lots of challenges, but finding joy in the simple pleasures of nature can make a real difference.
“Gardening can provide a much-needed boost to both your physical and mental health, and allotments provide an affordable way for people to experience the benefits of gardening, while also growing their own produce.
“Right now, the Stroke Association can only reach one-third of the survivors who most need support. We want to reach all those in need, but we can only do this with the generosity of our supporters like Dobbies. We’re incredibly grateful they have chosen to fundraise through the Grow How workshops at the Edinburgh store to raise vital funds for people affected by stroke.”
Dobbies is also a sponsor of the Stroke Association’s Strength in Bloom virtual garden, where visitors are invited to donate by planting symbolic flowers and trees, or selecting a plaque to dedicate to an individual affected by stroke.
A group of abuse survivors have raised £48,106 for child protection charity the NSPCC by scaling Mount Everest.
Giles Moffatt (51), who suffered abuse as a young boy at Edinburgh Academy, brought together the 11-strong group of men and women, many of them also child abuse survivors, to form ‘Team Uprising’ and travel to Nepal to trek at ultra-high altitude in the Himalayas.
The wider group reached Everest Base Camp on April 12 and Giles, his climbing companion Andrew Leslie and three guides continued further up the mountain in a bid to reach the summit by the end of May.
Mid expedition Giles became unwell with High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), which is when fluid collects in the lungs and if left untreated can be fatal.
Following treatment, he returned to the mountain for three more weeks and made a further attempt to get up the notorious Khumbu Icefall, the route to the higher camps. Struck by a different illness a second time, he was forced to turn back.
Despite not reaching the summit, Giles has achieved what he set out to do – raising awareness of the impact of child abuse and bringing in much needed funds for the NSPCC to help keep children safe.
Giles, who lives in Rye, East Sussex, said: “A year ago, the members of Team Uprising were strangers, now we are friends for life.
“Eleven of us made it to base camp and one of us made it to the summit with support from our Sherpa guides. Most importantly, everyone made it back safely. Out of evil, much good has come.”
Andrew (37) made it to the summit of Everest on May 21, with three Sherpa guides and colleagues – PK Sherpa, Mingma Sherpa, and Sonam Sherpa. Andy, who grew up in Helensburgh but now lives in Portland, Oregon, said he was thrilled to complete his lifelong ambition of getting to the top of Everest.
He said: “It was really special to climb with Giles and this group of survivors. We were all brought together by a passion for mountains and the transformation they are capable of creating, but there was a much deeper purpose to this expedition.
“Many men in the group had a shared traumatic experience in childhood, so our climb aimed to raise awareness of the impact of this kind of abuse. With everyone reaching Base Camp and some of us going on to climb Everest, we took a terrible childhood experience and turned it into something really positive which we hope will help prevent abuse happening to children.
“The money raised for the NSPCC will be used to help keep children safe.
“This journey pushed me to my physical and mental limits more than I ever thought possible, and the perspectives gained together with this group will last a lifetime. It’s a journey that has left me changed for the better.”
The funds raised by ‘Team Uprising’ will go towards supporting NSPCC services. These include Childline, the charity’s free counselling service for children, the adult Helpline for reporting concerns about a child and the charity’s educational programmes, such as Talk PANTS and Speak Out Stay Safe, which aim to help prevent child abuse and neglect.
Other members of the group included: Neil Russell, Neil MacDonald, Frazer Macdonald, Graeme Sneddon, Adrian Blakemore, Niall Mackinlay, and friends and family Cat Bolten, Rachel Leslie, Andrea Christensen, Jacob Christensen.
They were supported by OONI Pizza Ovens, Tiso, Thermos, Tunnocks, The Altitude Centre in London, Lindores Abbey Distillery and Taking the Pea snacks.
Young people looking for support can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit Childline.org.uk. Childline is available to all young people until their 19th birthday.
Any adult concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk. But should call the police on 999 straight away if they think a child is in immediate danger.
