Brazil makes official bid for Amazonian city to host UN climate conference in 2025

Euronews
Mon, 16 January 2023 

Brazil makes official bid for Amazonian city to host UN climate conference in 2025


Brazil has officially launched a bid for the northeastern city of Belem to host the COP30 international climate summit in 2025.

The UN climate talks are held annually with the last event, COP27, taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November. COP28 will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates later this year with oil company boss Sultan Al Jaber recently named as president of the talks.

The venue for COP29 hasn't vet been confirmed but Australia is currently the main candidate.

On Wednesday (11 January) President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he was fulfilling a promise he made last year by proposing a Belem to host the climate conference.

Lula, who in November attended COP27 in Egypt as president-elect pledging to recommit the rainforest nation to tackling the climate crisis, said he would name a city in the Amazon to host the 2025 UN climate talks.

A candidate to host the 'biggest climate event on the planet'

Belem is the capital of the Amazonian state of Para and one of the largest cities in the region by population. It is second only to Manaus, which hosted games of the 2014 World Cup.

Lula said in a video on Twitter that Brazil's foreign relations ministry had formalised Belem as a candidate to host COP30.

"In Egypt I made the pledge that Brazil could host COP30, and I am happy to know that our (foreign relations) minister Mauro Vieira has formalized Belem's bid," Lula said in the video alongside Para Governor Helder Barbalho.

"I hope that we are going to make a beautiful COP."

Governor Barbalho called COP the "biggest climate event on the planet" and said that Belem will open its doors to debate the Amazon, discuss climate change and find solutions.

Lula has been promising to tackle deforestation in the Amazon, which hit a 15-year-high under former President Jair Bolsonaro. He recently named Marina Silva, who oversaw a significant drop in deforestation during his first stint as president in the 2000s, as his environment minister.

Companies will soon have to prove that they really are taking climate action, under draft EU law

Charlotte Elton
Mon, 16 January 2023


A draft European Union law will require companies to back up green claims with evidence.

The proposal will clamp down on companies promoting their products as "climate neutral" or "containing recycled materials" if such labels are not substantiated.

The draft document - seen by Reuters - aims to fight misleading environmental advertisements.


"By fighting greenwashing, the proposal will ensure a level playing field for businesses when marketing their greenness," said the draft, which could still change before it is published.

The attempt to stamp out greenwashing comes after a European Commission assessment of 150 claims about products' environmental characteristics in 2020 found that more than half - 53 per cent - provided "vague, misleading or unfounded information".

Davos: 1 in 10 travelled by private jet to meeting designed to tackle climate change

What is greenwashing and why is it a problem?

How does the EU plan on fighting greenwashing?

As awareness about the climate crisis grows, increasing numbers of businesses are co-opting the language of sustainability.

The draft legal proposal would fact-check these claims by imposing reporting requirements on different companies.

EU countries would have to ensure environmental claims are proven against a science-based methodology, such as a "product environmental footprint" framework that tracks environmental impacts across 16 categories including the air and climate change.

Large fossil fuel polluters are often accused of greenwashing when they promote their sustainability credentials. - Canva

Under the proposal, companies that claim their product has a positive environmental impact must also disclose if this causes an negative impact in another area.

Claims based on promises of future environmental performance must be backed up by milestones the company will achieve by specific dates.

Companies whose claims rely on buying carbon credits to offset their own environmental impact would have to disclose this.

EU countries would need to establish a system to verify companies' claims, and impose penalties for non-compliance.

Oil firms pour millions into ‘greenwashing’ Google adverts, study claims


Community conflict and vague predictions: The five biggest reasons carbon offsetting schemes fail

The draft document said the move would help consumers identify which products are truly eco-friendly and give proper credit to firms whose products have real environmental benefits.

The draft rules would cover all products and services sold in the EU, unless they are covered by comparable EU rules. "Green" investment products are already regulated the EU's taxonomy, a controversial labelling system facing legal challenges from the Austrian government and campaigners for allowing gas and nuclear energy to be labelled as green.

Why an absence of A-listers at Davos is not just deep trouble for the World Economic Forum, but for globalisation too

Mon, 16 January 2023 


Davos, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and its founder, Klaus Schwab, have become more famous than ever before in the past couple of years - albeit not for the reasons they might have wanted.

As COVID-19 spread and the world battled the pandemic, Mr Schwab and the WEF, not to mention regular delegates such as Bill Gates, became the subject of a suite of outlandish conspiracy tales, most of which came back to the premise that they were hell-bent on world domination.

Leaving aside the lurid detail of these stories, they seem to have missed the most important point of all, far from becoming more powerful than ever before, Davos is failing.

Before we go any further it's worth pointing out that pinning down what Davos "is" is surprisingly tricky.

At its core, it is a four-day-long meeting of businesspeople, politicians, academics, campaigners and, yes, celebrities, up the mountain in a Swiss ski resort.

There are speeches from world leaders, forums where people talk about the big issues of the day, from poverty to climate change to inequality and countless meetings and parties outside the official World Economic Forum cordons.

Bankers come here to meet potential clients and do deals in hotel suites, politicians have quiet bilateral meetings with their peers and with businesspeople.

Read more:
What is Davos and what happens at the World Economic Forum meeting?

But there are two overarching reasons why Davos matters. The first is: convening power.

It stands and falls on whether it can persuade enough influential people to come here, so that the other influential people can rub shoulders with them.

The second is something deeper: most of the delegates here benefit from a world where capital and trade move freely from one part of the world to another. This place is not the explanation for the globalisation of the past few decades, but it has certainly thrived in that world.

And on both of these fronts, things are not looking good for Davos.

There are plenty of A-list delegates coming to the forum this year, from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to US climate envoy John Kerry, not to mention the business mainstays like JP Morgan chief executive Jamie Dimon and, of course, Bill Gates.

But the guestlist this time around looks considerably less heavyweight than usual.

There is no US president, no UK prime minister and even Emmanuel Macron is giving the meeting the cold shoulder - little wonder given these nations, and so many others, are battling a cost of living crisis back home.

The end of globalisation itself?

But more important still is the fact that the very world Davos thrived in is disintegrating.

There is a war in mainland Europe. Indeed, some have described the conflict in Ukraine as simply the earliest movements in a world war.

Relations between China and the West are at a new low point. Countries around the globe are re-engineering their supply chains, and the era of untrammelled globalisation seems to be ending.

Davos has been written off many times before (possibly including by yours truly) yet it has managed each time to defy such prognostications.

A lot of people thought Donald Trump's election would spell disaster for the forum, yet he attended it more than once, and was here at the last winter meeting back in early 2020.

Yet there are two other reasons, on top of the two above, why Davos is facing its biggest threat yet.

Click to subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast

COVID's blow to face-to-face events

The first is the pandemic that erupted shortly after that last winter meeting, which has undoubtedly dealt a blow to face-to-face events such as these.

Davos may be leagues bigger and more influential than most corporate jamborees, but at its core that's ultimately what this event is, and thanks to Zoom and remote working the corporate jamboree sector is trapped in a deep recession of its own.

The other issue comes back to something Klaus Schwab, the forum's founder, has often talked about before: the stakeholder economy.

This idea, his brainchild from decades ago, is that businesses do not exist in isolation: they are at a nexus of various different groups, from shareholders to customers to employees and, for that matter, the state and society in which they operate.

The idea was that by engaging more sensibly with each of these parties the stakeholders could all get along. The Forum's official motto is "Committed to Improving the State of the World" but it might have done better to borrow the old BT slogan: "It's good to talk".

Yet in the face of the cost of living crisis, these lines of communication seem to have frayed, or possibly snapped altogether.

There has been more industrial action in recent months than at any time in recent decades.

Dialogue seems to be failing.

On pretty much every front, then, Davos seems to be in deep trouble.

Far from gaining power in the past few years, it is under greater threat than ever before.

There will be fanfare aplenty from this Swiss town in the coming days: Ukraine, the state of globalisation, climate change - all of these issues will be discussed here by A-list panels.

But quietly, almost indiscernibly, this place is becoming less important as the world around it changes.

Economic, social and cultural rights must be enshrined in UK law



Mon, 16 January 2023

Photograph: Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA

This week UK government representatives will meet world and business leaders at Davos to talk a big game on inequality. Yet at the same time, a new report from more than 70 civil society organisations across England and Wales has found that our basic human rights at home are in crisis.

Over the last six months, the UK human rights organisation Just Fair has been accepting evidence from organisations on the front line of the cost-of-living crisis for a report to the United Nations on rights in the UK. The evidence is damning, and points to a government falling short in many areas and for too many people.

Soaring levels of poverty, a health service in crisis, a social security system no longer fit for purpose, poor work conditions, restrictions on the right to strike, discrimination at work and school, and in healthcare and housing, are all human rights issues under international law. Our essential rights to food, housing, social security, work, health and education are not being respected, protected or fulfilled.


The successive shockwaves of austerity, Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis have left us with deepening levels of inequality, with the government’s actions consistently worsening rather than improving the situation. Far from protecting our essential rights, the government is failing people across the board.

What is the solution? Greater human rights protections. More than 45 years after the UK signed an international treaty agreeing to uphold economic, social and cultural rights, they’re still not part of domestic law, meaning the government can break its obligations without consequence. It’s time for us to stand up for these rights, and for them to be incorporated into domestic law.

Jess McQuail
Director, Just Fair

UK
New Tory law would see protests shut down before they even HAPPEN

Adam Robertson
Mon, 16 January 2023 

The UK Government is seeking new powers to clamp down on protests (Image: PA)

THE UK Government is set to announce a range of new proposals to clamp down on protests, broadening the range of situations in which police can take action to prevent disruption.

Major protests in recent years have focused on a range of issues, including environmental issues.

In November, for example, Just Stop Oil protesters blocked the M25 with supporters climbing onto overhead gantries.

The law would only apply south of the Border although many Scots often travel to take part in demonstrations.

READ MORE: Tories bid to repeat FOI tribunal battle over secret Union polling

The Government passed legislation in 2022 in a bid to allow police to have more power to stop disturbance but is planning to go further with a new set of laws known as the Public Order Bill.

The bill was published last year and is currently in the final stages of debate in parliament.

Criticism has come from civil rights groups who believe it is anti-democratic and gives the police too much power.

The UK Government wants to amend the Public Order Bill before it becomes law in order to broaden the legal definition of “serious disruption”, give police more flexibility and provide legal clarity on when the new powers could be used.

Sunak said in a statement on Sunday: “The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but this is not absolute.

“We cannot have protests conducted by a small minority disrupting the lives of the ordinary public.

“It’s not acceptable and we’re going to bring it to an end.”

The Government says that the new laws, if passed, would mean police are able to shut down disruptive protests pre-emptively.

The bill already includes the creation of a criminal offence for anyone who seeks to lock themselves onto objects or buildings, and allows courts to restrict the freedoms of some protesters to prevent them causing serious disruption.

It builds on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, passed in April 2022, which sparked several large “kill the bill” protests.

New Law Gives Police Powers To Treat Protests Like 'Terrorism' – Shami Chakrabarti


Sophia Sleigh
Mon, 16 January 2023

Shami Chakrabarti [R] and a climate protest in London [L].

Shami Chakrabarti today warned that a bill designed to crack down on eco-protesters means all peaceful dissent could be treated as “effectively terrorism”.

The Labour peer said the “draconian” Public Order Bill essentially gives the police a “blank cheque” in how they deal with protesters.

Under the new bill, police could be allowed to intervene before protests become highly disruptive, the government has confirmed.

An amendment to the bill, due to be introduced on Monday, will aim to give police greater clarity about when they can intervene to stop demonstrators blocking roads or slow marching.

Police guard activists sitting with their hands glued to the road and holding Insulate Britain banners in Parliament Square.

Police guard activists sitting with their hands glued to the road and holding Insulate Britain banners in Parliament Square.

Baroness Chakrabarti, a former shadow attorney general and ex-director of civil rights group Liberty, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is a very draconian bill, it is a blank cheque of police powers at a time when there are considerable concerns about public trust in the police.

“The police already have adequate powers to arrest people and move them on when they are obstructing the highway.

“This, I fear, is treating all peaceful dissent as effectively terrorism and this bill looks very similar to anti-terror legislation we’ve seen in the past.

“This degree of pre-emption will basically shut down what isn’t even causing disruption at all because their definition will set such a low bar.”

The bill is aimed at curbing the guerrilla tactics used by groups like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion.

The proposals, backed by Rishi Sunak, come after police chiefs claimed there is uncertainty over what can be currently classed as “serious disruption” under existing law.

Police officers attempt to stop an activist as they put up a banner reading

Police officers attempt to stop an activist as they put up a banner reading "Just Stop Oil" atop an electronic traffic sign along M25.

According to Downing Street, under the proposed changes, police would not need to wait for disruption to take place and could shut demonstrations down before they escalate.

Human rights group Liberty said the plan amounted to an attack on the right to protest.

Director Martha Spurrier said: “These new proposals should be seen for what they are: a desperate attempt to shut down any route for ordinary people to make their voices heard.

“Allowing the police to shut down protests before any disruption has taken place simply on the off-chance that it might sets a dangerous precedent, not to mention making the job of officers policing protests much more complex.”

No.10 said police would not need to treat a series of protests by the same group as standalone incidents, but would be able to consider their total impact.

Officers would also be able to take into consideration long-running campaigns designed to cause repeat disruption over a period of days or weeks.

Sunak said: “The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but this is not absolute.

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion drop a huge banner reading 'April 21st Unite To Survive' from Westminster Bridge on 11 January 2023.

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion drop a huge banner reading 'April 21st Unite To Survive' from Westminster Bridge on 11 January 2023.

“A balance must be struck between the rights of individuals and the rights of the hard-working majority to go about their day-to-day business.”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley also backed the proposals, adding: “The lack of clarity in the legislation and the increasing complexity of the case law is making this more difficult and more contested.”

The Public Order Bill is considered a successor to the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act passed last year, which was criticised for introducing curbs on the right to protest.

The Bill is currently undergoing line-by-line scrutiny in the House of Lords, which will be tasked with debating the amendment.

New measures to silence climate activists? They’ll only spur us on

Indigo Rumbelow

THE GUARDIAN
Mon, 16 January 2023 



On a day when swans were seen swimming through Worcester town centre after the latest flooding, the government has announced new measures to silence those of us pushing for more climate action.

The latest restriction on your freedoms involve the police in England and Wales having the power to shut down protests before disruption begins. The proposals will be part of an amendment to the public order bill, which already includes new stop and search powers and creates an offence of “locking on” to things.

So far the government has gone out of its way to characterise nonviolent civil resistance and peaceful protest as dangerous and criminal. But we are teachers, nurses, students, parents and grandparents. We act out of care, love and compassion. Now the government is going even further. Alongside the proposed restrictions on workers’ rights to strike, this is a sinister and authoritarian move from cowardly leaders who would prefer to lock us up than grant us all the right to live.

The supporters of Just Stop Oil are many different things but what they have in common is a deep concern for the future of humanity and a firm commitment to the principles of nonviolent civil resistance.

Resistance is necessary because politics is broken. Our democracy is dead on its feet. All avenues for legitimate protest are being closed, one by one. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act has effectively banned noisy protests. The public order bill bans “slow marching”. How are we to express our dissent? With new electoral laws on the requirement of voter ID discriminating against young people, how can those who will face the brunt of climate breakdown have a voice?

The police already have adequate powers to arrest people for obstructing the highway. Blocking roads is already illegal. The proposed powers will give them carte blanche whenever a political demonstration is happening nearby. Standing holding your D-lock about to lock up your bicycle, while being young or black? We know where that might end.

Related: Police to get new powers to shut down protests before disruption begins

The recent reports about how the US oil company Exxon “privately ‘predicted global warming correctly and skilfully’ only to then spend decades publicly rubbishing such science” shows how, for decades, the cards have been stacked against those of us on humanity’s side. How can we expect justice and honesty from a government that is continuing to offer new oil licences?

We can’t expect reason or sanity either. These new legal powers will simply speed up the slow collapse of the justice system. Fair Trials reports that the number of people being held in prison on remand in England and Wales is at its highest for more than 50 years, with 1,800 people being held without trial for at least a year. As I write, 10 Just Stop Oil supporters remain on remand.

Just Stop Oil is not a fashionable cause or a protest movement. Our supporters are doing what the suffragettes did and what the civil rights movements did. It’s what everyone does when the inalienable right to life and a livelihood are violated: they engage in direct action. It is an act of self-respect, an act of solidarity, an act of necessity.

It matters little what changes legislators make to the laws on peaceful protest or how strongly the police enforce those laws. Just Stop Oil supporters understand that this is irrelevant when set against the future that runaway climate breakdown entails.

The government can arrest, fine or incarcerate ordinary people for making their voices heard, or it can take meaningful steps to protect the people of this country by stopping the development of new sources of oil and gas, insulating people’s homes and defending the NHS.

This latest clampdown is not going to deter us: if anything, it’ll have the opposite effect. We call on everyone to step up and do whatever is nonviolently possible to resist new fossil fuel exploitation in the UK – and the government’s slide into authoritarianism.

Indigo Rumbelow is a supporter of Just Stop Oil and co-founder of Insulate Britain

https://www.simplypsychology.org/lombroso-theory-of-crime-criminal-man-and-atavism.html

Cesare Lombroso: Theory of Crime, Criminal Man, and Atavism 

Jul 20, 2021 ... Lombroso's (1876) biological theory of criminology suggests that criminality is inherited and that someone "born criminal" could be ...

Where picket lines will form in Cornwall as nurses join strike action this week

Emma Ferguson
Mon, 16 January 2023 

Nursing staff in Cornwall will be on strike over two days this week (Image: Getty Images)

Nursing staff across Cornwall will be taking part in two consecutive days of strike action this week in what has been described as a “last resort.”

Members of the Royal College of Nursing will be outside the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust and Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust hospitals on both Wednesday and Thursday.

There will be four picket lines set up, with the industrial action running between 7.30am and 7.30pm on both days for three of them, although at West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance it will end at 5pm.

Picket lines will be outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske in Truro, the West Cornwall Hospital in St Clare Street, Penzance, near Camborne Redruth Community Hospital in Barncoose Terrace, Redruth, and near Bodmin Hospital in Boundary Road, Bodmin.

It is after the necessary majority of members voted in favour of strike action last year.

Cornwall was not involved in the first strikes that took place on December 15 and 20, but is taking part in the second phase in a bid to build pressure on the government.

A spokesperson said: “Our members join thousands of RCN members across England in taking this action.

“Strike action is a last resort for nursing staff, but low pay in the profession is driving chronic understaffing, which is putting patients at risk and leaves nursing staff with no choice but to take action.”

There is no picket line for NHS Blood and Transport staff, who are invited to join other pickets.

Staff not scheduled to work on the day of strike action can also still attend the picket line to support colleagues.

Some staff will be withdrawn from the action in what is called ‘derogation’, to ensure that life-preserving care can still be delivered without breaking the strike.

The RCN added that the action was designed to “rectify the years of real-terms pay cuts that are pushing people out of the nursing profession and putting patient safety at risk.”

It went on to say: “Our pay position is clear. We expect to see a pay award that goes 5% above inflation (the retail prices index).

“We reached our pay position for 2022-23 in close collaboration with our members across the UK. We carried out an analysis of economic trends and NHS pay over the past decade. We also considered the staffing pressures facing the profession.”

UK

BLACKLEG

Agency staff and volunteers could be used to fill in for teachers on strike days

Aine Fox, PA
Mon, 16 January 2023 



Agency staff and volunteers could be used to cover classes if teachers go on strike, with schools expected to remain open where possible and the most vulnerable pupils given priority.

The Department for Education (DfE) has issued updated guidance for schools after members in the National Education Union (NEU) voted in favour of walkouts in a dispute over pay.

The guidance calls on headteachers to “take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible”.

While the decision to open, restrict attendance or close academy schools lies with the academy trust, the DfE said it is usually delegated to the principal, and the decision for maintained schools rests with the headteacher.

The latest guidance stated: “It is best practice for headteachers to consult governors, parents and the local authority, academy trust or diocesan representative (where appropriate) before deciding whether to close.”

Headteachers are entitled to ask staff whether they intend to strike, the DfE added.

The department stated that a repeal of a regulation in July – under the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 – means employers are now able to “engage with agency staff to replace the work of those taking official strike action”.

The guidance, issued on Monday, advised that “schools or groups of schools may wish to consider building up a bank of cover supervisors”.

It also stated that statutory guidance arrangements allow schools to use existing members of the school volunteer workforce to provide supervision on strike days so long as they have relevant Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

Schools can also “identify other new volunteers who could support existing staff or volunteers for whom relevant checks have been carried out”.

While the DfE guidance stated that continued attendance is “important for all pupils”, it said it recognised schools affected by strike action might “need to temporarily prioritise places” due to low staff numbers.

In such cases, schools are advised to “apply the principles set out in the emergency planning and response guidance by giving priority to vulnerable children and young people and children of critical workers”.

Schools are also asked to consider prioritising pupils due to take exams and other formal assessments.

Remote education is also an option for schools which have to restrict attendance, the DfE said.

It said children entitled to free school meals who are being educated remotely in such instances should be provided with a “good quality lunch parcel”.

The department said schools should “take all reasonable steps to ensure scheduled tutoring sessions can go ahead during strike days”, insisting that tutoring “remains key in helping pupils catch up on lost learning during the pandemic”.

UK
Ambulance workers expected to announce further strike dates, Sky News understands


Mon, 16 January 2023 


The GMB union is expected to announce further ambulance worker strike dates this Wednesday, Sky News understands.

Union bosses will announce the outcome of today's ambulance committee meeting in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, at 1pm on Wednesday, Sky News can reveal.

Up to six more dates are being discussed after talks with Health Secretary Steve Barclay last week broke down.

GMB members voted against the government's 4% pay rise, saying it was "another massive real terms pay cut".

Lib Whitfield, from GMB, said: "There's a huge amount of anger from our members working in the ambulance service and from the representatives that Steve Barclay is not taking this seriously.

"Our members are saving lives day in, day out, and that is actually at risk because of the cuts they've made to the service. Our members will not back down in this fight and they need Steve Barclay to actually take them seriously."

GMB members at the meeting were said to be "very angry", especially over the anti-strikes bill being debated in parliament today, which will mean key industries will have to legally ensure minimum service levels during walk-outs.

A strike planned by GMB ambulance workers for 28 December was suspended after "incredible" public support during industrial action by the union on 21 December.

But last Wednesday, about 25,000 ambulance workers across England and Wales went on strike.

Staggered walkouts by paramedics, call handlers, drivers and technicians from the Unison and GMB unions took place over a 24-hour period.

NHS England figures released last week show average ambulance response times in England last month were the longest on record.

In December, the average response time for ambulances dealing with the most urgent incidents - defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries - was 10 minutes and 57 seconds. 

The target is seven minutes.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) across England are set to walk out on Wednesday and Thursday after their first ever strike before Christmas.

The union warned if progress is not made in negotiations by the end of January, the next set of strikes will include all eligible members in England for the first time.

Teachers and rail workers are also in talks with the government over pay as ministers hope to end strike action by their unions.

Ministers have continued to insist pay claims are unaffordable and are continuing to say wage rises should be decided by pay review bodies, made up of experts in their field and staff.

Sunak Blasted For 'Demonising' Ambulance Workers To Justify Strike Crackdown

The GMB union says 999 staff feel "utterly betrayed" as government pushes for anti-strike legislation.

Graeme Demianyk
13/01/2023


Ambulance paramedics on the picket line.
ANDREW AITCHISON VIA GETTY IMAGES

Angry ambulance workers have accused ministers of “demonising” emergency service staff as the government attempts to bring in new anti-strike laws.

In a letter to the prime minister, paramedics and other members of the GMB union said they were “appalled” at some of the statements from Rishi Sunak’s government in recent days and that “targeting ambulance workers for a deliberate attack is a disgrace”.

It reads: “We feel utterly betrayed by the way your government has singled out ambulance workers as part of a crude attempt to remove our right to strike.

“You and your ministers should be ashamed of the way you have tried to paint us as uncaring about safety standards – nothing could be further from the truth.”

Another ambulance staff strike is due to be held on January 23, following a walkout on Wednesday of 25,000 workers, and more action is being planned.

Business secretary Grant Shapps has claimed ambulance workers are putting lives at risk by not agreeing to so-called minimum service levels during recent industrial action.

The letter went on to say it was not the fault of ambulance workers that the service is in crisis, and that delays were happening months before the strikes.

It added: “NHS workers like us got the country through the pandemic and we’re doing our very best to deal with the crisis in our NHS now, something your government has presided over and should take responsibility for.

“We want a constructive relationship with government to talk about pay and seriously improve conditions throughout the ambulance service.

“But you are making us and our ambulance colleagues feel demonised. Please talk to us and our unions. And stop attacking us now.”

New anti-strike laws are designed to make industrial action illegal if trade unions refuse to provide the minimum level of service.

It is a response to the crippling wave of strikes that is gripping the UK, as nurses, ambulance staff and rail workers all walk out in a dispute with the government over pay and working conditions.

New figures show that ambulance response times and A&E waits are now the worst on record.

The average response time in December for category one calls — defined as life-threatening illness or injuries such as cardiac or respiratory arrest — was 10 minutes and 57 seconds.

It is set against a target of seven minutes and marks the worst performance on record.

For category two calls, which can include heart attacks and strokes, average response times reached an hour and a half — more than 50% higher than the previous record high.

The figures for NHS England also show that a record 54,532 people waited more than 12 hours waiting to be admitted to A&E after being referred.

Meanwhile, the proportion of patients seen within the target timeframe of four hours fell to a record low of 65% in December.

The figures lay bare the acute pressures the NHS is facing this winter, as the health service deals with a surge in flu cases and a near record number of 111 calls.

Hospital calls on 'support from family and friends' during strikes

Kieran Bell
Mon, 16 January 2023

Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has called on 'additional support from family and friends' during planned strike action

Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has called on 'additional support from family and friends' during planned strike action by nurses this week.

Picket lines will be at the entrance to the Williams Avenue hospital on Wednesday and Thursday from 7am to 7pm as a dispute with the Government over pay and conditions rages on.

The strike has been organised by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and follows industrial action last month in which ambulance workers staged a 24-hour walkout in Weymouth.

It comes as four minor injury units in Dorset are set to close on the scheduled strike days.

DCH said that it will be making sure it has 'adequate staffing levels to keep patients safe' during the two days.

It has even called on help from friends and family to help those working in the hospital, who will be focusing on clinical care.

"Relatives and friends of patients in hospital will be able to visit general inpatient wards at any time between 10am and 8pm during Wednesday and Thursday, rather than being restricted to the usual ward visiting hours," DCH said.

"While all our wards will be safely staffed during the industrial action, additional support from families and friends would be welcomed during this time so that our nursing staff can focus on clinical care - for example, to assist with mealtimes."

It added that it will be 'continuing to run as many of our services as possible' during the strikes, and urged people to attend hospital appointments as planned unless they hear from the hospital directly.

"Any patients affected will be contacted by us. Please do check your voicemail before attending your appointment as we may leave a message if we are unable to reach you," said DCH.

The Dorchester hospital also said it will be seeking help in getting people home from hospital to continue their recovery.

Educational Institute of Scotland continues rolling teacher strikes amid pay dispute

Tue, 17 January 2023

A teachers' union is pressing on with rolling strikes amid a dispute over pay.

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union began 16 days of industrial action on Monday.

Teachers are also protesting to air their concerns.

The demonstrations, which will be held in two of Scotland's 32 local authority areas each day until 6 February, kicked off in Glasgow and East Lothian before moving to Perth and Kinross and North Ayrshire on Tuesday.

The EIS has also planned a further 22 days of protests, starting at the end of February.

It comes as the leader of a headteachers' union in England has warned school leaders may have "no choice" but to close their doors to pupils during strikes.

Andrea Bradley, EIS general secretary, told Sky News earlier she was "very surprised" the strike action had "got this far".

The union stated there is a "continuing strong turnout" on picket lines and at campaign rallies.

An EIS spokesperson claimed that there had been no further talks scheduled with the Scottish government and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to settle the dispute.

However in a statement to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said she had spoken to the general secretaries of the teaching unions over the past few days, with more talks set to continue this week.

As a compromise is sought, the MSP called on the unions to suspend their industrial action in the meantime.

The EIS's Ms Bradley said: "This 16-day programme of strike action is another clear message to the Scottish government and COSLA that they must improve their pay offer to Scotland's teachers.

"EIS members have already taken three days of national strike action across Scotland, and this escalation of strike action is a direct consequence of the failure of the Scottish government and COSLA to negotiate a fair pay offer to Scotland's teaching professionals."

The dispute has been ongoing since February last year.

Unions have rejected a pay offer which would see most teachers receive a 5% wage rise, although the lowest earners would get an increase of 6.85%.

The Scottish government has previously insisted the 10% rise teachers are demanding is unaffordable.

In her statement to Holyrood, Education Secretary Ms Somerville said: "As I've said before, the teachers' strikes are in no-one's interest, including pupils, parents and carers who have faced significant disruption over the past three years.

"Talks will continue over this week and we will continue to focus on areas of compromise."

Union 'surprised' teacher strikes in Scotland 'got this far' as pay dispute continues to impact schools

Mon, 16 January 2023 



A union chief has said she is "very surprised" industrial action has "got this far" amid a fresh wave of rolling strikes by teachers across Scotland.

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union began 16 days of strike action in a dispute over pay on Monday. Teachers in two of Scotland's 32 local authority areas will protest each day until 6 February.

The first two councils affected are Glasgow, where all schools are closed, and East Lothian, where they are shut to all pupils apart from those sitting preliminary exams.


The EIS has also planned a further 22 days of industrial action, starting at the end of February.

Andrea Bradley, EIS general secretary, said the walkouts were a "last resort" and urged the Scottish government and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to do more to resolve the dispute.

Speaking to Sky News in Glasgow, Ms Bradley said: "We very much hope that we will be able to settle it.

"We very much hoped that we wouldn't have had to take one day of strike action, and we had urged the Scottish government and COSLA to do all that they could to resource a settlement before we got to 24 November, which was the first day of strike action. And we have been doing the same ever since that day."

EIS members have previously taken three days of strike action, one in November and two in January, while members of other teaching unions also walked out on those days in January and on two dates in December.

Ms Bradley added: "We actually are very surprised that it has got this far... that in a country where education is said to be such a priority, a number one priority of the government, we are now entering the third day of strike action by the largest teachers' union in the country."

Union admits impacts of strikes on children

The pay dispute has been ongoing since February last year.

Unions have rejected a pay offer which would see most teachers receive a 5% wage rise, although the lowest earners would get an increase of 6.85%.

The Scottish government has previously insisted the 10% rise teachers are demanding is unaffordable.

Read more:\

Striking teachers deliver message to parents

Explained - how strikes unfolded in the past and what they achieved

Ms Bradley said there has been months of discussion around the negotiating table before it "got to this point".

She added: "We understand that this is disruptive for students, it's disruptive for those who are preparing to take exams in the spring term.

"It's disruptive for our youngest learners also. It's particularly disruptive in light of the experiences that those children have had over the course of the pandemic.

"This is not where teachers would wish to be. These teachers behind me would rather not be on this picket line, they would rather be in classrooms working with children and young people.

"But as I said, this strike action today is part of a last resort. A last resort to get the Scottish government and COSLA to pay serious attention to the needs of teachers."

'Disappointing' strikes in 'no one's interest'

Councillor Katie Hagmann, COSLA spokesperson for resources, said: "COSLA leaders are clear that given the financial pressures being faced it remains the case that the 10% ask of the trade unions remains unaffordable and therefore we still remain a distance apart in terms of a settlement."

Scotland's Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville added: "It is disappointing that the EIS has proceeded to escalate industrial action - we are continuing to urge teaching unions to reconsider their plans while talks are ongoing.

"Recent discussions have been constructive. There has been a shared understanding that talks have been focused on discussing potential areas for compromise - not on tabling a new offer at this stage.

"To date, we have made four offers, all of which have been rejected, but we remain absolutely committed to reaching an agreement on a pay deal that is fair and sustainable for all concerned."

'Too low, too late': Glasgow teachers gather in city centre amid school strikes

Maxine McArthur
Mon, 16 January 2023 

 (Image: Image: Gordon Terris)

TEACHERS gathered at demonstrations across Glasgow as schools closed for yet another day of strike action.

Staff have walked out the classroom for the third time this month in an ongoing dispute with the Scottish Government and COSLA for better wages.

Demonstrations are taking place across the city, with unions insisting the 5% increase currently being offered doesn't begin to cover rising inflation.


Instead, staff are hoping to see around 10% added to their pay packets.

Glasgow Times:

READ MORE: Teachers blast Nicola Sturgeon amid Glasgow school strikes

Hundreds gathered outside Glasgow City Council headquarters in protest where the crowd sang that they were "overworked and underpaid" adding that the 5% offer was "too low and too late".

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union are beginning 16 days of rolling strike action on Monday, with teachers in two of Scotland's 32 local authority areas walking out each day until February 6.

The NASUWT union is also taking part in the industrial action.

The action is going ahead after talks on Thursday involving the Scottish Government, local authority leaders and teaching unions failed to resolve the issue.

Glasgow Times:

READ MORE: Glasgow teacher 'strapped child to chair' at Southside Linburn Academy

Scotland's education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has insisted the 10% teachers are demanding is unaffordable.

The EIS on Friday announced a further 22 days of strike action, starting at the end of February, in an escalation of the dispute.

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said she hoped to get back around the negotiating table later this week.

Glasgow Times:

After talks on Thursday failed to resolve the issue, Councillor Katie Hagmann, Cosla resources spokesperson, said: "Cosla leaders are clear that given the financial pressures being faced it remains the case that the 10% ask of the trade unions remains unaffordable and therefore we still remain a distance apart in terms of a settlement."

Teachers urged not to strike to avoid

 ‘damage’ to children’s education

Eleanor Busby, PA Education Correspondent

Mon, 16 January 2023

Teachers should not strike and inflict “substantial damage” to children’s education, Downing Street has urged.

The plea comes as the results of ballots for strikes by two teaching unions are due to be announced.

One of the leaders of the largest education unions in the UK, the National Education Union (NEU), has said she believes the group will have reached the threshold required for strike action.

Both the NEU and school leaders’ union NAHT are set to announce on Monday whether there is enough support for walkouts in England and Wales.

Ahead of the strike ballot results, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We would continue to call on teachers not to strike given we know what substantial damage was caused to children’s education during the pandemic and it’s certainly not something we want to see repeated.

“We would hope they would continue to discuss with us their concerns rather than withdraw education from children.”

Last week, a ballot of members of the NASUWT teachers’ union failed to reach the 50% turnout threshold, although nine in 10 of those who did vote backed strikes.

But Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, believes their union will reach the threshold.

She told Sky News on Monday: “From our own internal polling, I think that we will meet the threshold but I can’t be sure.”

Dr Bousted added that it would be “highly unlikely” that strike action would take place during the exam period.

Kevin Courtney and Mary Bousted, joint general secretaries of the National Education Union, leaving the Department for Education in London (PA)

The NEU will have to give two weeks’ notice of any industrial action.

Speaking to the PA news agency last week, Dr Bousted said the strike days were likely to be in “February and March” if the ballot was successful.

The wave of industrial action which has swept across the country for months will continue this week.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) across England will walk out on Wednesday and Thursday and the union has warned that if progress is not made in negotiations by the end of January the next set of strikes will include all eligible members in England for the first time.

The Government continues to insist that pay claims are unaffordable and is sticking to its belief that wage rises should be decided by pay review bodies.

GMB leaders will also meet on Monday to decide whether to call more strikes among their ambulance members because of the lack of progress in talks.

Any decision is likely to be announced later in the week.

UK

More than 450,000 working days lost due to strike action in November 2022, highest for a decade

Mon, 16 January 2023 



There were 467,000 working days lost to strike action in November 2022, official figures show, bringing the number of strike days in 2022 to a 30-year high.

The loss in days due to labour disputes in the month is the highest since November 2011.

The total number of strike days lost to strike action between June to November 2022 was 1,628,000, the Office for National Statistics said.

It means that 2022 had the greatest number of strike days since 1990, when 1.9 million work days were lost to strike action.

Figures released in December had already showed that 2022 had lost the greatest number of days in more than a decade, even though data for the full year had yet to be released.

It has not been since 2011, when public sector workers walked out over pension reforms, that as many days were lost. Across that year, there were 1.4 million strike days.

The numbers pale in comparison to the winter of discontent in 1979 when 29.5 million work days were lost to strikes.

That year recorded the greatest number of strike days, with the ONS reporting 1984 had the second-highest number - with 27.1 million days lost, followed by 1972 with 23.9 million.

Throughout last year, industrial action was taken by a range of industries across the economy.

Rail workers have been engaged in walkouts since the summer, healthcare workers across the NHS have signalled they are committed to strikes and civil servants - including teachers - as well as private sector baggage handlers and postal workers all went on strike through 2022.

This year looks to be no different as the majority of disputes trundle on with no end in sight.