NORTHERN IRELAND
Public transport workers set to overwhelmingly reject pay offer to end strikes

Public transport workers are understood have rejected a pay offer (PA)

Kurtis Reid
Today at 10:45

Public transport workers across Northern Ireland are set to reject a pay offer from Translink.

Several depots overwhelmingly voted against the deal, it is understood.

It could mean further transport strikes are scheduled.

Last month transport workers from three unions - SIPTU, GMB and Unite - were each offered a 5% pay increase plus a separate, non-consolidated, lump-sum £1,500 payment.

This led to three planned strike dates at the end of February being cancelled.

Members have been voting on the offer since Tuesday, however previous reporting suggested a “bad feeling about the offer” from workers who claimed the amount did not warrant cancellation of strikes.

Learn more

Pause

Unmute

In figures seen by this newspaper, depots including Newtownabbey, Short Strand, Magherafelt, Great Victoria Street and the Falls Road have all voted in the majority against the pay offer.

Figures also show the overall vote to reject from Ulsterbus GMB members to be 70.5%, with 29.5% accepting.

In Short Strand’s bus depot, almost nine in 10 workers voted against the deal with 87% opposed.

In addition to bus drivers, almost 83% of conductors who voted rejected the deal.

The figures suggest the deal will not be accepted and unions will now discuss further strike action with members.

It is understood strike dates could be announced as early as next week as unions seek to up the pressure on transport bosses to resolve the matter.

In an earlier branch meeting with unions, leaders told members the 5% pay offer was the “maximum” that will be offered and the £1,500 lump-sum would cost Translink around £6m.

The mood amongst union members was said to be “mixed” with many drivers sceptical over a better offer being negotiated, while some members said they anticipated the “massive rejection” after claiming the offer to be too low.

“It’s a bribe, plain and simple,” said one union member told the Belfast Telegraph.

“The £1,500 is a bribe, it’s the carrot and the stick, it’s not going to work. The members want the pay to be consolidated and that’s it. They want something like 7-8%, this just doesn’t cut it.

“Look at the figures coming out, it’s a landslide. Some drivers won’t like it, but it’s back to the negotiating table.”

Public transport strikes have caused widespread disruption across Northern Ireland.

Leaders from both hospitality and retail workers have been sharply critical of the industrial action, which they said has damaged their trading and business hours, as well as their staffing levels.

Previously, Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts appealed for agreement between union leaders and Translink bosses to prevent the industrial action, citing the impact on his members.

“We cannot continue to have ongoing strikes disrupting our economy. January and February are never great months for retail; [the previous action] hit really hard,” he said.

“There were many businesses which couldn’t get their staff in the door, as well as customers who couldn’t get to the shops. It’s a challenge.”

The overwhelming rejection of the proposed pay deal now puts a spotlight on other unions who have received similar offers.

Just days after the transport unions received their offer, healthcare workers and civil servants in Northern Ireland were offered a 5% pay increase.

The unions were also offered a similar £1,500 payment.

GMB have been contacted for comment.

 

Prepare workers to weather time shocks

Building temporal resilience into jobs can help employees thrive when schedules turn upside down

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

AUSTIN, Texas — Managers can do much to help their workers become more resilient to inevitable time disruptions in today’s workplace, says new research from The University of Texas at Austin.

With intricate supply chains and operations that sprawl across time zones, workplace time disturbances are only increasing. Such temporal disruptions aren’t just inconvenient, says David Harrison, Texas McCombs professor of management professor: They can carry tangible business costs, such as impaired health, increased mistakes, and reduced productivity.

In a new study with Liliana Pérez-Nordtvedt of The University of Texas at Arlington, Harrison looks at how to make such disruptions less disruptive, by fitting individuals’ workflows and psychologies to new arrangements in time.

“There are different patterns of resilience to different kinds of changes in time,” Harrison says. So rather than a one-size-fits-all strategy for resilience, he finds three: adjusting, absorbing, and adopting. Each has strengths and weaknesses, depending on the length and severity of a disruption.

Adjusting: Outwardly, workers change their schedules. But psychologically, they resist change, expecting that routines will soon return to normal.

Absorbing: Employees absorb disruptions by shifting tasks around to accommodate them.

Adopting: When a disruption looks to be long term, some people accept the new normal and reorganize their lives around it.

Harrison offers several ideas to foster temporal resilience in the workplace — before disruptions strike.

Flexible Deadlines: “The more you can loosen up tight time cycles, the better able people are going to be to rejigger their cycles to meet the demands,” Harrison says.

Margins: Include flex in schedules so minor interruptions don’t wreck an entire day. For example, Harrison himself leaves at least a half-hour between meetings.

“Build in that little buffer,” he advises. “If everything’s super-duper wound tight, then nobody’s ever going to be on time.”

Bite-sized Shifts: If a manager needs to make a major time change, Harrison suggests breaking it into a series of smaller changes, giving workers time to adapt to each stage.

Patience: Finally, he advises, don’t expect superhuman performance. When there are shocks to schedules, allow for short-term dips.

“Recognize that it’s not people being resistant to change,” he says. “It’s people being organisms for whom time is a fundamental element of dealing with the environment. Time has a learning curve, too.”

Read more in the Big Ideas story.

---

JOURNAL

Academy of Management Review

DOI

10.5465/amr.2022.0452 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

From Time Wrinkling to Time Razing Disruptions: Understanding Temporal Resilience

 

Building temporal resilience into jobs can help employees thrive when schedules turn upside down: Study

by University of Texas at Austin

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Managers can do much to help their workers become more resilient to inevitable time disruptions in today's workplace, says new research from The University of Texas at Austin.

With intricate supply chains and operations that sprawl across time zones, workplace time disturbances are only increasing. Such temporal disruptions aren't just inconvenient, says David Harrison, Texas McCombs professor of management professor: They can carry tangible business costs, such as impaired health, increased mistakes, and reduced productivity.

In a new study with Liliana Pérez-Nordtvedt of The University of Texas at Arlington, Harrison looks at how to make such disruptions less disruptive by fitting individuals' workflows and psychologies to new arrangements in time.

"There are different patterns of resilience to different kinds of changes in time," Harrison says. So, rather than a one-size-fits-all strategy for resilience, he finds three: adjusting, absorbing, and adopting. Each has strengths and weaknesses, depending on the length and severity of a disruption:

• Adjusting: Outwardly, workers change their schedules. But psychologically, they resist change, expecting that routines will soon return to normal.

• Absorbing: Employees absorb disruptions by shifting tasks around to accommodate them.

• Adopting: When a disruption looks to be long-term, some people accept the new normal and reorganize their lives around it.

Harrison offers several ideas to foster temporal resilience in the workplace—before disruptions strike.

• Flexible Deadlines: "The more you can loosen up tight time cycles, the better able people are going to be to rejigger their cycles to meet the demands," Harrison says.

• Margins: Include flex in schedules so minor interruptions don't wreck an entire day. For example, Harrison himself leaves at least a half-hour between meetings. "Build in that little buffer," he advises. "If everything's super-duper wound tight, then nobody's ever going to be on time."

• Bite-sized Shifts: If a manager needs to make a major time change, Harrison suggests breaking it into a series of smaller changes, giving workers time to adapt to each stage.

• Patience: Finally, he advises, don't expect superhuman performance. When there are shocks to schedules, allow for short-term dips.

"Recognize that it's not people being resistant to change," he says. "It's people being organisms for whom time is a fundamental element of dealing with the environment. Time has a learning curve, too."

The findings are published in the journal Academy of Management Review.

More information: Liliana Pérez-Nordtvedt et al, From Time Wrinkling to Time Razing Disruptions: Understanding Temporal Resilience, Academy of Management Review (2024). DOI: 10.5465/amr.2022.0452

Provided by University of Texas at Austin Scientists improve timing of fog warnings by detecting changes in atmospheric electric field

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for TEMPUS 

 

Keep the change: Scientists analyze attitudes of shop assistants

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SWPS UNIVERSITY

The limited number of shoppers during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to unfavourable behaviour of sellers towards buyers. The fewer shoppers in the shop, the more likely the sellers were to keep their change, a study by scientists from SWPS University shows. For shoppers, it is a signal to remain vigilant; for decision-makers it is a practical tip on shaping policies during crises.

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, various restrictions were introduced in Poland and many other countries to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These restrictions included wearing masks in public areas, a ban on gatherings, limited number of people shopping at the same time. 

 

Shops, masks and social distancing 

 

Researchers from SWPS University decided to look at the lesser-known effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. They investigated how pandemic restrictions introduced in shops affected the behaviour of shop assistants - and published their research results in  PLOS One. 

 

Our goal was to demonstrate that reducing social interactions by covering faces and maintaining distance. These measures may loosen social norms and lead to tangible material losses, describes study co-author Dr. Maciej Kościelniak from the Institute of Psychology at SWPS University. 

 

The researchers emphasise that while masks are a proven measure of protection against the spread of the virus, covering the face leads to a change in human interactions. It limits the possibilities of drawing conclusions and increases the sense of anonymity. 

 

The study was conducted in 216 grocery shops in Poland, in June-September 2021. The majority of participating shop assistants (over 78%) were women. The shoppers, played by research assistants (two adults in their 50s and two teenagers), were tasked with buying a specific product and giving the seller an amount greater than the actual price of the product. During the study, some research assistants wore non-transparent masks covering the nose and lower part of the face, and the other group wore plastic visors. 

 

 Shopping with others means a greater chance for fair treatment

 

It turned out that wearing a mask or a transparent visor had no impact on the sellers' honesty. What did matter was the number of customers in the shop. A customer who shopped in the presence of other people was more than three times more likely to receive correct change than one who was alone with the seller. The researchers were surprised to find that sellers were more likely to give correct change to shoppers of the same gender as themselves. 

 

The study provides practical insights for policymakers responsible for establishing regulations and social policies during a health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

While maintaining social distance is vital for public health, it could inadvertently encourage fraudulent practices. Retail outlets should therefore consider introducing more rigorous monitoring systems. Customers, on the other hand, should be more vigilant to minimise the risk of being cheated, comments the researcher from SWPS University. 

 

The authors of the publication point out that the scientific discussion tends to overlook the less obvious but significant consequences of pandemic restrictions. 

 

Noticing them is crucial for developing informed policies that will protect social fabric during times of crisis, Dr. Kościelniak concludes.

 

---

JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0296746 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

COVID-19 masks and limited number of shoppers as determinants of shop assistants’ (dis)honesty

 

Forbes ranks the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical campus among America’s best employers

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS

 

IMAGE: 

FORBES BEST LARGE EMPLOYERS

view more 

CREDIT: FORBES

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is listed as one of Forbes America’s Best Large Employers for 2024.

The 2024 list of “America’s Best Employers” was conducted by Forbes and market research firm Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

“This ranking is meaningful to our organization because the people who work at CU Anschutz drive our success as a leading academic medical campus by providing unparalleled patient care services, being a premier national leader in research and innovation, and fostering a supportive learning environment for our students,” said Adrienne Howarth-Moore, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief HR Officer at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. “We’re dedicated to investing in our people and creating a workplace where every individual is supported, empowered and has the resources to reach their full potential.” 

The findings were drawn from survey responses from more than 170,000 U.S. based employees working in organizations across several industries. Among the factors evaluated were benefits, employee recognition, opportunities for advancement, a sense pride in their work and much more. They were also asked to rate their willingness to recommend their employer to friends and family and to nominate organizations other than their own.

“This ranking recognizes the progress we’ve made on our strategic plan goal of also making CU Denver campus a best place to work,” said teri engelke, assistant vice chancellor for human resources. “We recognize we still have a way to go, but it is always good to pause and celebrate our progress. I want to thank those of you who have been working to enhance our workplace while delivering quality service to our students and to our colleagues.” 

Survey responses were given by current employees, employees who had worked for the company within the past two years and individuals familiar with the company through friends, family or peers in their industry. More than 3.5 million employer evaluations were considered.

To review the full list and read more about the ranking methodology, visit the Forbes’ website.

About the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class academic medical campus at the forefront of transformative education, science, medicine, and healthcare. The campus encompasses six health professional schools and colleges, offering more than 40-degree programs and is host to two nationally ranked independent hospitals providing more than two million patient visits annually. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus delivers life-changing treatments, patient care and professional training and conducts world-renowned research fueled by over $705 million in research grants and powered by more than 13,000 employees.  CU Anschutz economic impact to the State of Colorado is more than $8.5 billion. For more information, visit www.cuanschutz.edu.

About the University of Colorado Denver Campus
Millions of moments start at CU Denver campus, a place where innovation, research, and learning meet in the heart of a global city. With our consolidation with CU Anschutz, we are the state’s premier public urban research university. CU Denver has more than 100 in-demand, top-ranked bachelors, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. We partner with diverse learners—at any stage of their life and career—for transformative educational experiences. Across seven schools and colleges, our leading faculty inspires and works alongside students to solve complex challenges and produce impactful creative work. As part of the state’s largest university system, CU Denver campus is a major contributor to the Colorado economy, with 2,000 employees and an annual economic impact of $800 million. To learn more about how CU Denver helps learners meet their moment, visit ucdenver.edu.  

 

Plant science: Tracing the spread of cacao domestication

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), whose beans (cocoa) are used to make products including chocolate, liquor and cocoa butter, may have spread from the Amazon basin to the other regions of South and Central America at least 5,000 years ago via trade routes, suggests a paper published in Scientific Reports. These findings, based on residues in ancient vessels, reveal how different strains of cacao tree were bred and suggest that cacao products were more widely used among ancient South and Central American cultures than previously thought.

The modern cacao tree — whose scientific name means ‘the food of the gods’ — is one of the world’s most important crops. There are eleven known genetic groups including the widely used Criollo and Nacional strains. Although it is well established that the cacao tree was originally domesticated in the upper Amazonian basin, it has not been clear how its use by other cultures spread throughout South and Central America. 

Claire Lanaud and colleagues analysed residues from 352 ceramic items from 19 pre-Colombian cultures spanning from approximately 5,900 to 400 years ago across Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Belize, and Panama. The authors tested for the presence of ancient cacao DNA and those of three methylxanthine (mild stimulant) components that are present in modern T. cacao strains — theobromine, theophylline, and caffeine — to identify ancient T. cacao residues. The authors also used genetic information from 76 modern samples of T. cacao to establish the ancestry of ancient cacao present in the ceramic items, which could reveal how ancient strains diversified and spread.

The findings demonstrate that cacao was extensively cultivated along the Pacific Coast soon after its domestication in the Amazon at least 5,000 years ago, with high levels of diversity among the ancient strains indicating that genetically distinct populations were bred together. The presence of cacao genotypes originating from the Peruvian Amazon in the coastal Valdivia Ecuadorian region suggests that these cultures had long-standing contact, according to the authors. Peruvian strains were also detected in artefacts from the Colombian Caribbean coast. Together, this indicates that cacao strains underwent a wide diffusion across countries and were cross bred to adapt to new environments as different cultures adopted their use, suggest the authors. 

They conclude that greater understanding of cacao’s genetic history and diversity may help to counter threats, such as disease and climate change, facing modern cacao strains. 

---

JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-024-53010-6 

ARTICLE TITLE

A revisited history of cacao domestication in pre-Columbian times revealed by archaeogenomic approaches

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Mar-2024