AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME

UK

Apprenticeships to be showcased alongside degrees on Ucas website

Eleanor Busby, PA Education Correspondent
Mon, 6 February 2023 


Young people will be able to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees through the university admissions service.

From this autumn, school and college leavers will be able to explore apprenticeship opportunities alongside undergraduate courses via the Ucas website so they can decide between their options in the same place.

Prospective students will then be able to apply for apprenticeships through Ucas, and employers will be able to manage applications for their apprenticeship vacancies through the service, from autumn 2024.


Under the plans, the Education Secretary hopes to develop a “one-stop shop” where young people can compare a range of occupations, training and education opportunities available to them.

The Government will collaborate with Ucas to share vacancy information collated through its Find an Apprenticeship Service to ensure as many apprenticeship vacancies are advertised through the Ucas hub as possible.

It comes after a previous Ucas survey suggested that half of students looking to apply to higher education are interested in apprenticeships, but many struggle to access the relevant information they need.

The Ucas hub will display the different routes – both undergraduate courses and apprenticeships – into a single career destination side-by-side.

It is hoped that thousands more young people will benefit from a wider choice of options by opening up the service to apprenticeship opportunities.

Clare Marchant, chief executive of Ucas, said: “Presenting students with all their choices in one place will not only transform the apprenticeship offering but create real parity by putting these options side-by-side with undergraduate courses.”

She added: “Today’s announcement by the Department for Education shows the commitment to deliver a clear, accessible and joined-up service that will help students discover, decide and apply in one place, enabling them to achieve their future careers aspirations.”

Announcing the plans, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “My apprenticeship was my golden ticket. It gave me a unique insight into how a business operated, from the shop floor to the boardroom. I learnt the skills that businesses truly value and it launched my career in international business.

“This National Apprenticeship Week I hope more people learn about the incredible opportunities available in everything from engineering to accountancy, healthcare to gaming software development.

“Whatever career goals you aspire to, they can be achieved through an apprenticeship which go up to masters degree level.”

Kevin Gilmartin, post-16 specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “We welcome the steps being taken to allow young people to search and apply for apprenticeships through Ucas.

“It’s crucial that school and college leavers are well informed about the full range of options available to them and showcasing apprenticeships alongside degrees seems a sensible approach.

“In order to make this work, there needs to be more resources and support for schools and colleges to be able to deliver guidance from expert careers advisers who are familiar with the complex apprenticeships landscape.”

Mr Gilmartin added: “If schools and colleges are not better supported to deliver this, then the worthy ambition of fully informing all students of the entire range of occupations, training and education opportunities available to them is dead in the water.”

Jane Hickie, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), said: “Accessing information about apprenticeships can be confusing and complicated at times.

“That’s why we’re delighted to see that Ucas will expand their apprenticeship service to match potential apprentices with vacancies.

“This could be a gamechanger, and alongside an enhanced talent finder function for employers, is much needed.”

UK

COMPASSIONATE CAPITALI$M
StreetSmart: Diners raise £750,000 for homeless as record numbers of rough sleepers on the rise

Mike Daw and David Ellis
Mon, 6 February 2023 

Longstanding support: the River Cafe raised £14,000 alone (Richard Bryant)

Diners across the country have raised £750,000 for the homeless, following another successful StreetSmart campaign. It adds to the more than £12million that the charity has put towards good causes since its founding 25 years ago.

StreetSmart’s scheme, which adds an optional £1 donation to diners’ bills, raised a record total, with London restaurants alone contributing over a quarter of a million pounds. Across the UK, 550 restaurants participated in the program, which helps more than 50 homeless charities. The simple scheme, which costs restaurant’s nothing and diners pennies, is supported by LandAid, who cover all the campaign’s costs. As such, every penny of what’s raised goes towards helping those who need it.

London restaurant groups led the way in contributions, with JKS — who operate, among others, Gymkhana and the Arcade Food Hall — raising more than £18,000, while MEATliquor donations topped £27,000; Scott Collins’ group is a long-time supporter of the charity. Elsewhere, Harvey Nichols raised nearly £40,000 across their estate, while Selfridges hauled in £97,000 in donations from their London and UK outposts. Other notable names to help include Mildred’s, which raised nearly £15,000; Fallow, which donated £17,000; the Cubitt House group, which raised £24,000; and The River Cafe, a long time supporter of the campaign that raised £14,000.

Paul Morrish, LandAid’s chief executive, said of the record amount raised: “I am delighted at the total raised from the 2022 StreetSmart campaign.

“LandAid are proud of the special relationship that we have with StreetSmart, and it has been amazing to see such enthusiasm across the hospitality and property industries in supporting the campaign, particularly during some testing years. This small choice will create huge impact in supporting homelessness projects that will bring both relief and security to those who need it most across the country.”

Among the 50 or so charities helped by the initiative is Glass Door. According to Glass Door’s most recent figures, there were more than 3,500 rough sleepers in London between October and December of last year, representing a 21 per cent increase on the year before. Glass Door CEO Jo Carter commented: “As temperatures plummet, it is becoming life-threatening to be sleeping on the street.

“Glass Door’s vital night shelter circuits are open to provide those with nowhere else to go somewhere safe and warm to sleep. We’re proud to have been working with StreetSmart for 15 years. This year, their donation could support 50 guests to stay in our emergency winter night shelter for one week.”

For more information about StreetSmart, visit streetsmart.org.uk

France braces for new pension strikes, mass protests

Mon, 6 February 2023 


France braced for new strikes and mass demonstrations against a deeply unpopular pensions overhaul on Tuesday, a day after lawmakers started debating the contested bill.

President Emmanuel Macron made the reform the heart of his re-election campaign last year, and is determined to implement it despite fierce opposition from the political left and unions, but also the wider public.

Tuesday's protests are the third such nationwide rallies organised since the start of the year.

Last week's demonstrations brought out 1.3 million people across the country, according to the police, while unions claimed more than 2.5 million people took part.

Either way, they were the largest such protests in France since 2010.

Trains and the Paris metro are again expected to see "severe disruptions" on Tuesday, operators said, with around one in five flights at Orly airport south of the capital expected to be cancelled.

"We're counting on there being rallies so that the country's elected representatives take into account the opinion of citizens," Philippe Martinez, leader of the hard-left CGT union, told the France 2 broadcaster on Monday.

More marches are planned for Saturday, although unions for rail operator SNCF said they would not call for a strike at the weekend, a holiday getaway date in some regions.

Macron's proposal includes hiking the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old -- still lower than in many European countries -- and increasing the number of years people must make contributions for a full pension.

His ruling party is hoping to pass the bill with the help of allies on the political right, without having to resort to controversial executive powers that dispense with the need for a ballot.

But members of the left-wing opposition are staunchly opposed, and have filed for thousands of amendments.

- 'Reform or bankrupcy' -

Members of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's government struggled to defend the overhaul as necessary in parliament on Monday, with many in the lower house booing.

As pressure grew, Borne on Sunday offered a key concession, saying people who started work aged 20 or 21 would be allowed to leave work a year earlier.

But the head of the CFDT union, Laurent Berger, dismissed the offer as a mere "band aid" -- not a response to widespread public criticism.

Macron aims to lift the pensions system out of deficit by 2030 by finding around 18 billion euros ($19.5 billion) of annual savings -- mostly from pushing people to work for longer and abolishing some special retirement schemes.

"It's reform or bankrupcy," Public Accounts Minister Gabriel Attal said in parliament on Monday.

But critics say that women will on average have to wait longer for retirement than men, as many have interruptions in their careers from childbearing and care responsibilities.

Opponents also say the reform fails to adequately account for people in physically strenuous jobs like builders and does not deal with companies' reluctance to hire and retain older workers.

Borne claimed the government would pile pressure on companies to end the practice of letting go older employees, which leaves many struggling to find work in their final years before pension age.

burs-ah/pvh/dhc

Britain is desperate for workers – but Sunak won’t admit immigration is the answer

Simon Jenkins
Mon, 6 February 2023 


A sure sign of a happy country is the eagerness of foreigners to come to live there. One such state is Great Britain. Newcomers are a net benefit to a modern economy and should be welcomed accordingly. Thus, their compliment is returned.

Last year Britain’s ageing population was supplemented by a record net immigration of half a million people. After two years of pandemic retirements and EU departures under Brexit, this immigration came as a salvation to health and care employers, caterers, builders, hauliers and farmers. Yet these businesses are still desperate for more. In England, care is short of 165,000 workers and health needs 130,000, while half of UK building firms are short-staffed and a third of all UK firms say they lack a full complement of staff. Last month the chancellor duly issued a plea for 300,000 over-50s who had retired after lockdown to return to work to fill 1.19m vacancies. It was as if the nation faced defeat and was calling its veterans back into service.

Yet this same government is spending somewhere over £1bn a year billeting able-bodied Afghans, Iraqis, Syrians and Albanians in London hotels and elsewhere, paying them and their families pocket money on the strict condition they do no work. Should they sneak out to become hospital porters, road diggers, fruit pickers or care assistants, Suella Braverman’s Home Office will hunt them down and send them packing. Should they besiege labour contractors’ vans under scruffy motorways they risk deportation. Should they dare to wheel a trolley, deliver a pizza or handle a daffodil, Braverman will order them out. Whose side is she on?

This policy is a mass of hypocrisy. Brexit stifled Britain’s supply of skilled and seasonal labour from eastern and southern Europe. Market forces responded by sucking in unprecedented numbers of non-European workers. Rishi Sunak now finds himself stuck. He must promise to stifle immigration and yet somehow find more workers. To satisfy rightwingers, he has even suggested withdrawing from the European human rights convention to evict asylum seekers. Only Russia has so far reneged on that convention. Sunak is between a rock and a hard place.

Every democracy, certainly in Europe, faces political tension over immigration. Germany has welcomed both Turks and Syrians against strong domestic opposition because it needed their labour. Britain is trapped in a regulatory morass of political asylum, refugee diplomacy, key-worker entitlement, people trafficking and enslavement. Tens of thousands of people who are eager to benefit the British economy are treated as if they were a semi-criminal class. British taxpayers are now paying them not to earn a living.

Despite appearances, public opinion is ambivalent. A recent YouGov poll showed a majority of Britons oppose “more immigration” yet also welcome it for specific jobs. These are across the board, from NHS staff to builders and farmers. Some tinkering at the edges of policy may be possible. The scandal of boat crossings could be met by instantly returning them to France, if France agrees. Visa offices abroad could ease up, reducing the need for lengthy processing in the UK. The Brexit bar on free movement with Europe will surely one day end.

For the time being, Sunak should have the guts to tell Britons they have nothing to fear and much to gain from immigration. As for the newcomers themselves, he should welcome and thank them for coming.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

UK

'Warm words and applause don't pay bills' - MPs visit nurses picket line

Patrick Barlow
Mon, 6 February 2023

Caroline Lucas and Lloyd Russell-Moyle at the picket line in Brighton 

(Image: Caroline Lucas | Simon Dack)

Politicians have been seen supporting NHS staff after visiting picket lines of striking workers.

Brighton MPs Caroline Lucas and Lloyd Russell-Moyle have been speaking to workers who have taken industrial action to pile pressure on the government.

The MPs have been supporting the workers as they protest about patient safety and health sector pay freezes, with Ms Lucas calling nurses struggling to pay for food “a scandal”.

The Green MP for Brighton Pavilion said: “It was so powerful hearing from nurses on the picket line in Brighton this morning.

The Argus: Caroline Lucas on the picket line at the Royal Sussex County Hospital

Caroline Lucas on the picket line at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (Image: Matt Traini)

"Conditions in the NHS are simply not sustainable, for staff or patients, with critical staffing shortages putting the future of the NHS at risk.

"Many of the nurses are exhausted, working extra shifts to make ends meet with some in Brighton describing working in the NHS 'like being in a war zone'.

"Last year 14 per cent of nurses used food banks, while 30 per cent struggled to pay for food. That is a scandal.

READ MORE: Constance Marten: Footage shows missing couple near A259 in Sussex

"Government ministers often spoke of healthcare workers’ heroism throughout the peak of the pandemic, but warm words and applause don’t pay bills.

"With Green Party colleagues, I am demanding fair and decent pay for NHS workers, long-term investment, a staff recruitment and retention plan, and for the NHS to remain in public hands.”

Ms Lucas spoke to striking nurses as well as holding a banner in support of the NHS staff outside of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour MP for Kemptown, was also seen at the picket speaking to workers out on strike on Monday, February 6.

Mr Russell-Moyle was also previously seen on a march from the hospital to The Level organised by Sussex Defend the NHS.

The latest strikes by the Royal College of Nursing and the GMB Union, have coincided for the first time causing many health sector services to slow.

Protesters gathered outside the Royal Sussex as well as Worthing Hospital in an effort to force the government to act on the NHS crisis.

Some placards with RCN branding said “staff shortages cost lives” while other homemade signs read “negotiating with the government is harder than buying Taylor Swift tickets”.

'Pay us properly' Ambulance workers strike across the North East and County Durham

Michael Robinson
Mon, 6 February 2023

Ambulance workers are striking all across the North East today (February 6) to campaign for better pay and working conditions Credit: SARAH CALDECOTT (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Ambulance workers are striking all across the North East today (February 6) to campaign for better pay and working conditions.

As ambulance workers across the region took strike action on Monday morning, The Northern Echo travelled to picket lines in Hartlepool and Bishop Auckland to talk to those taking part.

According to GMB union, more than 750 GMB Union ambulance workers across the North East have walked out as part of the protests.


Paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff are all taking part in the action, with some in Bishop Auckland and Gateshead striking alongside their nursing colleagues.

Read more: Woman dies after medical emergency at Houghton Superdrug

The Northern Echo:

Speaking to The Echo at the protest taking place outside Bishop Auckland General Hospital, Michael Hunt, GMB regional officer, said ambulance workers were taking industrial action in response to the unsatisfactory pay rise offered by Government.

He said: "Pay's obviously an issue with the cost-of-living crisis, some of the ambulance crews are on less money than you can make in Aldi as a checkout operator.

"We really need to do something, the ambulance have said 'you know what, we've had enough of this', we've had years of being put down by the Tory government.

"We really need to do something, because if we don't do it now, if not now, when?

"We want a decent pay rise, it's all very well [that] all the MPs telling everyone to clap for us, we'd rather they just pay us properly."

Read more: Redcar: New Loftus jobs hub to be built as other buildings demolished

The Northern Echo:

This comes after ambulance service workers in the region voted to strike over the Government’s imposed 4 per cent pay award, and what the GMB said is the Government’s apparent attempts to ‘smear’ them over life and limb cover on strike days.

Workers from North East Ambulance service took part in the action, which began at 6:01am and is expected to last for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, workers are expected to be picketing between 8am and 6pm.

In the North East, strike action took place in Bishop Auckland, Gateshead, Coulby Newham, Consett, Hartlepool North, Pallion, Hawkeys Lane, Russell House, and South Shields.

While in Hartlepool, there was a great show of support for strikers as they picketed in the cold, with passing cars honking and being met by strikers cheers.

The Northern Echo:

Jo Hepworth, 35, from Hartlepool, senior organiser for GMB, said ambulance workers did not wish to be striking today and would rather provide care to patients, but current conditions have left them no choice.

She said: "They're here asking for a better pay rise, better terms and conditions, they obviously don't want to be here.

"They want to be able to provide the care they've signed up to do the job for, but the strike is not just about pay.

"It's about patient safety as well, it's about saying to the government the NHS needs help, and that's why they're here today.


The Northern Echo:

"When the paramedics pick up their patients, they're standing for hours and hours outside A+E with that one patient, sometimes it's a full shift.

"It's not just the ambulance system that's broken, it's the whole NHS. That's why everybody's standing here today to say something needs to give."

She also called on the government to resume negotiations with the union so an agreement on pay and working conditions could be made.

Union leader calls Rishi Sunak deluded as NHS pay row escalates

Denis Campbell, Kiran Stacey and Rachel Hall
Mon, 6 February 2023

Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock

A health union leader has described Rishi Sunak as deluded for suggesting NHS staff should abandon their campaign to secure a bigger pay rise this year.

The GMB’s national secretary, Rachel Harrison, made the remark in response to Downing Street’s insistence that it would not talk about improving the £1,400 pay award for frontline personnel for 2022/23 even though it has triggered the wave of NHS strikes.

The spat blew up on Monday, the day tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance staff staged an unprecedented joint stoppage in the biggest strike in NHS history.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Sunak wanted to look ahead to the pay deal for 2023/24 and “not backwards”.

Asked what the government’s plan for ending the escalating series of walkouts was, the spokesperson reiterated its position that large pay rises risked fuelling already rampant inflation.

“But we do want to find a path forward. We think the right way to do that is to talk about this year’s [2023/24] pay offer prior to evidence being submitted to the pay review body.”

Pressed on whether unions should “give up hope” of negotiating on pay levels for 2022/23, the No 10 official said: ‘I think we would say we want to keep talking about ways forward.”

Unions responded furiously and accused Sunak of trying to ignore the key reason for nurses, ambulance staff and paramedics staging stoppages since 15 December.

“GMB ambulance workers and other health workers are on strike over this year’s pay. Ignoring their calls and kicking the can into next year’s pay does nothing to solve the current dispute,” Harrison said.

“If he thinks GMB members will be fobbed off by pretending this year’s cost of living crisis hasn’t happened, he’s deluded.”

The health minister, Maria Caulfield, who used to be an NHS cancer nurse, reiterated the government’s line. She said: “We’ve been pretty clear that we’re not going to look at the current year’s pay award.”

One union official said: “Simply saying ‘forwards not backwards’ is just nonsense. Unions made very clear to the health secretary, Steve Barclay, when we met him last month that there has to be movement on NHS pay now or that strikes will continue, possibly for months.”

Unison’s head of health, Sara Gorton, said: “Under the Westminster government’s watch, it’s NHS pay that’s gone backwards. Health workers are on strike to improve pay and staffing this year. Talking about the wage rise they’re due in April won’t end the dispute.”

Both unions urged Sunak to follow the more proactive approach taken by the Scottish National party and Labour devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. Both governments have offered NHS staff significantly more than Barclay’s £1,400 in an effort to break the deadlock.

Unions in Wales called off planned strikes last week after the Cardiff government offered staff an extra 3% over and above the £1,400, which equates to a rise of about 4% for many staff. Only half of the 3% would increase base salaries though. The other 1.5% would be a one-off payment.

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, accused ministers of doing nothing to settle the dispute. Many people would be “absolutely flabbergasted that the government is still sitting this one out, not showing any leadership in the middle of a cost of living crisis, making the situation much worse than it otherwise would be”, he said.

The chief executive of King’s College hospital NHS trust in London, Prof Clive Kay, said that walkouts last month by nurses, ambulance crews and paramedics had forced it to reschedule 431 non-urgent operations and 938 outpatient appointments.

Related: Deadlock over NHS pay putting patients in danger, chief nurses warn

Referring to the fact that the NHS in England would be hit by stoppages every day this week except Wednesday, he said: “This week’s strike action is likely to have a similar impact, which is why we would urge all parties to find a way forward as quickly as possible.

“We support the right of nurses to take strike action, and to date we have been able to continue delivering life-preserving and emergency care on the strike days.

“However, the longer the strikes continue, the harder it becomes for our teams to deliver the care they want to, and sadly, this will have an impact on patients, many of whom have been waiting a long time for treatment as a result of the pandemic.”

In an urgent question debate on the strikes in the Commons on Monday, Conservative MPs largely backed the government’s refusal to discuss this year’s pay settlement with unions. But Steve Brine, the Tory chair of the health select committee, urged ministers to speed up the NHS pay review process for next year, which he believes could help bring an end to the current dispute.

The Guardian view on Rishi Sunak’s NHS plans: ramping up private medicine

Editorial
Mon, 6 February 2023 

Photograph: Leon Neal/PA

Last October, Rishi Sunak sat down beside Catherine Poole, a 77-year-old patient at Croydon University hospital, no doubt hoping for a breezy on-camera conversation. When Mr Sunak asked whether staff had looked after her “really nicely”, Ms Poole replied: “They always do. It’s a pity you don’t pay them more.” That sentiment seems to have hardened. Health workers in Britain began their largest strike on Monday and polls showed the public solidly behind them.

The disputes will eventually be settled, but patients will suffer more the longer they go on. Yet it seems that Mr Sunak’s government is in no mood to end the quarrel. That is why Monday’s strike, the biggest in the 75-year history of the NHS, largely affected English health services. Walkouts have been suspended in Scotland and Wales after new pay offers. Ministers need to face up to reality. The NHS in England is in crisis. This might lend weight to the argument that the system is in crying need of correction, yet the health service in England was just reorganised under the Health and Care Act 2022 so that the NHS could plan “integrated” services – reversing a decade of pro-market reforms.

Hugh Alderwick of the Health Foundation wrote perceptively last month that “these changes were introduced under Boris Johnson’s government. Two prime ministers later, Rishi Sunak and his health secretary, Steve Barclay, are emphasising patient choice of provider … to improve the NHS”. The Health Foundation’s polling shows that while public satisfaction in the health system has declined because of waiting times, support for its core principles – free at the point of use, available to everyone and funded by tax – remains as strong as ever.

This faith in the egalitarian and redistributive health system is being tested by Mr Sunak’s parsimony. Overall health spending will now grow by 1.2% a year in real terms over the next two years – less than in the decade before the pandemic (2% a year) and less than a third of the long term average (3.8%). With the NHS unable to provide comprehensive cover, the private sector is moving in. Last year, in the richest parts of the UK, a quarter of all NHS elective care was being delivered by private providers. In the poorest areas, the proportion is more than a tenth.

If wealthier areas see the biggest reductions in waiting times, then it would be another example of inverse care law – where health provision varies inversely with the need of the population served. Having to wait for care encourages people to try to jump the queue. In his forthcoming book, Shattered Nation, Oxford University’s Danny Dorling calculates that in 1980, about 0.5% of GDP was spent on private health insurance. In 2021 it was more than 2%.

Health spending is rising because we are living longer and there are more people with long-term conditions. It is also going up because medical advances allow us to live healthier and longer lives. Prof Dorling says that from the 1970s to 2015, people in 20 countries had longer life expectancy than Britons. By 2021 that was true in more than 30 nations. He argues that this “disturbing and sudden fall was not due to the pandemic; it was due to austerity”. It makes sense to spend money on things that improve our existence – unless, it seems, you are a Conservative minister.

Sunak accused of ‘abject failure’ on workers’ rights as broken promises revealed

Adam Forrest
Mon, 6 February 2023 

(PA)

Rishi Sunak’s government has been accused of “abject failure” on employment rights, as new analysis shows the Conservatives have failed to implement dozens of promised protections for workers.

The Tories pledged to bring enhanced rights for millions of Britons after 2018’s landmark Taylor Review outlined major changes needed to boost working practices.

But five years on from the landmark report commissioned by Downing Street, Labour analysis shows only six of the review’s 26 recommendations have come into force.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner branded the record a “devastating blow” to both employees and firms. “The Tories’ record on workers’ rights is one of broken promises and abject failure,” she said.

Ms Rayner added: “The Conservatives’ failure to deliver what they promised is a devastating blow to the millions of working people trapped in a cycle of low pay and insecure work, and employers who desperately need new guidance and regulations to keep up with the modern realities of work.”

Despite the Tory government’s promise to “embrace” the Taylor review recommendations – labelling the proposals “the largest upgrade in a generation to workers’ rights” – 20 proposals have fallen by the wayside, according to Labour analysis.

Matthew Taylor, Theresa May’s former employment tsar, recently accused the Tory government of “abandoning” his proposals – including rights allowing workers to ask for more predictable contracts and stronger paternity leave rights for men.

“There comes a point when repeated delay starts to feel like an abandonment of an agenda,” he told The Guardian last month, amid widespread public sector strikes over pay and conditions.

He added: “That is a great pity because, at a time when industrial relations are at the forefront, the challenge of improving the quality of work is, if anything, even more urgent than when I wrote my report.”

Labour highlighted the lack of action on the Taylor review’s proposal for workers on zero-hours contracts for 12 months getting the right to request a contract that better reflects the hours they work.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party said it would ban zero-hour contracts entirely, and ensure anyone working for 12 weeks or more will gain a right to a regular contract to reflect the hours usually worked.

Ms Rayner said a Labour government would deliver “a stronger, fairer and more aspirational future of work for Britain fit for our modern economy”.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Mr Sunak’s ministers considered moving unemployed people who have been off sick long-term up NHS waiting lists in a bid to encourage them to get back into work.

But reports suggest that the proposal is unlikely to go ahead because of NHS rules which mean decisions must be based on clinical need rather than employment status or any other factor.

Conservative MPs have urged the government to consider giving agency employees the right to request more predictable terms and conditions, arguing that it could help in its quest to get more over-50s back to work.

Tory MP Scott Benton’s Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill – which would let workers request a predictable working pattern – has cleared the second reading stage and has won support from across the Commons.

UK's Royal Mail workers call off 24-hour strike, union says

Mon, 6 February 2023

A postal worker makes a delivery in London


(Reuters) -Postal workers at Britain's Royal Mail called off a planned 24-hour strike over pay next week after receiving legal challenges by the company, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said on Monday.

Lawyers have advised that the union could defend its position in court, CWU said in a statement, but it added that the risk of losing in court may potentially impact a new ballot.

"The laws of in this country are heavily weighted against working people," the union's lawyers said, adding "the risks of losing in court may potentially impact on the re-ballot – we simply cannot allow this happen."

The union, which represents more than 115,000 postal workers at Royal Mail, will also re-enter negotiations with the Royal Mail Group this week, the statement added.

The CWU had served a notice to Royal Mail Group for a 24-hour strike for all shifts starting after 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 16.

Royal Mail did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

With inflation running at more than 10% - the highest level in four decades - Britain has seen a wave of strikes in recent months across the public and private sectors, including health and transport workers, Amazon warehouse employees and Royal Mail postal staff.

(Reporting by Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Stephen Coates)

Royal Mail faces threat from ransomware group LockBit


Tue, 7 February 2023 

Illustration shows displayed CYBER SECURITY words and binary code

(Reuters) -UK's Royal Mail is facing a threat from ransomware group LockBit, according to information published on a website, at a time when the British postal and parcel firm is grappling with the fallout of a "cyber incident" from last month.

LockBit has said it would publish stolen data on Feb. 9 if Royal Mail failed to pay a ransom, a screenshot of the group's blog on the dark web on darkfeed.io, a website which tracks ransomware groups, showed.

TechCrunch, earlier in the day, reported that Royal Mail was added to LockBit's dark web leak site this week and the group was threatening to publish "all available (Royal Mail) data".

In an emailed response to Reuters, Royal Mail said evidence from its investigation so far suggested that the data allegedly obtained from its network did not contain any financial information or other sensitive customer information.

LockBit was behind a ransomware attack that hit ION Trading UK recently.

Ransomware is a form of malicious software deployed by criminal gangs which works by encrypting data, with hackers offering the victim a key in return for payments. Such ransom demands can total millions of dollars.

Separately, Royal Mail said on its website that the disruptions to its international services due to the cyber incident were continuing and only some of the services have been restored.

Royal Mail said its teams were working to reinstate the remaining export services, adding that its import operations continued to perform fully with some minor delays.

The company reported on Jan. 11 that its international export services were severely disrupted by a cyber incident.

(Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru and James Pearson in London; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Sriraj Kalluvila)

Strikes to hit 11 Scottish airports as workers demand pay rise

Hamish Morrison
Mon, 6 February 2023

Barra Airport, which operates beach landings for planes, is among those to be affected by strikes (Image: Jamie Simpson)

STRIKE action has been announced at 11 Scottish airports over several days in February.

Unite has set new dates for industrial action at Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) in a dispute over pay.

The union represents security staff, baggage handlers, ground crew and firefighters at the airports.


Three of HIAL’s airports were closed in December during previous strike days.

Union members have rejected the 5% pay rise they were offered by management.

READ MORE: SNP accidentally publish Nicola Sturgeon's bank account details in tax release

On February 17 and 20, strikes will take place at Dundee Airport.

A total of 10 other airports will be affected by strikes on February 21, 22 and 23.

These are the airports in Barra, Benbecula, Campbelltown, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Inflation is at a generational high yet the HIAL group believe a substantial real-terms pay cut is what our hard-working members deserve.

“This is completely unacceptable.

“Strike action is now inevitable at all 11 airports and this is entirely the fault of airport management and the Scottish Government. Unite will fully support our members in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions across the Highlands and Islands.”

Unite industrial officer Shauna Wright said: “Unite believes our hard-working members who keep the airports operating in isolated and rural communities across Scotland deserve far more than what is currently on the table.

“Unite is once again calling on the Scottish Government to meet with us, the workers and HIAL management to fund an improved pay offer, and to deliver more investment in these communities.”

A spokesman for HIAL said: “We are currently liaising closely with our local teams and airlines to determine the impact of this industrial action and the potential disruption for passengers and will post further updates and information on our website and airport social media channels.

“In the meantime, we would advise passengers who intend to travel on these days to keep in touch with their airline.”

Hydrogen fuel could double your energy bills - and isn’t as green as you think, research warns

Charlotte Elton
Mon, 6 February 2023 



Heating Europe with hydrogen gas could double energy bills, a new study has warned.

Hydrogen - which can be produced by superheating water - is often touted as a green alternative to fossil fuels.

But switching European customers to the gas would cost €240 billion, investigative NGO Global Witness has warned - a bill that gas companies plan to pass on to consumers.


Renewable energy is a far cheaper and more environmentally-friendly option, Global Witness say.

“Europe does need to stop using gas, but there is a better alternative to hydrogen: energy savings and home heating sources such as heat pumps and district heating using renewable electricity,” the NGO said.

Why the world’s first hydrogen rail may not be as environmentally friendly as it seems


EU to impose world-first ‘carbon tariff’ on environmentally damaging imports
What is hydrogen fuel?

When natural gas is burnt as a fuel, it produces heat energy - and climate-wrecking carbon dioxide.

‘Burning’ hydrogen doesn’t release this greenhouse gas, making it a potential green energy fuel.

But it’s not so simple. Hydrogen can be produced in a number of ways, like by splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen atoms. But this production needs energy - and 96 per cent of hydrogen fuel is currently produced by burning fossil fuels.

This is why you might have heard of ‘green,’ ‘blue’, and ‘grey’ hydrogen fuel. Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy. Blue hydrogen is produced by fossil fuels, but the CO2 is captured and stored. Grey hydrogen is produced by fossil fuels and the CO2 is released into the air.
Is hydrogen gas expensive?

As countries slowly commit to phasing out oil and natural gas, fossil fuel giants are starting to pivot to hydrogen gas.

They favour the technology because of its similarities to natural gas; it is also burned to produce energy and is transported by pipe.

But the switch won’t come cheap.

At the end of 2021 - the last period for which data is available - Europeans spent an average of €67cents per kilowatt hour of energy.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has since pushed up gas prices - but hydrogen doubles the cost of this pre-war bill.

Global Witness estimates that households will spend an estimated average of €12.5cents per kilowatt hour of hydrogen energy by 2050.

For a medium-sized house, this would represent an annual household hydrogen bill of €1,580 (inflation discounted).

The organisation bases this estimate on the cost of building and operating hydrogen infrastructure - costs that would tally a €240 billion bill over 40 years.

This mammoth charge would cover the new gas pipelines required to transport the fuel. If costs like storage and electrolysers - the technology that creates hydrogen gas from water - are accounted for, the costs mount further.

Other studies have supported this conclusion. According to a study released this month, green hydrogen will be between two and three times more expensive than electrification for heating homes.

So who’s going to foot the bill?

Is green hydrogen less sustainable than we thought?


Green hydrogen: Fuel of the future has ‘big potential’ but a worrying blind spot, scientists warn
Do gas companies want customers to pay for the hydrogen transition?

Gas companies have lobbied the European Commission to make current gas consumers - even those who don’t plan to switch to hydrogen - cough up for the switch.

In 2021, the EC requested consultation on its ‘gas package.’The German Gas and Water Association (DVGW) - which counts nearly 1,900 utilities as members - argued that ‘all current gas-end users’ should have to pay for the new infrastructure.

This position has been echoed by Southern Germany’s Erdgas Schwaben DSO, and Italian lobby group ANIGAS. It is also supported by many transmission system operators - the companies who run the gas pipelines.

The draft gas package proposal - released in December 2021 - states EU countries may allow companies supplying hydrogen to share infrastructure costs between their hydrogen and gas consumers. Such costs cannot, however, be shared forever, and could only be charged for “one third of the depreciation period of the infrastructure concerned.”

Some hydrogen fuel is produced by renewable energy - but most is still produced by burning fossil fuels. - canva

What energy source is better than hydrogen?

To meet its climate goals, Europe needs to turn off the fossil fuel tap.

For heavy industries and large transportation sectors - shipping, long-haul air transport - hydrogen fuel might be the best alternative.

But households should rely on renewables instead, Global Witness advise.

“It is clear that for households, switching to hydrogen would make Europeans already facing energy poverty even poorer,” the report urges.