Latest news with #UniteTheUnion
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
We will win the fight on net zero, says Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband has pledged to beat the critics of his net zero policies by creating thousands of new jobs in the UK's declining industrial regions. The Energy Secretary insisted Britain was on the brink of a 'green industrial revolution' that would boost employment and bring down household bills as he faces growing political backlash against his net zero agenda. The Conservatives and Reform UK have increasingly raised concerns over the cost of Britain's spending on renewables, which has added at least £200 to the average domestic power bill. Speaking at an offshore wind conference in London, Mr Miliband said: 'We are witnessing the coming of age of Britain's green industrial revolution,' he said. 'We are building this new era of clean energy abundance, helping deliver new jobs, energy security and lower household bills through our Plan for Change.' It followed an announcement that a new public company set up by Mr Miliband last year to boost green initiatives, known as Great British Energy, was investing £300m in offshore wind supply chains. The investment will target former industrial areas like Teesside, Scotland, South Wales and East Anglia and is expected to create new green jobs. It is aimed at countering critics who point out that too much of the kit needed for Britain's energy transition is being manufactured abroad – meaning it is failing to generate jobs or skills for British workers. Unite the Union, which supports the Labour Party, has published reports suggesting only 20pc of UK wind farm equipment is made in the UK. A separate report from Robert Gordon University put the UK content at 25pc. Wind boom A separate report from RenewableUK and the Offshore Wind Industry Council suggests there are now 40,000 people working in the UK's offshore wind industry with a separate study showing another 15,000 work in onshore wind – a total of 55,000 people. The total could reach 90,000 by 2030, says the report. As part of the jobs and investment plan, the Crown Estate is to invest a further £400m and the offshore wind industry a further £300m – making a total of £1bn – in offshore wind manufacturing, including producing turbine blades, cables and the platforms needed for floating wind farms. Mr Miliband has become increasingly outspoken over the potential benefits of the green policies he espouses. Earlier this month he repeated his pre-election pledge that household energy bills would fall by £300 by 2030 because of green energy. On Tuesday, he launched a direct attack on his political opponents, saying: 'The forces that want to take us backwards, the forces that oppose net zero, will have to reckon not just with the Government; they will have to reckon with all these companies that are creating jobs.' Richard Tice, energy spokesman for Reform UK, said: 'Mr Miliband is taking a big risk with the UK's electricity supplies and significantly increasing the risk of shortages. It even puts us at risk of blackouts – not seen here since the days of the 1970s miners' strikes. 'It's interesting his pledges to bring bills down all cite 2030 which is the year after the likely date of the next general election – by when he will have been thrown out of office.'
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Patients will suffer if Addenbrooke's cuts go ahead, staff say
An NHS hospital worker who took part in a demonstration against planned job cuts has warned the cuts could lead to clinics being to 500 non-clinical roles at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge are at risk after the government told it to cut the cost of its support functions to 2022 Robinson orders parts for "every vital piece of equipment" and said his job was "just as important as every other administrative role". The hospital said it needed to take difficult but necessary decisions to continue to "meet the needs of our patients now and in the future". The demonstration of Unite the Union members took place at the hospital during the workers' lunch break on University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), which runs Addenbrooke's, announced the proposed job losses at the end of in areas including finance, communication and administration are Robinson, who works in the administrative section of the clinical engineering team, said it was his job to order spare parts for broken equipment."We're responsible for all the important stuff such as ventilators and heart monitors - everything that keeps you alive," he said. "If there's a delay in getting things back into service, appointments could be cancelled, clinics could get cancelled." Porter Paul Hardingham is a team leader in the "very busy" emergency department, responsible for getting patients to wards "in a timely manner"."We are a vital role, without us you could add [wait] times on and that's not good enough for patients," he said. "The patient has to wait long enough to see a doctor or nurse, we don't want to see them waiting for porters to get them settled into wards."Unite regional officer Richard Gates said: "There's a real fear for those whose jobs are going, but also for those who are left and patients."If you haven't got the support staff, it's more demand on the frontline."A CUH spokesperson said the proposed cuts amounted to about 4% of its total 13,000 workforce."We appreciate it is a worrying and uncertain time for many colleagues working in the NHS," they said. "We are taking all possible steps to minimise redundancies, through natural turnover by not recruiting to posts when staff leave, holding vacancies empty and a mutually agreed resignation scheme."A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson previously said: "We are investing an extra £26bn in health and care, but that investment must be met by reform to turn around the NHS from the worst crisis in its history." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Union to challenge bin strike picket court order
Unite the Union has said it is preparing to challenge a court order which prevents its members from delaying bin lorries leaving depots in Birmingham. An interim injunction was granted by the High Court on 23 May, after collections were said to have been disrupted by striking workers. The union added it had agreed to abide by the law on picketing and would continue to conduct a lawful, peaceful protest. Birmingham City Council said it had applied for the order to continue on an indefinite basis so workers were "freely able to leave their depots", and its efforts to resolve the dispute continued. Police recently scaled down their presence on picket lines, where they had been helping to ensure bin trucks could leave to prevent waste piling up on city streets. The council said on Friday it had sought the injunction after seeing "an increase in disruption" at depots, with "workers and vehicles being prevented from doing their job". The West Midlands force withdrew after stating the issues did "not meet the threshold" to impose powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act. However, Unite said it believed the injunction should not have been granted. "Unite was given no proper notice of the hearing and had no opportunity to present our side of the case," it said in a statement. The authority said it acknowledged that everyone had the right to protest and the union had the right to organise picketing in line with their statutory rights. "The terms of the order which Unite has now agreed is designed to ensure that this is all done within the confines of the law," it added. Workers who are members of the union have been involved in all-out industrial action since 11 March in a pay row that now also includes a dispute over bin lorry drivers' wages. On Thursday morning, bin workers on the picket line at the city's depot in Tyseley allowed trucks manned by agency staff to leave. However, there was a queue of lorries waiting to leave at about 06:45 BST, as those on strike spent several minutes talking to each crew, explaining why they were on strike. About 40 bin workers were on the picket line, with most gathered on the opposite side of the road. The BBC's Bob Hockenhull said there was one police car on site, and described the atmosphere as "good humoured". "There is no threats, no intimidation, we are happy to talk to the agency staff in the wagons," said Steve, who was on the picket line in Tyseley. "But if they don't want, they're free to drive straight out. "It's their choice to stop and talk or drive straight through." Another striking bin worker, Wayne Bishop, added: "It's starting to hit my bank balance and I'm glad I've got strong family and friends to help me if need be." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Council gets court order over bin lorry blocking Union blames council for lack of bin strike deal Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike? Birmingham City Council Unite the Union
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Union to challenge bin strike picket court order
Unite the Union has said it is preparing to challenge a court order which prevents its members from delaying bin lorries leaving depots in Birmingham. An interim injunction was granted by the High Court on 23 May, after collections were said to have been disrupted by striking workers. The union added it had agreed to abide by the law on picketing and would continue to conduct a lawful, peaceful protest. Birmingham City Council said it had applied for the order to continue on an indefinite basis so workers were "freely able to leave their depots", and its efforts to resolve the dispute continued. Police recently scaled down their presence on picket lines, where they had been helping to ensure bin trucks could leave to prevent waste piling up on city streets. The council said on Friday it had sought the injunction after seeing "an increase in disruption" at depots, with "workers and vehicles being prevented from doing their job". The West Midlands force withdrew after stating the issues did "not meet the threshold" to impose powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act. However, Unite said it believed the injunction should not have been granted. "Unite was given no proper notice of the hearing and had no opportunity to present our side of the case," it said in a statement. The authority said it acknowledged that everyone had the right to protest and the union had the right to organise picketing in line with their statutory rights. "The terms of the order which Unite has now agreed is designed to ensure that this is all done within the confines of the law," it added. Workers who are members of the union have been involved in all-out industrial action since 11 March in a pay row that now also includes a dispute over bin lorry drivers' wages. On Thursday morning, bin workers on the picket line at the city's depot in Tyseley allowed trucks manned by agency staff to leave. However, there was a queue of lorries waiting to leave at about 06:45 BST, as those on strike spent several minutes talking to each crew, explaining why they were on strike. About 40 bin workers were on the picket line, with most gathered on the opposite side of the road. The BBC's Bob Hockenhull said there was one police car on site, and described the atmosphere as "good humoured". "There is no threats, no intimidation, we are happy to talk to the agency staff in the wagons," said Steve, who was on the picket line in Tyseley. "But if they don't want, they're free to drive straight out. "It's their choice to stop and talk or drive straight through." Another striking bin worker, Wayne Bishop, added: "It's starting to hit my bank balance and I'm glad I've got strong family and friends to help me if need be." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Council gets court order over bin lorry blocking Union blames council for lack of bin strike deal Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike? Birmingham City Council Unite the Union
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Summer holiday strike chaos threat as unions warn airport staff could walk out over pay
Holidaymakers face weeks of travel misery at Scotland's two biggest airports this summer as staff look set to walk out in a dispute over pay. Around 600 ground crew workers at Edinburgh and Glasgow international terminals could bring operations to near standstill after 'emphatically' rejecting two separate pay offers. Now union leaders are warning that strike action is 'looming' unless their employer Menzies Aviation puts an improved deal on the table. Unite the Union, which represents the workers, branded the basic pay offer of around 4 per cent at Edinburgh and 4.25 per cent at Glasgow as 'unacceptable' after the company announced a 'record-breaking performance' last year. And it said if improved offers are not made it will have 'no option' but to ballot members on industrial action during the peak season. This could lead to delays and cancellations affecting major airlines including British Airways, Loganair, Emirates, Lufthansa and AIR Transat, all of which are supported by Menzies ground handling and passenger services workers. Menzies staff are also used by Aer Lingus, American Airlines and United Airlines, with strike action likely to spell misery for tens of thousands of holidaymakers hoping to jet off to popular destinations such as Spain and the US. Unite industrial officer Carrie Binnie said: 'Summer strike action looms over Edinburgh and Glasgow airports because the pay offers on the table from Menzies Aviation aren't good enough. 'Menzies Aviation has the ability to improve its offers and they can easily resolve this pay dispute without any disruption to the travelling public. If the company fail to table a better offer to our members, Unite will have no option but to ballot our members for strikes over the summer holidays.' A total of 97 per cent of the estimated 300 workers balloted in Glasgow voted against the latest pay offer of 4.25 per cent, while all 300 staff based at Edinburgh turned down an offer worth around 4 per cent. It comes just two months after Menzies, which has ground handling staff at around 300 airports in 65 countries, announced it had achieved its fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth after global revenue reached £1.9billion [$2.6bn (USD)] - up 20 per cent over the year. The company also reported global earnings before tax of £282million [$382m] last year. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in the wake of this members 'emphatically rejected unacceptable pay offers'. She added: 'The Menzies group is posting sky-high profits and our members who contribute towards this success deserve far better from the company.' On its website Menzies put its success down to its staff and 'non more so than ground services', which includes flight dispatchers, airside agents and controllers. It states that they 'always do our best to deliver safe and trusted service and a world-class passenger experience for every customer, every time', adding: 'None more so than ground services, where our dedicated teams make sure that more than 250m passengers every year are ready for take-off through the delivery of a portfolio of supportive services.' But if strike action goes ahead it could impact on a number of flights in and out of the two airports. Last year during the peak summer months Glasgow saw on average 30,000 passengers a day go through the terminal on 240 flights. Edinburgh, meanwhile, reported a record 15 million passengers in 2024, which it hailed as 'a milestone achieved for the first time ever at a Scottish airport'. It announced new destinations of New York, Dubai, and Toronto, with even more routes on the timetables for this year including to Boston and Vienna. Neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow airports were willing to comment on the latest pay dispute. But a spokesman for Edinburgh Airport stressed that Menzies was just 'one of a number' of providers of ground handing staff at Scotland's largest airport. The latest threat of industrial actions comes a week after Unite announced wage wins for 100 North Air workers across Scottish airports, and over 140 ABM cleaners and OCS workers who assist passengers with mobility issues based at Glasgow Airport. Last year, planned strikes at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports were also called off after workers accepted a new pay deal by employers ICTS in July. Around 300 workers voted overwhelmingly to walk out over the busy summer months if the offer of a basic pay increase of 4 per cent, back dated to January, and a £500 one off payment was not improved. But Unite confirmed the dispute came to an end after a pay deal worth up to 12.8 per cent was agreed. Menzies Aviation said last night it was 'committed' to finding a solution to avoid disruption during the busiest time of the year. Phil Lloyd, Senior Vice President UK, Menzies Aviation, said: 'Following the rejection of recent pay award proposals, we remain committed to seeking a resolution. 'We have invited Unite to return to the table to continue discussions this week and hope to reach an agreement which is workable for both the business and our employees at both Edinburgh and Glasgow. We will continue to work to pursue an agreeable solution to protect services for our airline and airport partners and their customers.'
