London news roundup

Don’t criminalise the homeless

THE LONDON Borough of Hackney is planning to fine people up to £1,000 for sleeping in doorways near popular tourist spots. No one is quite sure just how people who are homeless and destitute can be expected to pay such fines.

Homelessness charities have condemned the move, saying that it turns rough sleepers – who are often escaping lives of abuse – into criminals.

A similar protection order was proposed by Oxford City Council but the council backed off after a petition against the move garnered 72,000 signatures.

Matt Downie, of homelessness charity Crisis, said: “Rough sleepers deserve better than to be treated as a nuisance – they may have suffered a relationship breakdown, a bereavement or domestic abuse.”

This will also affect people who have been evicted because they could not afford to keep up with soaring rents in the private sector or from having their benefits sanctioned.

The measure will criminalise people for having lost their homes and simply for being poor.

Campaigners say: “It is absurd to impose a fine of £1,000 on somebody who is already homeless and struggling. People should not be punished for the ‘crime’ of not having a roof over their head – there is nothing inherently "anti-social" or criminal about rough sleeping.

“Criminalising rough sleeping privileges the appearance of Hackney and the convenience of customers over the damage caused to the vulnerable and homeless.”

London Ambulance Service under ‘special measures’

THE LONDON Ambulance Service (LAS) has been rated as inadequate and is the first service in the country to be placed under special measures.

England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, recommended on Friday 27th November that the LAS NHS Trust should be placed into special measures following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

A team of inspectors found that the Trust delivered services that were caring but that improvements are reportedly needed on safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership.

The CQC found a shortage of trained paramedics, with some junior staff sent out on the front line with little supervision. Since May 2014 there had been a "significant" decline in the number of urgent calls attended in the target eight minutes.

The response time for the most urgent calls – which are supposed to be responded to within eight minutes – is the worst in the country according to the report.

Some black and minority ethnic staff also told the CQC that at times they felt “humiliated” and “ignored” by managers, with some claiming that they were overlooked for promotion.

Some of the ambulance stations inspected by the CQC were even found covered in black dust and so were medical supplies.

Dave Prentis, general secretary of the public sector union Unison, which represents thousands of ambulance workers, said: “This is a shocking indictment of the lack of funding that has gone to the ambulance service over the last five years. This is a particular problem in London where demand has soared in recent years.

“Sadly the CQC action was entirely predictable. Unison has been warning for over a year that the chronic problem of underfunding, lack of staff and the knock-on effect placed on those who remain would lead to a crisis in London Ambulance.

“Poor workforce planning, lack of investment in staff and the stress of the job have led to a recruitment and retention crisis which the government has failed to address.

“Unison has tried to engage with LAS to address these issues to ensure the service is able to continue providing high quality care and support for Londoners.”

The CQC recognised staff were “overwhelmingly dedicated, hardworking and compassionate”, but noted that “some reported a culture of harassment and bullying”.

Prentis added: “The job of paramedics has changed significantly in the past few years and their clinical skills and responsibilities have not been reflected in their pay.

“Instead of addressing the reasons why so many staff are leaving, London Ambulance has gone out to recruit staff from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

“Unless the Government takes urgent action, staff will continue to work long shifts with no breaks to deal with the relentless nature of working in emergency services. This will mean more paramedics leaving London.”

London’s toxic air

HUNDREDS of thousands of London schoolchildren are being forced to breathe air that is so toxic it breaches European Union legal limits, according to a report published last week by Policy Exchange and King’s College.

The report revealed that 328,000 – nearly a quarter of all London schoolchildren – attend schools where nitrogen dioxide levels were above the annual permitted level.

They included more than 30,000 children in Westminster, 29,000 in Tower Hamlets, 28,800 in Southwark, 26,300 in Camden, 24,000 in Kensington and Chelsea, 23,700 in Lambeth and 20,100 in Hackney.

Around 58 per cent of children in inner London boroughs are affected.

While the problem in outer London is not as bad, tens of thousands of pupils are still breathing toxic air, significantly blamed on diesel fumes, which scientists say will shorten many of their lives.

Scientists say children are more vulnerable than adults to dangerous air pollution, partly as their lungs are less developed.

Richard Howard, author of the report, said: “The case for tackling air pollution in London is clear. London’s air is unhealthy to breathe. Children are particularly vulnerable to unsafe levels of air pollution.”

The study measured average nitrogen dioxide concentration 100 metres around a point in schools’ grounds.

Many schools have good air filtration systems inside buildings, particularly modern ones, but pupils are still likely to be at risk from pollution during break time as they make their way between buildings and on their journeys to and from school.

The study also found that 3.8 million people, or 44 per cent of the workforce, are employed in areas of London with nitrogen dioxide pollution breaking EU rules.

The worst areas are Westminster, 687,000, Camden, 368,000 and the City, 360,000. In Oxford Street, one of the capital’s pollution blackspots, the average nitrogen dioxide concentration in the year to August was more than 150 micrograms per cubic metre, nearly four times the legal limit, the report said.

London news round-up

 National Gallery staff start indefinite strike

MEMBERS of the PCS civil service union at the National Gallery began an indefinite strike last week to coincide with the first day in charge of the gallery by new director Gabriele Finaldi.

The walk-out follows a series of strikes totalling 50 days of action since last February in a battle against privatisation.

The union remains opposed to the privatisation of all the gallery's visitor services and is fighting for the reinstatement of its senior representative Candy Udwin, who an interim tribunal has found was likely to have been sacked unlawfully for trade union activity in relation to the dispute.

The action is being escalated because the gallery has brought forward the announcement of the appointment of private security firm Securitas to manage the visitor-facing and security services on a five-year contract reportedly worth £40 million.

About 300 gallery assistants who guard paintings and help visitors will be affected. They will no longer be employed by the gallery and will instead work for Securitas.

There will be a picket line outside the gallery in Trafalgar Square between 9am and 11am every day, and Friday from 5pm to 6.30pm.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "Mr Finaldi has known about this dispute for a long time, but now he is in post we repeat our request for genuine negotiations to resolve it.

"This privatisation is not only unnecessary; we believe it risks the gallery's global reputation as one of our country's greatest cultural assets."

Nick McCarthy, the union's director of campaigns and communications, said: "We have no alternative but to go on strike, the privatisation is completely unnecessary.

"Today's strike is indefinite until such time as we are able to reach a solution with the gallery.

"Millions of tourists won't be able to get access to the vast majority of works of art in the gallery, and that's enormously regrettable, but the blame for this lies with the gallery. We have sought to negotiate, but the gallery refuses to engage on this and seems hell bent on outsourcing this contract."

Bromley bin dispute escalates

RESIDENTS of the London Borough of Bromley face the prospect of stinking dustbins from uncollected rubbish as about 100 refuse collection staff employed by waste disposal giant Veolia gear up for three days of strike action in a pay dispute.

About 100 workers, members of the giant union Unite voted 85 per cent in favour of striking on 24th August and 3rd and 4th September, after years of below inflation pay awards. The strikes will run from midnight to midnight.

Veolia was awarded the contract by Bromley council and Unite said that this dispute was another example of the flawed nature of the controversial authority’s mass privatisation programme which relies on cutting services and slashing wages.

Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “Employers have offered 1.5 per cent for the pay year starting last April – and we put in for a four per cent pay rise.

“Workers are angry, as they have to cover heavier and heavier workloads following a number of rounds being cut.

“For years they have had below inflation pay rises – but now that inflation has dropped, the employers are happy to use it as a bench mark so it’s a catch-and-match up claim.

“Our members have made it very clear that they are prepared to strike – we held three consultative votes, all of which voted to be balloted for strike action.

“Veolia should have got the message -- but it clearly hasn’t. That is why we have now issued notice for strike action. This is a very unhappy and demoralised workforce, being asked to take on more work but not being recognised for it.

“Veolia has a final chance for talks – we urge them to take that opportunity. The alternative is for the strike to go-ahead with the prospect of uncollected dustbins causing a stink in the late summer sunshine.

“The collection service will be a day behind initially and the further two days of action will hamper efforts to catch up and cause the service to householders to lag further behind.

“This dispute is another example of the council’s misguided privatisation programme which relies on Veolia cutting collection rounds for householders and real term pay cuts for our refuse collection members.”

The Conservative-dominated council is fully committed to becoming a commissioning council and reducing the number of council employees from 4,000 to 300 – despite having £130 million in reserves.

News Round-up

London boroughs exceed air pollution limits

 

 MINISTERS have admitted that only two London boroughs succeeded in keeping atmospheric nitrogen dioxide levels within European Union toxic gas limits in 2013 – the most recent year for which figures are available.

These two were Bromley and Sutton – on the outer edges of the capital. All the other London boroughs exceeded the limit.

Nitrogen dioxide is a pollutant created by diesel vehicles. The figures suggest that 24-hour EU limits for another pollutant, fine particulates known as PM10s, were met in every borough.

But limits for a more harmful, smaller pollutant, PM2.5, were missed in seven boroughs: Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Ealing, Tower Hamlets, Camden and Brent.

Sadiq Khan, the Labour MP who is campaigning for his party’s nomination as mayoral candidate, and who requested the numbers, said: “These figures paint a dismal picture of London’s long-term efforts to tackle air pollution and underline the need for a much bolder and more radical approach.”

Diane Abbott, also hoping to be Labour’s candidate foe London mayor, last month forced a House of Commons debate on rising air pollution in the capital.

  Paddington rally for two major rail strikes

 MEMBERS of the RMT rail union, the train drivers’ union Aslef, TSSA and Unite held a rally on Wednesday evening 8^th July in Paddington in support of two major rail strikes due to start on Wednesday evening – on First Great Western and on the London Underground.

The LU dispute centres on plans by Transport for London and London Mayor Boris Johnson to introduce 24-hour running of some LU lines at weekends.

Talks on Tuesday to avert the planned 24-hour strike failed. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT has received the latest offer from London Underground during the ACAS talks today

“Our representatives on London Underground have discussed it and are clear that it is divisive and unacceptable. While a small minority of staff are being offered a non-consolidated one-off lump sum the remainder of staff are ignored and the key issues of work/life balance and the personal health and safety concerns are side lined.

“The deal as it stands is financed off the back of the proposed axing of over 800 safety-critical station jobs and is deliberately constructed to play individuals off against each other in the most cynical fashion.

“RMT is a democratic organisation and the views of our reps on LU are being taken into account. There will be a meeting of the union executive tomorrow morning at which there will be a recommendation to reject the offer.

“As is normal in all industrial negotiations RMT will remain available for talks.”

There are also fears that the extra costs of keeping the Underground running all night will result in cuts to the London night bus services.

The First Great Western dispute centres on the introduction of new Hitachi Inter-City trains leading to a threat to jobs and safety. Talks to avert the strike failed on Monday.

The RMT union said on Monday: “Talks aimed at settling a dispute on First Great Western over the threat to jobs and safety from the introduction of the new Hitachi Inter-City trains have broken down without agreement and the 48 hours of strike action across the company starting at 18.30 hours on Wednesday 8th July goes ahead as planned.

“There will also be a rally in support of RMT’s members on FGW in their dispute at 17.00 hours Wednesday 8^th July at Paddington station.”

RMT said that First Great Western were simply playing for time in the talks and were going through the motions rather than tackling the fundamental issues at the heart of the dispute and addressing the union’s key points which are:

• ·         To keep a safety competent guard on every train.

• ·         To keep safety critical station despatch staff.

• ·         To keep buffet car facilities on every train.

• ·         To ensure that the maintenance of new rolling stock remains in-house.

• ·         No job losses.

Mick Cash said: “RMT has made every effort to secure a series of very basic assurances from FGW over jobs, services and safety as a result of the introduction of the new Hitachi fleet and they have shown no intention of addressing those issues in the talks today.

“RMT is angry and disappointed that the company have ignored the massive vote for action by their staff and have instead opted to plough ahead with a series of actions that will decimate jobs, services and safety.

“As a result of FGW collapsing the talks in this cavalier fashion the action goes ahead as planned.

“It is frankly ludicrous that East Coast, who are introducing the same trains, have given us the assurances we are seeking but FGW have ignored us and are crashing on with the ripping out of buffet cars and the threat to safety-critical station and train staff purely to maximise the profits from new trains bought for them by the British taxpayer.

“RMT will be out at stations this week with a public campaign to expose this shabby and profiteering treatment of both passengers and staff alike by a company that already has one of the worst reputations in the industry for milking the rotten rail privatisation racket for every penny they can.

“The ‘Worst Great Western’ tag has been wrapped around this outfit by their own passengers and RMT will be building alliances with the services users to exert further pressure to end this outrageous profiteering and corner-cutting that will come at a heavy price in terms of jobs and safety.”

Meanwhile another rail dispute is building on Northern Rail. An RMT ballot for both strike action and action short of a strike of station and guard’s grades members over the threat to jobs and safety and the creation of a two-tier workforce:

Eighty per cent voted for strike action and 90 per cent for action short of a strike.

The issues behind the dispute relate to the removal of permanent posts and the creation of zero-hour jobs via the contract with security company STM, cuts to booking offices and attacks on the role and responsibility of train guards.

News round-up

 Barking & Dagenham bin strike

  

STRIKING refuse collectors in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham are planning strike action on 18th, 19th and 20th March with a further two days on 7th and 8th April over a £1,000 pay cut for refuse drivers.

An overwhelming 75 per cent of the local community support the decision of members to take strike action to defend their wages says their union, GMB.

Keith Williams, GMB Senior Organiser said “Local residents were asked to respond to an independent online survey conducted by the Barking & Dagenham Post on Barking & Dagenham Council’s decision to cut pay of refuse/ cleansing drivers by £1,000 a year.

“An overwhelming 75 per cent of the local community support the decision of GMB members to take strike action to defend their wages.

“The residents have spoken and this shows the high esteem that they hold for the council employees who do such a valuable role in the community where they all live and serve.

“The Council should now listen to the public and do the right thing and reverse their arbitrary decision to cut the wages of GMB members by £1,000.”

 Domestic workers fight modern slavery

DOMESTIC workers donning suffragette costume staged a demonstration outside Parliament on Tuesday 17th March as MPs debated the crunch amendment to the Modern Slavery Bill, which reinstates the right of domestic workers to change employers.

Migrant Domestic Workers, part of Justice 4 Domestic Workers (J4DW) and the giant union Unite, as well as Kalayaan and Anti-Slavery International opposed the introduction of the tied visa system three years ago, which ties migrant domestic workers to their employer – a “form of modern day slavery”.

The tied visa system means migrant domestic workers are more fearful, more vulnerable to exploitation, and their right to legal redress has effectively been taken away, along with their status as a worker in their own right recognition so hard-fought for over decades and won from the Labour party with cross-party support in 1998.

But the House of Lords last month passed an amendment to the Modern Slavery bill which now allows domestic workers to change employers once in Britain and renew their visas, if in work.

 

Met chief wants CCTV in every home

METROPOLITAN Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe has called on all householders and businesses to install CCTV cameras in their homes and premises to help the police catch burglars.

He has even suggested the cameras be set at head height rather than higher up because pictures of tops of heads are not so good at capturing facial identities.

Civil rights campaigners are alarmed that this could be the final step towards the dystopian society portrayed in George Orwell’s 1984. And although the cameras would be there ostensibly to catch illegal intruders, they could also be used to monitor people in their own homes.

Hogan-Howe said in an interview with LBC radio that civilians should set up closed-circuit television (CCTV) in their homes to aid police by giving footage to match the 12 million images of criminal suspects and offenders the city has on record.

Hogan-Howe explained. “Taking the tops of their heads is not that helpful for facial recognition which relies on the eyes and the configuration of the area around the nose and the mouth. So we're trying to get people to, ideally, add a camera at face level.

“If anyone listening has a business, think about installing a new one; they're relatively cheap.”

Meanwhile David Cameron has expressed his intention to ban communication services like Snapchat, WhatsApp and iMessage if they continue to be encrypted from the security services. Under new surveillance plans private CCTV is completely unregulated.

Recommending greater use of CCTV to gather more images of people's faces “often innocent people’s faces” undermines the security of each and every one of us said Renate Samson of the pressure group Big Brother Watch.

Labour Party MP and committee chair Andrew Miller, speaking to a House of Commons committee, said: “We were alarmed to discover that the police have begun uploading custody photographs of people to the police national database and using facial recognition software without any regulatory oversight. Some of the people had not even been charged.”