Latest news with #Unite
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Glasgow taxi number rise would cause 'irreversible damage'
Glasgow taxi and private hire drivers have claimed enough cabs are already operating in the city and say lifting a cap on numbers could risk public the union and the Scottish Private Hire Association (SPHA) led a rally outside Glasgow city chambers on Wednesday, calling for the retention of policies which limit the number of app Uber and business leaders in the city are in favour of scrapping the limit, while concerns have been raised about the availability of cabs, particularly late at night. However, drivers at the rally warned changes to the cap could "flood the market" and force them to work extra hours, causing safety risks. The council recently held a consultation on the policies were last reviewed in 2023, when Glasgow's licensing committee agreed to make 255 more private hire car licences available to address demand at busy research previously showed that anxieties over finding transport home can put people off visiting the city centre in the evening, which can hit the night time Scoffield, a private hire driver, said the city centre "is on its knees" currently, and upping the number of drivers would further squeeze money. He said: "You go through the city, there are cars parked up everywhere. If you increase the number, you are going to cause damage to the trade that is irreversible."Other drivers said they feared companies could "flood the market" with drivers having to "chase the work". 'Wide range of opinion' Currently, the limit on taxi operators is 1,420 and private hire cars 3,450. Private hires are at the limit, with hundreds of bids for new licences rejected over the past year. The number of taxis has been below the cap.A report on the findings from the consultation over numbers will be presented to the licensing committee in the coming months, before any decision is made.A spokesman for the city council said private hire car services had undergone considerable change in recent said: "Committee members therefore wished to reflect on whether the policies that regulate these services remain proportionate and necessary."The recent consultation on the number of taxi and private hire cars eligible to operate in Glasgow was open to all and has drawn in a wide range of opinion on this matter." Story by Local Democracy Reporting Service reporter Drew Sandelands.
The Herald Scotland
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Edinburgh travel disruption threats dropped as deal reached
As a result, proposals for strike action have been rolled back. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'Unite has successfully negotiated a good pay deal for Menzies Aviation workers based at Edinburgh airport. 'Our Runway to Success campaign across Scottish airports continues to deliver win after win. The Menzies deal demonstrates why Unite is the leading trade union for airport workers because we do what we promise: we deliver better jobs, pay and conditions.' A similar pay scheme was agreed to at Glasgow Airport, as 300 Menzies workers accepted a 4% increase for new starters, rising to 10% based on service time. Carrie Binnie, Unite industrial officer, added: 'Unite is delighted to have secured another pay win for Menzies Aviation workers at Edinburgh airport. The deal overwhelmingly backed by our members builds on the successes of recent years. Basic pay, shift and overtime rates are all improved along with a reward for the length of service for the Menzies workers.' In May, Menzie Aviation workers at Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports; which include dispatchers, airside agents, and controllers, rejected a basic increase of 4%, leading to fears that industrial action could disrupt summer travel plans. Read more: Donald Trump met by large protests outside Aberdeenshire golf course 'Cinema can be political': Inside Scotland's only all-female film festival 'Awa wi ye': What I saw at Donald Trump's frosty welcome in Aberdeen Flights from Edinburgh Airport were delayed last night after an nationwide air traffic control outage sparked chaos yesterday. In a statement, a spokesperson said: 'We thank passengers for their patience while we work to return to normal operations. Please continue to check with your airline for the latest information on your flight.' Menzies Aviation has been approached for comment.
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major update on strike action affecting 300 workers at Scots airport during summer travel season
It comes amid an update at another airport AIR WE GO! AIR WE GO! Major update on strike action affecting 300 workers at Scots airport during summer travel season Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) UNION chiefs have issued an update on strikes at Scottish airports this summer. Around 300 workers at Menzies Aviation were set to walk off the job amid a pay dispute. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Menzies Aviation staff were in a pay dispute with airport chiefs Credit: PA:Press Association 4 Around 300 workers were set to strike Credit: Getty 4 Summer strikes have been avoided at Edinburgh Airport Credit: Andrew Barr - The Sun Glasgow The airport operations staff were calling for more cash. A strike could have seen chaos for Scots jetting off on their holidays. But bosses eventually got back around the table and sorted pay deals with reps. Menzies staff at Edinburgh Airport will now get pay hikes between 6.5 and 10 per cent. Dispatchers, allocators, airside agents and controllers will all receive a pay rise under the new deal, which has called off the strike. It comes as strikes at Glasgow were avoided after workers there achieved a similar deal. New starters in Glasgow are set to receive a four per cent pay rise while others will get ten per cent. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:'Unite has successfully negotiated a good pay deal for Menzies Aviation workers based at Edinburgh airport. 'Our Runway to Success campaign across Scottish airports continues to deliver win after win. "The Menzies deal demonstrates why Unite is the leading trade union for airport workers because we do what we promise: we deliver better jobs, pay and conditions.' Moment cops storm Jet2 flight and haul off two drunk passengers who 'downed bottle of vodka during delay' Carrie Binnie, Unite industrial officer, added:'Unite is delighted to have secured another pay win for Menzies Aviation workers at Edinburgh airport. "The deal overwhelmingly backed by our members builds on the successes of recent years. "Basic pay, shift and overtime rates are all improved along with a reward for the length of service for the Menzies workers.'
The National
14 hours ago
- Business
- The National
300 Menzies workers at Edinburgh Airport agree to 10 per cent pay rise
The one-year pay deal, overwhelmingly accepted by the Menzies workers, amounts to an average increase of 6.5% with some members gaining up to 10%. An additional success for Unite was negotiating the introduction of a pay grade system which rewards length of service and skills. The pay award covers dispatchers, allocators, airside agents and controllers. Another 300 Menzies Aviation workers recently secured a similar pay deal at Glasgow airport which establishes a 4% minimum increase for new starters, and up to 10% for workers depending on grades. READ MORE: Kelly Given: We must protect what is at heart of Scottish NHS Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'Unite has successfully negotiated a good pay deal for Menzies Aviation workers based at Edinburgh airport. 'Our Runway to Success campaign across Scottish airports continues to deliver win after win. The Menzies deal demonstrates why Unite is the leading trade union for airport workers because we do what we promise: we deliver better jobs, pay and conditions.' Overall, 600 Menzies workers across both airports have overwhelmingly backed pay deals bringing to an end the threat of industrial action. Carrie Binnie, Unite industrial officer, added: 'Unite is delighted to have secured another pay win for Menzies Aviation workers at Edinburgh airport. The deal overwhelmingly backed by our members builds on the successes of recent years. Basic pay, shift and overtime rates are all improved along with a reward for the length of service for the Menzies workers.' Unite has clocked up a string of recent successes as part of its ongoing "Runway To Success" campaign which is designed to establish standards above the legal minimums across Scottish airports. It includes recent wage wins for 100 North Air workers across Scottish airports, 400 workers across companies based at Aberdeen airport and a further 740 workers based at Glasgow airport covering ICTS, Menzies Aviation, Falck firefighters, ABM and OCS.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Caroline Shelton obituary
My friend and former colleague Caroline Shelton, who has died aged 67 of cancer, was a tutor in trade union studies and a trade union activist, with a special interest in health and safety. Having been a shop steward while working in the computing sector, in the early 1990s she became a lecturer in trade union studies at South Thames College in London, where she was elected as health and safety officer of her Unite union branch and nominated to join me and other colleagues on the board of the London Hazards Centre, which helps Londoners to assert their right to live and work in a safe, healthy environment. She was also a Unite delegate to the Kent and Medway Trades Union Congress, a Labour councillor in Gravesend, Kent, for a number of years, and a Labour delegate to Gravesend constituency Labour party. Caroline was born in Gravesend, and was raised in a trade union-supporting family. Her bookbinder mother, Joy (nee Mitchell), was a mother of chapel in the Sogat printing union, and her lorry-driver father, Gordon Shelton, was an enthusiastic member of the Transport and General Workers' Union. In 1967, when Caroline was 11, the family moved to Wellington in New Zealand, where she attended Wellington East girls' college before returning to Gravesend in 1972, after which her education continued at Wombwell Hall school in nearby Northfleet. She also attended the Royal College of Music on Saturdays before going on to study music at Goldsmiths College (now Goldsmiths, University of London). After graduating from there in 1980, Caroline began working as a peripatetic music teacher for the Inner London Education Authority, travelling around various schools, before deciding that computing offered her better prospects. A year studying computing at Bristol Polytechnic (now University of the West of England) followed, after which she worked for Bowater-Scott and Wellcome Dartford (later subsumed into GlaxoSmithKline) in Gravesend. There she was elected as the shop-steward of her MSF/Amicus trade union branch, as well as a delegate to the MSF/Amicus London regional council and its annual conferences. In 1992 she changed tack again to become a lecturer at South Thames College in Lewisham, teaching trade union studies there while also freelancing for the Workers' Education Association and Ruskin College Oxford. In 2011 she was elected as a Labour councillor in Gravesend, and in 2018 she became health and safety officer of her Unite trade union branch. Caroline attended pickets and protests with her branch banner for as long as she could, and saw active trade union branches as being essential to challenging all social injustices and mitigating all work-related hazards. When ill health forced her to resign from our board in March, she was elected honorary president 'in grateful appreciation for her many years' service as a determined fighter for a safer London'. She is survived by her younger brother, Craig.
