mattmoorek

Publish medical pay says doctor

November 13, 2009 By mattmoorek Leave a Comment

Taking maternity is an attributing factor to the pay gap in the medical profession says report

Doctor’s wages should be published to give “transparency” to the profession, says the author of a landmark gender pay report.

There is a £15,000 gap between men and women in the medical profession in the UK, according to the report published by Imperial College London, the University of East Anglia and the British Medical Association (BMA).

Speaking to Edinburgh Napier News, Dr Anita Holdcroft, a co-author of the report said that women face many challenges in “career progression”.

Dr Holdcroft said: “This is an obstacle that can be overcome through increased transparency.

“We want more openness with regard to what salaries people are earning, and we’d like independent auditors to analyse these.”

Activists call for less ‘dirty’ economic policies at G20

November 6, 2009 By mattmoorek Leave a Comment

Matthew Moore

An alternative summit will take place on 7 November in St. Andrews

A coalition of charities, unions, and advocacy groups have banded together to protest the G20 meeting in St. Andrews tomorrow.

The bodies, many with individual issues, have been meeting for months to further a “common cause”.

A beach side protest, a photograph stunt, seminars and workshops have all been planned for the hundreds expected to gather from across Scotland.

The Group of 20 summit is made up of 19 finance ministers from the world’s richest countries and a European Union representative.

Francis Stuart of Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES) spoke to Edinburgh Napier News: “We’ve been involved in a steering groupd for months now, this is not about our own organisation, it’s about the common good.

“In the afternoon, we’re doing a workshop about carbon responsibility. Looking at the investments of banks on the climate, whether they are a cause for good or a cause for bad, more often than not they seem to be bad.”

One of the many issues FoES would like to see politicians commit to is more finance for developing countries.

“Long term, we’d like to see the developed world give 100 billion per annum to developing nations for mitigation and adaptation – to help cope with climate changes.

“We should give them money to develop as we (developed nations) did, but rather than in a dirty way, in a clean way,” said Mr Stuart.

In the short term, Mr Stuart said, FoES would like to see finance ministers commit to a low carbon economy.

Director of campaigns for Jubilee Scotland, James Picardo, spoke to Edinburgh Napier News about the results they would like the global meeting to produce.

“The G20 is coming together to discuss responses to the financial crisis, we want them to put people first, to implement climate friends policies with the focus on the wellbeing of people.”

A shadow council summit meeting in the afternoon is expected to draw several hundred people.

Mr Picardo said that the short term goal should be to ensure that in the current recession a risk assessment is carried out to minimise the effects.

“We need some form of emergency policies to make sure it (the recession) doesn’t affect the poorest of the poor.

“Longer term, we’d like to see a change in the climate of these discussions, they affect everyone and discussions should be more like United Nations conferences – with greater input from all more countries,” Mr Picardo said.

British Chancellor Alistair Darling spoke to European newspapers this morning ahead of meetings today and tomorrow.

Responding to criticism of the further £30 billion investment in banks this week he said: “We either take action and stop those problems happening or we fail to take action and we face bigger costs down the line.

“My message to my fellow finance ministers is there’s a job of work to be done here. I don’t think anyone seriously denies there’s a problem here. Let’s get on with it,” Mr Darling said.

G20 Protest Sponsors & Organisers:

World Development Agency
Christian Aid
Jubilee Scotland
National Union of Journalists
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Unison
STUC
Scottish Fair Trade Forum
Unite
Equity
Communication Workers Union
War On Want
Universities & College Union
SEAD
Oxfam
Take One Action
Justice & Peace Scotland
SCIAF
Tax Justice Network
Concern Worldwide

Filed Under: All Politics, Life and Society Tagged With: Alistair Darling, Friends of the Earth, G20 St.Andrews, Jubilee Scotland

Union boss says strikes ‘still relevant’

October 30, 2009 By mattmoorek Leave a Comment

Scotland’s top union group has defended striking as “very democratic” and “effective” as the next wave of industrial actions are expected.

As the Royal Mail disputes continue, the Unite union has proposed a legal challenge to British Airways today concerning cabin contracts.

The employment rights union want an injunction against the airline’s plan to administer new contract conditions without union consent.

The same union’s members in Scotland, today, voted to strike in response to closures at the Diageo plants in Kilmarnock and Port Dundas.

Ian Tasker, assistant secretary of policy and campaigns at the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) said: “Obviously, there is a number of issues relating to the effectiveness of strikes.

“The industry is changing in Scotland, take that together with attacks on the trade union legislation. However, we still think it is a justified and effective route to change. It’s a last resort, nobody takes it lightly.”

The STUC represents 640,000 members within 37 affiliated trade unions.

“You can easily get the impression from the media that the Royal Mail strikes are down to recent industrial problems, that’s wrong.

“The problems have been festering for years,” said Mr Tasker.

He said that although striking was becoming less common it was still the most valid form of protest.

“It’s a very democratic process. It’s the workers, through balloting, who decide when strike action is needed. Striking is the mechanism of change for the individuals.”

Royal Mail workers went on their first nation-wide strike last week after months of regional strikes.

Tensions between the unions and company bosses have risen following accusations that the Royal Mail has been employing temporary staff to deal with backlogs – the law on this practice is grey.

Mr Tasker said that it was “disappointing to see Gordon Brown and Lord Mandelson seemingly condoning it”.

“What really concerns us is that an employer like Royal Mail would go against what is principle and law, by employing temporary workers.”

The postal company defend their recruitment strategy calling it Christmas recruitment, however this is challenged by the unions who say that the number of temporary staff has doubled and been brought forward several weeks.

“We would argue that it’s wrong and unlawful,” added Mr Tasker.

Dr Simon J Clark, head of the school of economics at the University of Edinburgh, said striking had waned in recent years: “Strikes are much less common, certainly, than they used to be, partly due to changes in legislation – unions have to go through more loop holes.

“Labour markets have changed drastically, private sectors firms are less unionised than public sector ones,” he said.

Dr Clark said that international market changes had altered the value of striking as businesses modernised and outsourced, the competition for work grew.

“Going on strike doesn’t have the same adverse effects that it used to.

“In the current climate within the recession, workers aren’t in a strong position to go on strike. The growth of unskilled labour markets across the world are weakening the power of strikes.

“In the private sectors lots of people are taking wage cuts or negligible pay rises, whilst strikers are demanding more. So whether solidarity is stronger or weaker during a recession, is difficult to say.”

Filed Under: All Politics, Life and Society, Travel and Communities Tagged With: British Airways, Diageo, royal mail, strikes, STUC

MP calls for censoring BNP

October 23, 2009 By mattmoorek Leave a Comment

BNP leader Nick Griffin

By Matthew Moore

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has called for BBC Scotland to censor the “overtly racist” British National Party (BNP).

The SNP’s Westminster broadcasting spokesman, Pete Wishart, asked the institution to replicate BBC Wales’ decision to deny BNP representatives a platform.

The media outlet’s Welsh chiefs agreed with Plaid Cymru after they said the BNP should not be invited on to political debates.

In a letter to the BBC’s Scottish controller, Ken MacQuarrie, Mr Wishart said that as the BNP had no elected representatives in Scotland it had no base in the country.

The MP for Perth and North Perthshire called for the news organisation to jettison the fringe party from political discussion programmes.

Mr Wishart said: “The BNP should simply not be allowed a prime time platform to peddle their deeply offensive views.

“BBC Wales has ruled out any involvement by BNP representatives in their panel programmes, and BBC Scotland need to send the same clear message.”

The MP said that support for the party was so low that they have never gained more than 5 per cent of the vote in any by-election a candidate has stood in – failing to retain their £500 deposit.

“They have never kept their deposit in an election here and managed only a derisory vote in the European election,” said Mr Wishart.

In June the far right party won two seats in the European parliament and solidified growing support.

The BNP leader’s debut appearance on the BBC’s Question Time last night fuelled the issue.

Mr Griffin today accused the BBC of bias and bullying as he was subjected to an hour of attacks on his policies.

BNP spokesman, John Walker spoke to Edinburgh Napier News, Mr Walker said: “It seems bizarre in the extreme that the party can have councillors across the country, elected members of the European parliament and still not be given a fair amount of airtime.

“Just because we don’t have elected MP’s doesn’t mean we’re not entitled to coverage. It’s the main stream party’s pulling up the draw bridge after themselves.”

Mr Walker said that the party had received lots of supportive emails and phonecalls following their showing on Question Time.

“Many people even if they don’t support the BNP’s ideology believe we have a right to express our beliefs,” said Mr Walker.

The spokesman aimed some criticism at the SNP’s calling them a “false flag nationalist party”.

“It was only a few years ago that they were a fringe party.”

Filed Under: All Politics