Thousands staging pensions strike

30 June 2011 Last updated at 14:19 GMT Ben Brown reports from London, Colette Hume reports from Wales and James Cook has the latest from Scotland

Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers have gone on strike across the UK over planned pension changes.

Teachers from three unions have walked out and about 40% of state schools in England and Wales have been closed or partially shut.

The Public and Commercial Services union, which includes police support and border staff, are also on strike.

The government says the plans are "fair to taxpayers" and other unions are continuing with negotiations.

It has condemned the strike as has the opposition, although Labour leader Ed Miliband has accused ministers of mishandling negotiations with the unions.

The action by the National Union of Teachers (NUT), the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and the University and College Union (UCU) affects England and Wales.

The unions say the proposals would mean more work and contributions for a reduced pension.

Department for Education data suggests that 11,114 of the 21,500 state schools in England were hit by the walkouts.

It said in total, 5,679 schools were shut, and another 4,999 were partially closed. Some 201 academies and city technology colleges were also shut, while 235 remained partially open. In Wales, according to local authority figures, more than 1,000 out of 1,800 schools were either closed or partially closed.

Continue reading the main story

A two-mile protest procession from Lincoln's Inn Fields to Westminster made slow progress along Aldwych, the Strand and Whitehall, usually some of London's busiest thoroughfares.

Women, men and children in sandals, summer dresses and shorts waved flags, blew whistles - and booed as Downing Street came into view.

The mood was carnival-like but the message was one of anger. Teachers don't want to work until 68 but do want the final salary pension they were promised when they started out.

The media, they said, had painted a false picture of an unpopular strike. Onlookers held mixed views. A builder wished them luck, others said that, as taxpayers, they couldn't support the costs.

The security operation was huge - three police helicopters, hundreds of officers stationed along the route and 20 leading the procession itself.

So far, they seem to have had a quiet day, with many protesters reporting a peaceful march. As a small rally was held in Westminster, a group sat down outside the Department for Work and Pensions offices and began chanting "DWP, pension thief" to a drum beat.

The impact of the co-ordinated industrial action began to be felt at ports and airports on Wednesday evening, when some UK Border Agency staff walked out from 1800 BST.

Arriving passengers, but not departing ones, were told to expect delays. However, most airports and ports are not currently reporting any difficulties.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said his members were left with no choice but to take action as the government was not prepared to "compromise on any of the central issues of the strike".

"While they are talking, they are not negotiating," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The walkouts by the PCS, which has around 260,000 members, are being staged across the UK.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson says 90% of police staff who handle calls from the public have not turned up for work and as a result officers were responding more slowly to requests for helpAbout 30,000 workers are on strike in Scotland, including staff at the Scottish parliament, the passport office in Glasgow and civilian employees at defence establishments such as HMS Naval Base FaslaneIn Wales, all national museums have been closed to the public and the DVLA is operating a reduced serviceHome Office employees are among 3,000 people striking in Northern Ireland. Belfast International Airport has warned of possible flights delays as immigration and customs officers join the actionThere are PCS pickets outside the Old Bailey but the courts are open. At Inner London Crown Court, there are no trials sitting with juries and the PCS union says other Crown, magistrates and coroners courts are disruptedThe Maritime and Coastguard Agency said there have been some walkouts but all coastguard stations are "operational and appropriately manned"The Department of Work and Pensions said 18 of the 750 Jobcentre Plus offices across the country were closed, and 40% of staff were on strike In London, where police leave has been cancelled, union leaders and activists marched to Westminster for a rallyIn Liverpool, some 537 out of the 550 staff at the passport office are on strike. Most civil servants at Ministry of Defence and Criminal Records Bureau offices in the city have also walked out

The government said that about 100,000 of the UK's 500,000 civil servants were on strike.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude said: "What today has shown is that the vast majority of hard working public sector employees do not support today's premature strike...

"Reform of public sector pensions is inevitable, but we will ensure that public sector pensions will still be among the very best, with a guaranteed pension which very few private sector staff now enjoy. But they will be paid later because people live longer."

Earlier, he told BBC One's Breakfast: "People are going to be scratching their heads, wondering why teachers and some civil servants are going on strike while discussions are still going."

Writing on Twitter, Mr Miliband said: "These strikes are wrong at a time when negotiations are going on. People have been let down by both sides - the Govt has acted recklessly".

Meanwhile, Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the NUT, said: "We realise that it's very disruptive for parents and we do regret that. We had hoped to reach a settlement before the industrial action, but the government isn't serious about talks."

Continue reading the main story Schools: Based on information about 75% of schools in England, one third to close, one third to open as normal and one third to be "partially affected". In Wales, more than 1,000 out of 1,800 closed or partially closedJob centres and courts: Will remain open "wherever possible"Benefits: Little disruption expected as 98% of claims are automatedCustoms/immigration: Trained managers to be redeployed to ensure full checks are conducted and borders remain secureCivil service: One in five workers will strike. Staff to be allowed to bring their children into workMiles Templeman, director general of the Institute of Directors told the BBC he believes the strikes have the potential to damage the UK economy.

He said: "We want to be seen as the best country for people to invest in - these sort of messages send something very different.

"The private sector has had to wake up to the tough realities of pension provision in a rapidly changing world, and the public sector must do the same."

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said that people on both sides of the negotiations, as well as Labour Party figures with good union connections, "continue to believe that a deal is the only way that will see the resolution of this - and that a deal is possible".

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber told a rally in Exeter: "The living standards of low and medium-paid public sector workers are being hammered in the name of reducing the deficit... Meanwhile those who caused the crisis are getting off scot free."

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

View the original article here

Thousands face ash flight delays

24 May 2011 Last updated at 15:51 GMT Eurocontrol's Brian Flynn explains how the ash cloud is being monitored as passengers wait at airports in northern Europe

Thousands of passengers have had their flights cancelled because of drifting ash from an Icelandic volcano.

Airports affected include Londonderry, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick, Durham Tees Valley, Newcastle and Carlisle, air traffic services company Nats said.

The UK's emergency response committee, Cobra, met to discuss the knock-on effects of the ash cloud.

Air traffic management body Eurocontrol said about 500 flights were cancelled across Europe on Tuesday.

UK air traffic control service Nats said the ash cloud would continue to affect flights from some airports in Scotland and northern England from 1900 BST on Tuesday until 0100 BST on Wednesday.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, who led the Cobra talks, said although there would be widespread disruption for Scottish airports, it was unlikely to last long.

"At the moment the model suggests that disruption later in the week is likely to be limited, but of course the weather patterns are changing all the time," he said.

The Met Office said the ash had reached northern Scotland and would spread across much of the UK by the end of the day.

But forecasters said changing wind patterns made it hard to predict its exact path and concentrations would vary between regions.

The following airlines have announced cancellations:

British Airways will not operate any flights to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle on TuesdayKLM cancelled flights to and from Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Newcastle as well as from Durham Tees Valley AirportAer Lingus cancelled 12 flights to and from Glasgow, Aberdeen and EdinburghFlybe cancelled 11 flights to and from ScotlandBMI has cancelled all flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow for the rest of TuesdayLoganair, based in Glasgow, has cancelled 38 flights. Only inter-island routes in Orkney are unaffectedEastern Airways will not be operating any services in or out of Scottish airspaceEasyjet has cancelled flights to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen and Newcastle until 1900 BSTRyanair has cancelled all flights to and from Scotland for the rest of Tuesday

Minor air traffic disruptions were also reported in Norway and a small part of Denmark.

Despite later cancelling its flights, the Irish carrier Ryanair claimed it had made a test flight through ash over Scotland and challenged a ruling some flights should be grounded.

Ryanair said its 90-minute flight at 41,000ft showed there was "no visible volcanic ash cloud or evidence of ash on the airframe, wings or engines".

Ryanair said the "red zone" over Scottish airspace where ash has been classified "high-density" was invented by the Met Office and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Continue reading the main story During last year's disruption, the advice was for planes to avoid the ash at all costsSince then, the CAA has worked towards a better understanding of what engines can takeThere are now three recognised levels of ash concentrationLow: 0 to 0.002 grammes per cubic metreMedium: 0.002 to 0.004 grammes per cubic metreHigh: Over 0.004 grammes per cubic metreThere are no restrictions on flying in low ash concentrationHowever if an airline wants planes to fly through medium or high concentration ash, it must put forward a "safety case" to its aviation authority showing it has assessed whether the aircraft will be able to copeThe safety case includes information from a series of tests and from consultations between the airlines and plane manufacturersBut a CAA spokesperson said: "The CAA can confirm that at no time did a Ryanair flight enter the notified area of high contamination ash over Scotland this morning."

BBC transport correspondent Richard Scott said the CAA confirmed Ryanair were being, at best, "misleading".

The cancellations come just over a year after another volcanic eruption in Iceland caused widespread disruption across Europe, including the closure of UK airspace, amid concerns about the damage volcanic ash could cause to engine aircraft.

This year, in the UK, the decision on whether to fly or not in ash cloud conditions is down to individual airlines subject to aviation authority approval.

The CAA said procedures were "totally different" to last year and although no airlines had applied to fly in high-density ash, some had applied for, and been given, permission to fly in medium ash.

The Grimsvotn volcano in Vatnajokull National Park began erupting on Saturday and closed Iceland's airspace for a period.

Experts say the eruption is on a different scale to the one last year and ash particles are larger and, as a result, fall to the ground more quickly.

Frances Tuke, from travel industry body Abta, urged passengers to contact their airlines, which he said had legal obligations to their customers.

He said passengers could have a claim under European "denied boarding" regulations.

These state that if a flight is cancelled or delayed for more than five hours, passengers are entitled to be either re-routed, given a replacement flight, or a refund.

Since last year, the CAA has graded ash levels as low, medium or high, and airlines are notified if levels reach medium or high.

All British aircraft can fly in medium-density ash but the airlines need to consider whether to fly, according to risk assessments.

The Foreign Office is advising passengers to remain in regular contact with their travel agent or airline for the latest news on the status of flights and bookings.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

View the original article here