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London bus workers vote to strike for £500 Olympic Games bonus
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- Created on Sunday, 10 June 2012 00:00
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London bus workers vote to strike for £500 Olympic Games bonus
Buses could be brought to a halt during Games
Dan Milmo, The ObserverUK
London bus workers on Saturday raised the threat of industrial action during the Olympics after voting to strike if they do not receive a £500 bonus.
Members of the Unite union supported industrial action by a ratio of more than nine to one, on a 38% turnout. The union is seeking the bonus, which will cost £14m, for the 20,000 bus workers it represents, claiming that all other transport workers are being paid a premium for working during the event. At least 800,000 extra passengers are predicted on buses during the Olympics.
{sidebar id=11 align=right}The ballot allows the union to name a date for a strike, but it has yet to do so. Unite said it was giving the 21 bus companies a final opportunity to consider the "landslide" ballot result before announcing possible strike dates early this week.
Unite official Peter Kavanagh said that negotiations had been going on for a year: "Our members are only asking for an extra £17 a day, which will just about buy you a pint of beer and a portion of fish and chips at the Olympics. Our members want the Games to be a success, but their patience has run out. Every single London transport worker will receive a reward to recognise their major contribution to this historic occasion except for bus workers. This dispute could be brought to an end now if the bus companies and TfL [Transport for London] have the will to provide the relatively small amount of money compared to the billions being spent on the Games."
Leon Daniels, TfL's managing director of surface transport, said: "I am not surprised that 70% of London's bus drivers did not vote for strike action. That is because about 70% of local bus services are not affected by the Olympic Games."
Daniels referred to the potential bonus as "a further multi-million pound burden to the hard-pressed farepayers and taxpayers of London".
The turnout is likely to rile London mayor Boris Johnson, who has called for a minimum voting threshold of 50% to be imposed on strike ballots. Unite argues that Johnson was re-elected as mayor last month on the same turnout.
Last week the RMT union reached a deal for Underground workers that will see employees receive up to £850 each for working during the Games.
The bus operators argue that they cannot afford extra payments under the strict terms of their contracts with the mayor's transport authority. TfL has said the payments are a matter for operators.
It is understood that the conciliation service Acas has not been contacted but it is one option for bus operators and Johnson if they want to head off the immediate threat of strike dates. Under the terms of the 1992 Trade Union and Labour Relations Act, Unite cannot target the Olympics straight away for negotiation leverage.
According to the act, Unite now has 28 days to stage industrial action in order to keep its mandate alive. If that does not happen, its members will not be able to strike during the Olympics or Unite and would have to launch a new ballot.
Source: The Guardian UK
No commentsLiberia closes Ivorian frontier after peacekeeper deaths
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- Created on Saturday, 09 June 2012 00:00
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Liberia closes Ivorian frontier after peacekeeper deaths
Buses could be brought to a halt during Games
Liberia has closed its border with Ivory Coast after the killing of seven UN peacekeepers from Niger. Abidjan has vowed to find the perpetrators of the attack, the worst since the UN deployed to Ivory Coast in 2004.
Liberia closed its border with Ivory Coast on Saturday, after seven UN peacekeepers were killed in an ambush near the two countries' frontier.
{sidebar id=11 align=right}At least eight civilians were also killed in Friday's attack, accordng to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN peacekeepers from Niger had been responding to reports of gunmen moving into civilian areas near the town of Tai, located in Ivory Coast's southwest not far from the Liberian border.
The acting spokeswoman for the UN mission in Ivory Coast, Sylvie van den Wildenberg, told the Associated Press that the peacekeepers were on a reconnaissance patrol in a convoy when they were ambushed.
"This is the first time we have ever had such a type of attack in Ivory Coast," Van den Wildenberg said. "It's a very tough time for the whole mission here right now"
HRW suspects Gbagbo loyalists
{sidebar id=10 align=right}Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on Wednesday claiming that armed militias loyal to former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo were using Liberia as a staging ground to launch cross border raids. The militias have launched four such raids since June 2011, resulting in the deaths of 40 civilians, according to HRW.
The New York-based rights group criticized Liberia for not doing enough to stop the militias, which are also accused of recruiting child soldiers as young as 14. Although the group responsible for Friday's ambush of UN peacekeepers remains unclear, Liberia announced that it had shut down its border.
"The Liberian government has decided the immediate closure of its border with Ivory Coast," Liberian Information Minister Lewis Brown told a press conference in the capital, Monrovia, on Saturday.
Ivory Coast vows to find perpetrators
The Ivorian deputy defense minister, Paul Koffi Koffi, said on Saturday that the government was coordinating an operation with Liberian and UN forces to find the people responsible for the attack, describing them as "militiamen or mercenaries."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who condemned the attack on Friday, said that peacekeepers in the region remained in danger.
"Their colleagues are still in danger," Ban told reporters in New York. "Even tonight, after the attack, more than 40 peacekeepers remain with the villagers to protect them from this armed group."
The UN mission in Ivory Coast (ONUCI) has been operating in the francophone West African nation since 2004. Some 40 nations contribute to the 10,000-strong mission.
Ivory Coast was plunged into turmoil after Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede a November 2010 president election that he lost to opponent Alassane Ouattara. Six months of violence ensued in which some 3,000 people died. Gbagbo was eventually ousted with the help of UN and French forces in April 2011. He is now awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on war crimes charges.
slk/ipj (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Source: Deutsche Welle
World Environment Day kicks off in Brazil
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- Created on Tuesday, 05 June 2012 00:00
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World Environment Day kicks off in Brazil
As World Environment Day is celebrated around the world, our correspondent hits the streets of Sao Paulo to find if Brazil's future is green.
It's just a matter of weeks before policy makers and business leaders descend on Brazil to take part in Rio+20 talks on poverty reduction and environmental protection. As part of the countdown, Rio is holding a massive week-long festival to mark World Environment Day. Across the city, there are green-themed concerts, workshops on sustainable practices, eco-friendly fashion shows and even an interactive exhibit called 'Feel the Climate', which allows visitors to experience the effects of climate change.
{sidebar id=11 align=right}Supermodel plants trees
The United Nation's Environment Programme has enlisted the help of supermodel Gisele Bündchen. She's a UNEP Goodwill Ambassador and promoted World Environment Day by taking part in a tree planting event. With a shovel in hand, she planted a sapucaia tree, which is native to Brazil, and encouraged spectators to think green.
"The most important thing we can do is to raise awareness and educate people about what's happening, about our impact on the environment and how everyone can do their part,” the model said.
Brazil's politicians also marked World Environment Day, calling for new strategies to address poverty, while conserving resources and protecting wildlife. The Brazilian government faces a huge challenge heading into the Rio+20 talks, as it attempts to protect the interests of a rapidly growing economy, while pursuing principles of sustainability. But at Environment Day events, Brazilian Environment Minister Izabel Teixeira sounded optimistic.
"For us, this is an honor. We understand this is the moment to countdown to the Rio+20 conference. We need to be ambitious for the outcomes," she said.
Green Economy
Teixeira has been working with the UNEP's Executive Director Achim Steiner to promote green tourism. He pointed out that tourism is the world's biggest industry, accounting for around 11 percent of global GDP and some eight per cent of jobs worldwide. He wants to see travelers make choices which have a positive impact on local ecology. His Green Passport program has already been introduced in Ecuador, Costa Rica and South Africa. It's a passport-style document full of advice on how to make a holiday more sustainable. Now, he's introduced the passport in Brazil.
Looking back at the first "Earth Summit," which was held in Brazil in 1992, Steiner said the country had come along way.
{sidebar id=10 align=right}"Of the many countries on this planet, Brazil stands out as a nation (that) since 1992 has taken the sustainable development paradigm ...forward. As the world returns to celebrate World Environment Day in 2012, Brazil is a very different country - economically, socially and environmentally," Steiner said.
This year's World Environment Day focused on building a green economy. The UN defines a green economy as one in which growth and employment are driven by investments that reduce carbon emissions, enhance energy, use resources efficiently and guard against the loss of biodiversity.
According to UNEP's report 'Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication', Brazil has enormous potential to lead the world toward environmentally responsible models of business. The report points out that two-thirds of all vehicles in Brazil are fuelled with ethanol and almost half of Brazil's energy supply is tapped from renewable sources.
Lack of respect for nature
But not everyone is as optimistic. In the streets of Sao Paulo, some expressed concern that World Environment Day events were glossing over the situation in Brazil.
"I don't see a reason to celebrate here in Sao Paulo," said Jessica Palon, a resident of the city. "People don't respect the environment. They throw garbage anywhere. If you look at Sao Paulo, Brazil doesn't score any points."
Gabriela Floriano, a student here, felt the same way. "There is a lack of respect for nature. Just look around. There are almost no plants or forests... People need to think a little more about the future of the planet," he told DW.
Experts are also divided on Brazil's commitment to green economic growth. Ricardo Baitelo coordinates Greenpeace's renewable energy campaign in Brazil. He says Brazil's development model fails to effectively address sustainability.
"We don't have reasons to celebrate. ...If we look at the electricity matrix, we are obviously ahead of the world average. But when we talk about a green or sustainable economy, we have to look at the entire chain and we have to look at the entire process," he said.
"Unfortunately, we have a lot of deforestation attached to not only cattle and soya production but to iron production and infrastructure projects. When we look at the broader picture, you see we have a big impact and we intend to expand this impact."
Author: Milton Bragatti / shc Editor: Jessie Wingard
Source: Deutsche Welle
Legal experts criticise justice secretary's new powers to select judges
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- Created on Wednesday, 06 June 2012 00:00
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Legal experts criticise justice secretary's new powers to select judges
Lady Neuberger says Ken Clarke's involvement in selection of lord chief justice and supreme court president is a 'disgrace'
Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent
The enhanced role of the justice secretary in the selection of England and Wales's most senior judges has come under fierce attack from a leading advocate for judicial reform.
{sidebar id=11 align=right}Lady Neuberger, who chaired the last government's advisory panel on judicial diversity, has described the inclusion on the panel of Ken Clarke, who is also the lord chancellor, as a "disgrace".
Allowing the lord chancellor to take part in selection meetings, as proposed by the government's crime and courts bill, would breach the constitutional division of powers between the political executive and the judiciary, Neuberger warned.
Addressing a lunch organised by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx), Neuberger, who is also a rabbi, praised most of the contents of the bill. But she highlighted changes in the lord chancellor's role that will involve him directly in the appointment of the lord chief justice and the president of the supreme court, two of the country's most senior judges.
"The government have put one thing [in the bill] that I think is a true disgrace," Neuberger said. "Against what the constitution committee in the House of Lords had to say, they have put in a provision for the lord chancellor to be a member of the selection panel for the most senior judges …
"We set up the Judicial Appointments Commission because it was important to separate powers. This is a constitutional issue. I think the lord chancellor is trying to fudge it.
{sidebar id=10 align=right}"If you have the lord chancellor as a member and not chairing it, how [is he] going to feel about that if they vote down [the lord chancellor's favourite]? So I feel very strongly. This is clearly wrong."
In the House of Lords, Lady Jay, who chairs the constitution committee, raised similar objections to the changes earlier this week. "In terms of constitutional principle," she said, "the most significant is the decision to allow the lord chancellor to sit as a member of the selection panels for the lord chief justice and president of the supreme court. I have two concerns about this …
"The inclusion of the lord chancellor on the selection panel risks the politicisation of the process, which would clearly run contrary to the principles behind it. Secondly, the government propose to balance the inclusion of the lord chancellor on these selection panels with the removal of his current power to reject the decision of those panels …
"However, it raises the prospect, at least in theory, of the lord chancellor being outvoted on the panel and thus finding himself faced with a lord chief justice or president of the supreme court with whom the executive did not feel able to work. The government may need to think again about this proposal."
Other changes in the bill will see the lord chancellor relinquish other powers over judicial appointments. His ability to select judges below the level of the high court is to be transferred to the lord chief justice.
CILEx is the professional association for those who enter the law without first becoming a solicitior or barrister. It supports opening up the judiciary to those from more diverse backgrounds.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The government is committed to upholding the independence of the judiciary and the selection decision for these two vital appointments will continue to be based solely on merit.
"The lord chancellor is responsible and held publicly accountable for ensuring an effective justice system. As part of this he already has the power to reject the selection panel's recommendation for president of the UK supreme court and lord chief justice for England and Wales.
"He will give this veto up if he becomes part of the selection panel. Senior members of the judiciary will also be represented on the panel and there will be an independent chair."
Source: The Guardian UK, 01 June 2012
Hamburg anti-fascists set light to barricades
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Hamburg anti-fascists set light to barricades
Thousands have taken to the streets in the German city of Hamburg, in a counter-demonstration to a neo-Nazi march. Barricades set up to prevent the far-right parade were set alight by counter demonstrators.
Some 10,000 demonstrators against the far-right flocked to the rally at Hamburg's Rathausplatz, under the banner "Hamburg shows its True Colors."
{sidebar id=11 align=right}"We stand together," Mayor of Hamburg Olaf Scholz told the rally, organized by a broad coalition of politicians, political parties, trade unions and social organizations. "We are proud to be a cosmopolitan city."
The counter demonstrators significantly outnumbered participants in the German parade, named The Day of the German Future.
Some 700 neo Nazis took part in the march along a route that was shortened amid instances of violence.
Effort to hinder parade
In the district of Wandsbeck, some 4,400 people gathered separately to block the planned path of the parade - some of them erecting barriers that were subsequently set alight.
Cars, including police vehicles were also set on fire, with stones thrown at police as they moved in around the counter demonstrators.
Officers were unable to remove those blocking the route, although the blazes were largely extinguished with water cannons. "There were simply too many counter-demonstrators," said a police spokeswoman.
Some 19 police officers were reported to have been injured, with 12 arrests, mainly of anti-Nazi demonstrators.
rc/jlw (dapd, dpa, AFP) Source: Deutsche Welle