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Saturday, 19 March 2022

BBC News

• P&O Ferries: Larne Port protest over P&O Ferries sackingsOne worker, who lost his job, describes treatment of staff on Thursday as
• London bus strike: Walkout suspended after new pay offerThe planned 24-hour stoppage would have disrupted services in south and central London.
• P&O Ferries sackings: Government to review contracts with ferry firmThe transport secretary has questioned whether the firm's dismissal of 800 staff was legal.

Financial Times

• P&O Ferries scandal: was sacking 800 staff legal? Move to replace UK-based crew has led to outrage and request for Insolvency Service to investigate

The Guardian

• The government is too cosy with P&O's owners to strengthen workers' rights | Louise HaighNever again should any company think they can treat British workers with such contemptLouise Haigh is the shadow transport secretary
• Are the P&O Ferries mass sackings a result of Brexit?Analysis: UK government claimed EU exit would let it change employment law, but it has not yet done soTo the layperson, the unceremonious sacking of 800 P&O Ferries workers may look like a consequence of Britain leaving the EU, with any legal action by the trade unions turning into the first big test of workers’ rights post-Brexit.Despite Boris Johnson’s assurances that Britain’s departure from the EU would be better for UK workers, there have been fears it would be seen by the government as an opportunity to erode workers’ rights in a bid to increase competitiveness. Continue reading....
• P&O Ferries told it could face unlimited fine if sackings unlawfulBusiness secretary suggests company appears not to have followed processes for large-scale redundancies. The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, has warned P&O Ferries it could face an unlimited fine if its summary sacking of 800 British staff is found to have breached the law, as protests against the company's actions took place at ports across the country.

Times Online

• Ministers probing whether P&O Ferries broke law in sacking 800 crew [subscription]Downing Street is “looking very closely” at the legality of P&O Ferries’s decision to fire 800 crew without warning.
• P&O Ferries boss praised staff months before sacking 800 [subscription]The chief executive of P&O Ferries had spoken of how “essential” his staff were months before 800 were sacked without notice and replaced with cheaper overseas workers.

The Mirror

• 'Tories should outlaw fire and rehire after P&O Ferries sacked 800 staff'If the Conservatives genuinely want to show solidarity with 800 P&O staff who lost their jobs – and call an end to bad business practices – they should outlaw fire and rehire

Belfast Telegraph

• Government should declare if P&O broke the law sacking workers, says LabourLabour has urged the Government to publish the legal advice it received on whether P&O broke the law when it sacked 800 workers.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Decision to replace level crossing with bridge is deferredCOUNCILLORS have deferred a plan to replace a level crossing in Batley with a footbridge following concerns that local people’s objections had been overlooked.

Bristol Live

• Bristol bus driver slams 'selfish' passengers not wearing masksHe said the buses are 'petri dishes on wheels'

The York Press

• York lodges rail HQ bidYORK has formally lodged its bid to be the headquarters of the new Great British Railways.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Work starts on new £26m White Rose Rail Station in south LeedsConstruction on the new £26m White Rose Rail Station has finally started this week.

Yorkshire Post

• Train cuts in Yorkshire spark anger from leaders as more services to be slashedLeaders in West Yorkshire have reacted with fury after it was revealed that Northern Rail is to slash train services connecting towns and cities in the region.
• If Bradford is 2025 UK City of Culture, don’t expect to catch the train after Yorkshire’s latest rail betrayal – The Yorkshire Post saysBRADFORD’S pride that it is on the final shortlist to become the 2025 UK City of Culture is tempered by the fact that it is about to suffer a series of cuts to its rail services that make a mockery of the London Government’s levelling up agenda – and relocation of Department for Transport officials to West Yorkshire to apparently improve decision-making.

Other Regional Press

• Future of disused Dales railway line to be discussedThe future of a six-mile stretch of disused railway in upper Wensleydale is to be discussed by members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.
• Cyclist calls for drivers to stop idling and cut pollutionEmily Kerr is the founder of Share Our Cars, an advocacy group which helps people share cars with neighbours with the target of reducing private car ownership.

New Civil Engineer

• Construction begins on new railway station in LeedsConstruction has begun on the White Rose Rail Station in Leeds.

Green Miscellany

• Can we finally get an electric bicycle subsidy?Mass use of electric bicycles could create more than £2bn in health benefits and cut one million tonnes of emissions annually according to an evidence review by academics at Westminster University, commissioned by the campaign group Bike is Best. Grants of £1,500 are available for low-emission cars but there is no such ’plug-in’ grant for electric-assist bikes despite the fact… The post Can we finally get an electric bicycle subsidy? appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Railway operator Govia hits 90 per cent recycling rate with new facilityA RAILWAY operator has reached a 90 per cent recycle rate.