Babak Belurs

Senin, 20 Juni 2022

Yorkshire helicopter crash: Two dead near Burton in Lonsdale - bbc.co.uk

Two people have been killed in a helicopter crash in North Yorkshire, police have confirmed.

The aircraft came down in a field off Bentham Road near Burton in Lonsdale just before midday, officers said.

Emergency services, including an air ambulance, were called to the scene at the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and police urged people to avoid the area.

The families of those involved were being supported by specially trained officers, police added.

The North Yorkshire force said it was currently unable to provide any further details about those who died in the crash. No-one else was onboard the helicopter at the time of the crash, it said.

The force added that part of Bentham Road was closed.

A BBC reporter near the scene of the crash said a police cordon appeared to have been extended late on Monday afternoon.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed its inspectors were on their way.

In a statement, the AAIB said: "An investigation has been launched and a team of inspectors are travelling to the accident site to begin making inquiries."

Burton in Lonsdale is near Ingleton, close to the border with Lancashire and Cumbria.

Peter Thompson, chair of Burton in Lonsdale parish council, said he had not seen or heard anything unusual at the time of the crash.

"We are a rural community of about 600 people. When something like this happens, it is obviously alarming. It's very sad for everyone involved," he said.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk

'By hook or by crook'

Paul Brown with his fiancée Daniella Williamson

Paul Brown, from Newcastle, says he is worried he will miss his stag do this weekend due to the strikes.

It comes after the 31-year-old already suffered setbacks to his wedding having to cancel his big day three times due to the pandemic.

He says he was due to travel down with his father and best man to Liverpool on Friday, but their train was cancelled.

"My brother and step-dad were coming up from Plymouth to Liverpool to join us," he says.

"This is heart-breaking for the family and for me personally.

"We only see each other once or twice a year, and due to the pandemic it's been nearly three years since we met up in person.

"I'm a carer and I don't often get to go on a lads' night out."

The groom, who is set to get married in July, had also booked an apartment for five of them to stay in.

"I'm going to have to hope we can get on some kind of train or get to Liverpool somehow by hook or by crook," he adds.

'I now need to go by taxi to my operation'

Graham Benton had been due to catch a train to London on Tuesday for a heart operation, but because of he strikes he will now have to pay £165 for a taxi to get there.

"I am having a procedure on my heart tomorrow which is very stressful," the 48-year-old from Portsmouth says.

"The operation is in central London so I have booked a taxi with one of those airport taxi firms... at 05:30 tomorrow. "

Mr Benton, whose father died, aged 47, waiting for a heart operation, when he was a child, said he had no idea how he was going to get home when he is discharged.

"It might not be one of the strike days but there will be a knock-on effect," he added. "So I may have to get another taxi back home to Portsmouth."

'I'm so annoyed'

Gavin Greaves, from Edinburgh, risks losing £800 if he cancels his planned holiday to Wales due to the strikes. It was set to be his first holiday with his mother in six years.

The 42-year-old was due to catch the train to Preston, Lancashire, to pick up a hire car on Friday - a non-strike day - but says his train has been cancelled.

"I'm so annoyed," he says. "My mum is a cancer survivor and because of the pandemic she couldn't leave her home to go anywhere."

He has now rebooked a train for 27 June, and had to reorganise a hire vehicle in Preston that will allow him to pick up his mum Joan in Poulton-le-Fylde so they can travel to Wales together.

It means he will have to cut his holiday short by two days.

He adds he is nervous his train next week will also be cancelled.

"If I have to cancel the trip I would lose £800 in all."

'Disappointing'

Liz Garrett, from Barnstaple, Devon, says she is "disappointed" as she and her husband will not be able to make it to a concert for rock band Yes in Birmingham.

The 65-year-old retiree said they had to scrap the trip as too few trains were running on Friday despite it being a non-strike day, and they would not be able to return on the train when rail workers walk out on Saturday.

Alternative routes of travel aren't an option, she says.

"My husband says we won't go as the bus journey or the drive would be too long - it's already three-and-a-half hours on the train," she says.

"My husband is so disappointed. It's his group - he's followed them since he was at school...

"We're not sure what will happen to our concert tickets, or the hotel we've booked. We'll look into that.

"It's disappointing because we've not been away for a long time."

The couple are now planning to settle for a visit to a local Chinese restaurant instead.

When is the rail strike and which trains are running?

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2022-06-20 16:29:38Z
1466832808

Strikes 'likely' to go ahead minister says as he warns public to prepare for 'substantial disruption' - Sky News

A Cabinet minister has told Sky News he fears rail strikes will go ahead this week - and warned that workers must make sacrifices as the UK battles inflation.

Simon Clarke, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said that while the government was not the legal employer of union members due to walk out, they could not expect "inflation-busting pay increases".

"I fear it is likely that they [the strikes] will go ahead," said Mr Clarke. "Clearly we will continue to support the negotiations until such time is there's no more time to discuss.

Politics Hub: 'We have an inflation problem in this country' - warning on public sector pay

"But I think the public do this week need to be aware there will be very substantial disruption and it is therefore sensible to make preparations for that."

The walk-out of 40,000 workers in the biggest rail strike for three decades threatens to bring travel chaos to commuters and choke roads with increased traffic.

Members of the RMT union are walking out in a dispute over pay, compulsory redundancies and safety concerns - as employers look to make savings on a network that has been propped up by taxpayers during the COVID crisis.

Reports suggest it could be just the start of what has been described as a summer of discontent, with teachers, nurses, doctors and postal workers also considering industrial action.

With inflation at a four-decade high, workers are being told to face up to a real term squeeze in their incomes, with salary increases lower than the 9% increase in the cost of living.

Mr Clarke reiterated a previous warning that to avoid an intensifying price spiral, wages would have to remain under control - though the RMT's pursuit of a 7% pay increase is below inflation.

Speaking more widely about pay, he said: "If we are going to forestall the evil of inflation... then we are going to have to show collective, society-wide responsibility.

"I recognise there is sacrifice involved in this situation."

Mr Clarke said the government was hoping that ongoing talks between employers and rail unions would make progress.

He added: "We want to see a resolution that works for everybody. That needs to work for rail workers but critically it needs to work for passengers and the taxpayer as well.

"The taxpayer supported the railway industry very substantially during the pandemic. We're now coming out of that, we need the railway to be a sustainable force in our country. It isn't. Those changes need to be secured as part of this wider negotiation."

The government indirectly controls the thousands of miles of track, via Network Rail, on which privately-owned train companies operate.

Mr Clarke said it would not interfere in the negotiations between employers and employees, saying: "We don't own the railways ourselves."

Paul Nowak, deputy general secretary of the TUC, said the likes of teachers, rail workers and postal workers were not "taking strike action for the fun of it" but had "real concerns about things like pay".

He told Sky News: "A lot of our members are just saying 'enough is enough'."

Labour's shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh told Sky News that it was still possible for Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, to make an eleventh hour intervention and stop the strikes from going ahead.

She said: "We want to see passengers avoid disruption but of course we understand and support rail workers rights to fight for a fair pay settlement."

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union representing civil servants, said his union was balloting 150,000 members over action in September and teachers were also looking at possible strike ballots in the autumn.

He told Sky News: "I'm not sure about a summer of discontent... but what I am sure about is that we will see high levels of industrial action unless the government recognise that front line public sector workers who kept the country running during the pandemic cannot be expected to have a 2% pay rise when inflation is forecast to be over 11%."

A further flashpoint could come this week when the government moves forward with a plan to repeal a ban on agency workers being employed to step in for strikers - a move that is strongly resisted by unions.

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2022-06-20 06:50:05Z
1466832808

Rail strike: Travellers face reduced service ahead of rail strikes - BBC

Travellers are facing reduced train services across England, Scotland and Wales ahead of the biggest rail strike in 30 years.

Last-minute talks between unions and rail bosses are set to continue on Monday ahead of planned walkouts on most major lines on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Disruption is expected on non-strike days due to too few staff working.

Passengers should only travel by train if necessary, Network Rail says.

A strike will also take place across the London Underground on Tuesday, with Transport for London advising passengers to walk or cycle instead.

A special train timetable for 20 to 26 June was published on Friday.

While two sets of talks are expected on Monday morning, the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union has said it will "intensify" its strike campaign if members don't get an agreeable deal.

The union's general secretary, Mick Lynch, said they would "run this campaign for as long as it takes to get a settlement", potentially for six months or more.

He called on the government to "loosen the shackles" of employers to allow a deal to be struck, but Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said negotiations should be between unions and employers.

'No point giving false hope'

Treasury minister Simon Clarke warned that the industrial action was likely to go ahead despite the planned talks.

He told BBC Breakfast there was "no point giving false hope" that the strikes could be avoided, adding that it is "important to be realistic" about the difficulty of the negotiations.

Mr Clarke also ruled out the direct involvement of government ministers in the talks and said the railway would have to "financially sustain itself".

Labour said the absence of the government from the negotiating table was "hobbling" talks.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Without them there, it's impossible for them to find a way forward and therefore, it is inevitable that industrial action will happen."

Network Rail says the last trains between many major cities are expected to depart over the course of the afternoon, before more than 40,000 rail workers walk out over job cuts, pay and conditions on Tuesday.

The reduced timetable will be in place until Sunday, with just 20% of usual services running on strike days.

Trains that do run will start later and finish much earlier than usual - between 07:30 and 18:30.

Knock-on disruption is expected on the roads, with motorists being warned to expected a surge in traffic.

Motoring group the AA says drivers in Scotland and Wales should expect to face long queues as most railway lines will be closed.

The M74, M8 and A9 in Scotland and the M4, A55, A5, and A483 in Wales could see severe traffic, it says.

The RAC says major city routes and those serving the home counties are likely to see some of the biggest increases in traffic volumes.

The strikes will affect a number of events including school exams and the first Glastonbury Festival for three years.

Rail strike advice

Can I get a refund? Yes, if you cannot get your train due to strike action. Season-ticket holders can apply for a refund for the days affected. Find more info here.

Do I have to go to work or school? This is up to your individual employer or school, check with them.

How can I plan my train journey? Use the National Rail journey planner.

Rail strike basics

When? There will be rail strikes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and a London Underground Strike on Tuesday
Where? Many lines will face disruption including: Avanti West Coast; C2C; Chiltern Railways; Cross Country Trains; Croydon Tramlink; Greater Anglia; LNER; East Midlands Railway; Elizabeth Line; Great Western Railway; Hull Trains; London Underground; Northern Trains; South Eastern Railway; South Western Railway; TransPennine Express; West Midlands Trains.
Who? The RMT union's members include everyone from guards and catering staff to signallers and track maintenance workers. Train driver members of the Aslef union will be striking on Thursday and 2 July on Greater Anglia and 28, 29 June and 13, 14 July on Croydon Tramlink.

Minggu, 19 Juni 2022

Rail strikes: Not for government to intervene - Shapps - BBC

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It is not for the government to intervene to stop rail strikes, the transport secretary has said - despite unions calling for talks.

Grant Shapps said the RMT union's request for a meeting was a "stunt" and the union was "determined to go on strike".

The union said politicians were failing to prevent its three days of industrial action next week.

Labour claimed ministers wanted the strikes to go ahead to "sow division".

Strikes will take place on almost all major lines across Britain on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, as well as on the London Underground on Tuesday.

There will also be knock-on effects on services on non-strike days, including Monday.

Even rail companies whose workers are not striking will be affected, as Network Rail workers are taking action - and they look after tracks and other infrastructure.

A special timetable will be in place across England, Scotland and Wales from Monday until Sunday.

The RMT said on Saturday that talks between the union and Network Rail had failed.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme, the RMT's Mick Lynch claimed rail operators were refusing to sit down for discussions altogether.

And he said Network Rail, which is government-owned, was being influenced by ministers.

"It's Shapps, [Boris] Johnson and Rishi Sunak who are stopping a deal being done in this dispute," he said.

But Network Rail said the RMT were dismissing talks before they had finished.

'Fair to taxpayers'

Amid calls for ministers to step in, Mr Shapps said negotiations had to take place between unions and employers and accused the RMT of "trying to create some sort of class war".

"In any pay discussion, in any negotiation over terms, over in this case modernisation, it's always the employer and the union who need to get together to speak," he said.

Although most rail operators are not owned by the government, they are not entirely independent.

The government provides subsidies to the network - including £16bn to keep the railways running during the pandemic - and owns Network Rail.

Steve Montgomery, who chairs the Rail Delivery Group of operators, said it was clear the industry could not keep asking the taxpayer to fund it.

"Instead of striking, we need the RMT leadership to work with us to secure a deal that is fair to our staff, fair to our passengers and fair to taxpayers," he said.

Labour's shadow levelling-up secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC One's Sunday Morning show the government had got to "get round the table" with rail workers.

She said it was "simply not good enough" that ministers had not met unions since 8 March.

Analysis box by Nick Eardley, political correspondent

The blame game is in full swing ahead of next week's strikes - the biggest on the railways in a generation.

The RMT says it is taking action to protect fair pay, conditions and to prevent job cuts. Other unions are warning they might take industrial action too if they don't get pay deals they deem to be acceptable. They believe inflation means a decent pay rise is essential.

But the government is up for the fight. Grant Shapps has been scathing of the RMT, saying its leadership seems to want a class war.

Treasury ministers also warn that if pay goes up too much, it could just make inflation worse.

The government says it wants to avoid the strike - but in cynical political terms, a row with a left-wing union is comfortable political ground for the Conservatives.

It's more tricky for Labour. The party's leadership says it doesn't want next week's strike to happen.

But is it backing the striking rail workers? There's been no definitive answer.

How much is a fair pay rise? That's for the negotiations, the party says.

Labour says everyone should get back around the table and find a way to avoid the strike - critics will see that as fence-sitting.

The RMT - which has 40,000 members across the rail network - has said its members are unhappy about stagnated pay and proposed job losses.

Mr Lynch denied the union was demanding a pay hike in line with the current RPI inflation rate - which was 11.1% in April - but said any proposed rise must reflect the higher cost of living.

He pointed out to Sky News that RPI in December, when he said a deal with Network Rail should have been struck, was 7.1%.

Mr Lynch earlier said the union had rejected a Network Rail offer of a 2% rise with a further 1% increase linked to job cuts. The RMT recently won an 8.4% pay rise on the London Underground, it said.

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Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer used a speech at a Labour event in Warwick to suggest Mr Shapps and Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted the strikes to go ahead.

"They want the country to grind to a halt so they can feed off the division," he said.

Sir Keir said the strike would mean businesses would struggle with freight, schools exams would be hard to get to and hospital appointments would be missed.

"That's why I have said the strikes should not go ahead," he said.

Rail strike basics

When? There will be rail strikes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and a London Underground Strike on Tuesday
Where? Many lines will face disruption including: Avanti West Coast; C2C; Chiltern Railways; Cross Country Trains; Croydon Tramlink; Greater Anglia; LNER; East Midlands Railway; Elizabeth Line; Great Western Railway; Hull Trains; London Underground; Northern Trains; South Eastern Railway; South Western Railway; TransPennine Express; West Midlands Trains.
Who? The RMT union's members include everyone from guards and catering staff to signallers and track maintenance workers. Train driver members of the Aslef union will be striking on Thursday and 2 July on Greater Anglia and 28, 29 June and 13, 14 July on Croydon Tramlink.

Babak Belurs

Senin, 20 Juni 2022

Yorkshire helicopter crash: Two dead near Burton in Lonsdale - bbc.co.uk

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Rail strikes: Not for government to intervene - Shapps - BBC

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Senin, 20 Juni 2022

Yorkshire helicopter crash: Two dead near Burton in Lonsdale - bbc.co.uk

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Rail strikes: Not for government to intervene - Shapps - BBC

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Rail strike basics