Babak Belurs

Rabu, 15 Maret 2023

Strikes: 'Shameful' government blamed as hundreds of thousands join biggest walkout in current wave of action - Sky News

Hundreds of thousands of workers are on strike today in what is believed to be the biggest walkout since the current wave of industrial action began.

Teachers, university lecturers, civil servants, junior doctors, London Underground drivers and BBC journalists are among those taking to picket lines around the country to coincide with budget day.

Members of several trade unions are involved in the action amid widespread anger over issues including pay, jobs, pensions and conditions.

One district organiser for the London Underground train driver union Aslef said the root cause of all the strikes was "the failure by the government to fund the vital public services that people need".

Finn Brennan, discussing the action affecting the Transport for London (TfL) network, said: "It is not a strike about pay, it is not a strike looking for more time off.

"We simply want TfL to commit to negotiate with us about changes instead of trying to impose changes."

He said TfL wanted to fill a hole in its budget by cutting staff numbers, working conditions and staff pensions.

Mr Brennan said Aslef members were prepared to negotiate change but that more strike action was "very likely"

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said today's walkout showed "how determined we are to reach a negotiated settlement to this long-running dispute".

"Attacks on pensions, conditions and job losses will not be tolerated and the travelling public needs to understand that understaffed and unstaffed stations are unsafe," he said.

"We will continue our industrial campaign for as long as it takes."

No trains are running on any London Underground lines due to the strike by Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).

Pictures and video on social media showed huge crowds of people queueing at Tottenham Court Road station in central London.

Transport monitors say it has increased the number of traffic jams in the capital and meant journey times were longer during the commute.

Despite talks being held between unions and the government, the public sector strikes remain deadlocked.

Some of the strikes, such as those by teachers, will only be held in England - where hundreds of thousands of pupils are having to stay home - as progress has been made in Wales and Scotland.

Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the National Education Union said: "We do not want to go on strike - we want to be in the classroom, teaching and supporting children and young people.

"It continues to be a regret that our members have to take strike action, but we know that parents and the public understand the gravity of the situation around school funding and teacher recruitment and retention."

Mr Courtney said Education Secretary Gillian Keegan was to blame for the strikes going ahead: "We have suspended our strike action in Wales today and tomorrow because we had a new offer and we're consulting members on it.

"It is Gillian Keegan who is out of step - she just won't sit down and talk with us and make offers to resolve the dispute."

Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, has donated £3,000 to a strike fund for teachers and support staff in the area.

"Teachers and support staff in Nottingham work tirelessly to give young people the best start in life. Thanks to 13 years of Conservative governments, they are underpaid, overworked and stretched thinner than ever," she said.

"While the decision to strike will not have been an easy one, this dispute is not only about ensuring that teaching staff can provide for their families in a cost of living crisis, but for the future of our education system which cannot continue to treat educators this way."

Ms Keegan said in an open letter to parents that she was "extremely disappointed that many young people will once again miss invaluable time learning" and insisted the action was "completely unnecessary".

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Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Mark Serwotka, representing civil servants and other public sector workers, warned strikes could last until the end of the year.

"On budget day we're asking Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to give our hard-working members a fair pay rise," he said.

"We've been given a 2% pay rise when food inflation was 16% last week. 40,000 civil servants use food banks and 45,000 claim in-work benefits because they're so poor.

"The government can stop these strikes today by putting money on the table for our members."

Workers incomes 'have fallen 26% in 13 years'

Members of the National Union of Journalists working at BBC Local across England are holding a 24-hour strike in a row over programme cuts.

Meanwhile, junior doctors in the British Medical Association continue a three-day stoppage they launched on Monday over pay.

Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union, said: "Our members in the public sector have seen their incomes decline by up to 26% over the past 13 years and their work taken for granted - they have had enough."

He said the government had not yet presented a meaningful offer.

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2023-03-15 12:11:15Z
1829715912

What time is the Budget today and 9 predictions for Jeremy Hunt's spring statement - The Telegraph

Jeremy Hunt will today deliver the second major fiscal statement of his time as Chancellor amid intense pressure to cut taxes.

Falling energy prices and higher-than-expected tax revenues mean that the outlook for Mr Hunt’s Spring Budget has become a little less bleak. The Institute for Fiscal Studies, a think tank, estimates that borrowing this year and next will be £30bn less than previously expected.

But a temporary windfall from the Energy Price Guarantee does not open the door to long-term policy changes, with the Treasury consistently briefing that major tax cuts are off the table.

The IFS has warned that the Office for Budget Responsibility may still downgrade its growth forecasts, which in turn would shrink the Chancellor’s capacity to spend.

Here’s what to expect.

What time is the Spring Budget?

Mr Hunt will deliver his Spring Budget in Parliament on Wednesday 15 March. The Chancellor normally delivers his statement after Prime Minister's Questions, which typically finish at 12.30pm.

His statement will focus on the Government’s aims to halve inflation, reduce public debt and boost economic growth.

It will be accompanied by the latest economic and fiscal outlook from the OBR, the Government's spending watchdog.

Getting early retirees back to work

Mr Hunt’s primary focus with the Spring Budget will be to get Britain back to work. Excluding students, there are 6.6 million working aged adults who are classed as economically inactive. The number of people neither working nor looking for a job has jumped by more than half a million people in the last three years.

Treasury officials believe the number of people out of work is a major barrier to economic growth. Not only is it a problem for productivity, it is also fuelling inflation. A lack of staff is forcing employers to pay higher wages to attract people, which in turn is driving up prices.

Of the 6.6 million economically inactive people, more than a million people have taken early retirement.

Mr Hunt, who has personally urged over-50s who have taken early retirement to go back to work, will unveil new measures to encourage and retain older workers in the labour force.

He is expected to raise the lifetime allowance – the maximum amount that workers can put into their pension pots before they are taxed – by more than half a million pounds to incentivise retirees to keep earning.

The LTA is currently just over £1m. Sources have indicated that Mr Hunt will raise this to between £1.5m and £1.8m – closer to its previous peak.

Mr Hunt will also launch a “returnerships” programme that will offer skills training that will be tailored for the over-50s, taking previous experience into account.

The Government will add another 8,000 places per year (an increase of 14pc) to its “skills bootcamps”, which reskill people in sectors such as construction and technology.

Getting long-term sick back into work

Another 2.5 million economically inactive people are classed as long-term sick and Mr Hunt also wants to get many of this group back into work.

Mr Hunt wants to reboot the benefits system, so that long-term sick people who return to work part-time can continue claiming some benefits.

A Health and Disability White Paper, which will be published on the day of the Budget, will outline plans to scrap the work capability assessment. The move, which will be the biggest reform to the welfare system in a decade, will mean that disabled people can work without losing their benefits.

Another policy on the cards is a sick note crackdown. The Treasury has been working with the Department for Work and Pensions to change how GPs issue sick notes, with a focus on continuing work with support instead of getting signed out of the labour force altogether.

Getting parents back to work

A further 1.7 million are parents who are staying at home to look after their children. Think tanks have repeatedly flagged access to childcare as one of the most urgent and easily fixable issues that the government could target.

Mr Hunt will announce 30 hours a week of free childcare for one- and two-year-olds in England, in a policy that will cost the Treasury £4bn.

This will be a large expansion on the current system, which entitles all three- and four-year-olds to free part-time nursery education for 15 hours a week, 38 weeks a year, regardless of how much their families earn.

Mr Hunt will increase the hourly rate the Government pays to childcare providers and will give local authorities funding to set up wraparound childcare provision in schools from September 2024.

He will also make changes to childcare support for parents on universal credit so that the payments are made up front, rather than as a refund. He will also increase the maximum support by several hundred pounds.

Energy bills support

The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee, which caps energy costs for households, was scheduled to rise from £2,500 to £3,000 on April 1. Support for businesses will also become more targeted.

But Mr Hunt will keep the cap at £2,500 for another three months. This will save the average family £160 on their energy bills and will cost the Treasury around £3bn.

Mr Hunt will also reform energy bills so that families on pre-payment meters will not pay more for their energy than those on direct debit.

Households on pre-payment meters typically pay higher rates to cover the extra costs for firms managing the meters. Under Mr Hunt’s plans, this premium will be scrapped, saving four million households £45 a year on their bills from July.

Fuel duty cuts

Fuel duty is supposed to rise by RPI inflation in April, which would add 7p to the price of a litre of fuel. A temporary 5p fuel duty cut, announced by Mr Sunak in March 2022, is also due to expire this March.

These two factors combined mean the cost of fuel duty will rise by 23pc – an extra 12p per litre.

Mr Hunt will likely step in and stop this. The RPI fuel duty increase has been cancelled by every chancellor every year since 2011, making it politically difficult for the current resident of Number 11 Downing Street to back a rise.

Mr Hunt has reportedly accepted that there is “strong precedent” for continuing the freeze, and is apparently keen to continue the 5p cut as long as it is clear that inflation is falling.

These two measures combined would cost the Treasury £6bn, according to Deutsche Bank.

Public sector pay

The Government is under pressure to commit to a stronger public sector pay deal to bring an end to the continual flow of strikes that are plaguing public services. “A resolution will likely feature a stronger pay deal in 2023-24,” said Mr Raja.

At the moment, existing departmental budgets will allow for a 3.5pc public sector pay rise. Mr Hunt may go further and announce a 5pc increase. This would cost £4bn, according to Deutsche Bank.

The Chancellor will be wary of working in opposition to the Bank of England, which is raising interest rates to tame inflation and has warned that large pay settlements could fuel price rises.

However, the Treasury has reportedly concluded that a 5pc increase for the public sector would carry a “low risk” of contributing to protracted high private-sector pay growth. There is even talk of backdating the payment.

Corporation tax rise

Despite warnings from a chorus of business leaders that higher taxes will hamper growth, Mr Hunt will almost certainly forge ahead with the planned rise in corporation tax rise scheduled to take effect from April.

The change, first announced by Rishi Sunak in his 2021 Spring Budget as chancellor, will see businesses face a six percentage point increase in the corporation tax rate, which will climb from 19pc to 25pc. This is expected to net £18bn a year for the Treasury.

The full force of this tax rise will hit businesses with profits of more than £250,000.

Companies with profits of between £50,000 and £250,000 will get marginal relief.

For those with profits of less than £50,000, there will be no change – they will continue to pay corporation tax at 19pc.

Super-deduction replacement

Just as corporation tax goes up, investment incentives are scheduled to be removed. The corporation tax super-deduction, which allows businesses to cut their tax bill by 130pc of the value of qualifying investment, will end on March 31.

Mr Hunt is considering a proposal that would reduce this to 100pc. This would cost the Treasury £11bn.

It is possible that Mr Hunt may opt for temporary measures or a roadmap towards permanent capital allowances in the autumn, rather than an immediate replacement for the super-deduction.

Business leaders have warned that the tax raid is one of the biggest threats they face this year. Telecoms giant BT has said it will send Britain in a “drastically anti-investment direction” while three former chancellors have said going ahead with the rise in corporation tax will be a mistake.

Plan for business growth

Mr Hunt will announce 12 Investment Zones, which will each receive £80m in funding over five years, including tax reliefs.

Eight places in England have been shortlisted to host investment zones, including Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Tees Valley. A further four zones will sit across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mr Hunt will announce a £20bn investment over the next 20 years in carbon capture, as part of his drive towards net zero. Mr Hunt will use the money to back projects that will aim to store 20 to 30 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030. The Treasury has said this will create up to 50,000 skilled jobs.

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2023-03-15 10:35:00Z
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Strikes: 'Shameful' government blamed as hundreds of thousands join biggest walkout in current wave of action - Sky News

Hundreds of thousands of workers are on strike today in what is believed to be the biggest walkout since the current wave of industrial action began.

Teachers, university lecturers, civil servants, junior doctors, London Underground drivers and BBC journalists are among those taking to picket lines around the country to coincide with budget day.

Members of several trade unions are involved in the action amid widespread anger over issues including pay, jobs, pensions and conditions.

Finn Brennan, discussing the action affecting the Transport for London (TfL) network, said: "It is not a strike about pay, it is not a strike looking for more time off.

"We simply want TfL to commit to negotiate with us about changes instead of trying to impose changes."

He said TfL wanted to fill a hole in its budget by cutting staff numbers, working conditions and staff pensions.

Mr Brennan said Aslef members were prepared to negotiate change but that more strike action was "very likely"

"I do think it is going to be very likely unless there is a change of course from the government who are pulling the strings," he said.

No trains are running on any London Underground lines due to the strike by Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).

Pictures and video on social media showed huge crowds of people queueing at Tottenham Court Road station in central London.

Transport monitors say it has increased the number of traffic jams in the capital and meant journey times were longer during the commute.

Despite talks being held between unions and the government, the public sector strikes remain deadlocked.

Some of the strikes, such as those by teachers, will only be held in England - where hundreds of thousands of pupils are having to stay home - as progress has been made in Wales and Scotland.

"The NEU, as we have always stated, is prepared to enter talks at any point, and as and when through negotiation a reasonable offer from government is made we will pause strike action while the offer is put to members."

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said in an open letter to parents that she was "extremely disappointed that many young people will once again miss invaluable time learning" and insisted the action was "completely unnecessary".

She said the government had offered to negotiate with the NEU on the condition strike action was called off.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Mark Serwotka, representing civil servants and other public sector workers, warned strikes could last until the end of the year.

"On budget day we're asking Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to give our hard-working members a fair pay rise," he said.

"We've been given a 2% pay rise when food inflation was 16% last week. 40,000 civil servants use food banks and 45,000 claim in-work benefits because they're so poor.

"The government can stop these strikes today by putting money on the table for our members."

Workers incomes 'have fallen 26% in 13 years'

Members of the National Union of Journalists working at BBC Local across England are holding a 24-hour strike in a row over programme cuts.

Meanwhile, junior doctors in the British Medical Association continue a three-day stoppage they launched on Monday over pay.

He said the government had not yet presented a meaningful offer.

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Budget 2023: Jeremy Hunt to announce £4bn expansion of free childcare - The Independent

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to announce a multibillion-pound expansion of free childcare to parents of one and two-year-olds in Wednesday’s Budget.

The plan is believed to include 30 hours a week of childcare for parents in England with children in that age group, with only parents with three and four-year-olds currently eligible.

The move could also see a £288m increase in funding for the current free childcare programme for three-year-olds by 2024-25, according to The Guardian.

The Treasury has not denied that the hourly rate the government pays to childcare providers will also be increased, and that councils will be given more money to set up wraparound childcare provision from September 2024.

Mr Hunt is also reportedly ready to bring in changes to the staff-to-child ratios for two-year-olds, with one carer for every five children rather than four in a bid to bring down costs.

At an estimated cost of £4bn, the bold package would come amid ongoing concerns about the burdsome cost of childcare on families amid broader cost of living challenges.

While full details of any expansion to come during the 12.30pm Budget announcment, such a move would chime with the chancellor’s hopes of helping more parents back into the workplace.

Pressed on the subject of childcare provision over the weekend, Mr Hunt had said: “We would like to help everyone. It’s expensive to do it. You can’t always do everything at once.”

The Treasury has already announced plans to increase the £646-a-month cap on support for parents on universal credit by several hundred pounds, and pay the support up front instead of parents having to claim it back.

The chancellor has come under pressure in recent weeks to act on childcare – among the most expensive in the world – to rival Labour’s offer of a radical overhaul ahead after the next general election.

Labour has promised complete reform of the system, labelling it “broken”. Alison McGovern, Labour’s shadow employment minister, said any announcement needed to be part of a “proper reform strategy”.

She told BBC Newsnight: “If we spend Budget Day tomorrow talking about childcare I’ll think that’s a good thing … We need proper reform. This has got to be part of a proper reform strategy because we know that the system’s not working at the moment.”

Nursery sector bosses – who have raised concerns about underfunding – were cautious on the Hunt plan, saying they would have to “look closely at the detail”.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers Budget on Wednesday

Currently all families of three and four-years-old qualify for 15 hours of free childcare a week, over 38 weeks. Households can qualify for 30 hours of free childcare a week if parents earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the national minimum or living wage.

Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said the “devil was in the detail” about expansion any plan. “We know from harsh experience that what can sound like an impressive investment in theory can end up being wholly inadequate in practice,” he said.

James Bowen, director of policy for school and nursery leaders’ union NAHT, said: “While we will need to look closely at the detail, if the government does increase the hourly funding rates to early years providers this will be welcome news.

”We know that the funding settings currently receive from government is woefully inadequate and many providers simply cannot afford to operate at those levels.”

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said many would welcome any announcement. But he warned on Twitter the “whole system is hugely complex”.

“A universal support has expanded, targeted support for children most in need has contracted,” he wrote.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, warned that providers cannot “magic up” places. “I think that we need to really see the sums,” she told BBC Newsnight.

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2023-03-15 07:48:33Z
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Teachers, junior doctors and Tube drivers stage mass walkout on budget day - Sky News

Hundreds of thousands of workers will strike today in what could be the biggest walkout since the current wave of industrial action began.

Teachers, university lecturers, civil servants, junior doctors, London Underground drivers and BBC journalists will form picket lines around the country to coincide with the chancellor's budget, amid continuing dissatisfaction with issues including pay, jobs, pensions and working conditions.

Commuters in London have been told there will be "little or no service" on the Tube because of disruption caused by a strike by members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

Members of the National Union of Journalists working at BBC Local across England will stage a 24-hour strike in a row over programme cuts.

While junior doctors in the British Medical Association will continue a three-day walkout they launched on Monday over pay.

So far talks between unions and the government have done little to resolve many of the ongoing disputes, although some strikes, such as those by teachers, will only be held in England after progress was made in Wales and Scotland.

Strikes could last until end of year

Public and Commercial Services union General Secretary Mark Serwotka warned the action is just the start of a series of strikes that could last until the end of the year.

"On budget day we're asking Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to give our hard-working members a fair pay rise," he said.

"We've been given a 2% pay rise when food inflation was 16% last week. 40,000 civil servants use food banks and 45,000 claim in-work benefits because they're so poor.

"The government can stop these strikes today by putting money on the table for our members."

He added: "Shamefully, ministers don't seem interested in giving their own employees a fair pay rise to help them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond."

Teachers 'do not want to go on strike'

Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the National Education Union, said: "We do not want to go on strike - we want to be in the classroom, teaching and supporting children and young people.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

Action will disrupt children's education, minister says

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said in an open letter to parents: "This industrial action will mean more disruption to children's education and to your lives too - whether that's work, arranging childcare or changing other plans.

"I am extremely disappointed that many young people will once again miss invaluable time learning with their teachers and friends, particularly after their education was significantly disrupted during the pandemic."

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2023-03-15 00:44:37Z
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Selasa, 14 Maret 2023

Eleanor Williams: The lasting impact of fake rape claims - BBC

By Phil McCann

BBC News

When Eleanor Williams' Facebook post claiming she was the victim of an Asian rape gang went viral in 2020, it sparked a bitter backlash against Asian-owned businesses in her home town of Barrow, Cumbria.

After she was jailed for perverting the course of justice, some of those affected have spoken to the BBC about the lasting impact of her lies. Their names have been changed because they're still concerned for their safety.

Sajid has lived for most of his life in Barrow and as a schoolboy 30 years ago had got used to being the only non-white face in his class.

The town still has a very small Asian population - just 1.4% of the borough's total - but Sajid is part of an even smaller section of Barrow's Asian community - those who run Indian restaurants.

The small, shipbuilding town on the southern tip of Cumbria is home to fewer than 10 of them.

Over the years, Sajid's restaurant had become successful and well established amongst Barrow's population, which is 97% white.

But in May 2020 things took a dark and menacing twist.

One night Sajid got a call from a friend telling him to look at Facebook. There he saw Eleanor Williams' post, which was eventually shared more than 100,000 times.

In it she claimed to have been taken to an address in Barrow and raped by numerous Asian men. Included were graphic images of injuries to her face and body she claimed the gang had inflicted on her - in fact, she had done them to herself.

Shortly after Sajid began getting phone calls. Many of them were silent, some were entirely sinister.

"Some of the threats were so severe, saying 'We're gonna kill you', I had to contact the police," he told the BBC.

Initially, Sajid could not understand why the anger and suspicion was being directed at him and his fellow restaurant owners, but then another friend directed him to Snapchat.

On the messaging app, a post was circulating which named Indian restaurants in Barrow - it seemed to accuse all of them of being involved in the rape and abuse of Williams.

"I had calls saying that they were going to rape my wife in front my children, then kill me, and kill my kids," he said, adding: "I got quite a few calls, saying that we're going to shoot everyone within the shop.

"Some of the stuff that was coming out was just horrible. And a lot of racist remarks as well."

The windows of his business were smashed three times, people spat at his shop and regularly shouted abuse at the staff or at Sajid in the street.

Cumbria Police said they had to deal with more than 150 extra crimes in the aftermath of Williams' Facebook post - 83 of which were classed as hate crimes.

Doug Marshall, the senior investigating officer on the case, describes the fallout from the Facebook post as "a disgusting state of affairs".

He said: "People were getting accused who had nothing to do with the case whatsoever.

"I was shocked and dismayed by the level of racism, and that people seemed to think they knew more about the case than the investigators and the police."

The anger in Barrow felt more concentrated to those it was focused on because of how small and close-knit the shipbuilding town is.

Barrow's MP Simon Fell describes the town as "isolated" and, as a consequence, "it's a really strong and tight-knit community".

He said: "So when the story like this breaks, everybody's not just got an opinion on it. Everybody knows someone involved in it.

"It was like a bomb dropping. It really upset people."

Supt Matt Pearman, responsible for day-to-day policing in Barrow, submitted a statement to Preston Crown Court ahead of Williams' sentencing in which he said the town had "never seen such public displays of mass anger in over 30 years" - tracing all the way back to the Vickers shipyard strike of 1988 which saw clashes at picket lines.

Those levying the threats and abuse may have been a minority of Barrow's population, but to Sajid it seemed like the town had turned against him.

After the Facebook post went viral Sajid's trade dropped by 95% "overnight".

It was a similar story a few streets away at Adil's restaurant.

He calculated his business dropped by 75% off the back of William's viral post.

He had his windows smashed too after one of a handful of local protests held in the misguided cause of "Justice for Ellie Williams".

Adil estimated his losses totalled about £30,000. He had to take out a loan and borrow money from family and friends just to survive.

Even the customers who still chose to eat in his restaurant harboured suspicions.

When restaurants were eventually permitted to reopen after lockdown people would ring and ask if it was safe to bring their children, telling him: "We've seen you're involved with the Ellie Williams case."

He overheard diners discussing among themselves whether they thought he had been involved "but they didn't ask me", Adil said.

Adil also noticed something less tangible but maybe more profound, "People looked at me in the face differently".

He reckoned his business has now recovered to about 80% of where it was before Williams went public with her lies about grooming gangs.

"Barrow now is good," he said, adding: "Nice and quiet."

Reflecting on the past three years, Sajid said there had always been "an element of racism" in his town, but in the summer of 2020 it was "the racists that were shouting the loudest and causing most upset".

He said: "The good part of the community were scared to raise their voice, afraid of the backlash they may receive.

"The bad side of the community had taken over the town.

"We were tried and found guilty by social media. We were branded guilty before any real evidence had come out."

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.

Babak Belurs

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