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Public sector pensions
BT’s green workplace
Regulation seminar
Prospect personal injury scheme
union for professionals • www.prospect.org.uk Issue 2 • APRIL 2010
QUESTIONS
& Answers
Prospect puts the three main political parties on the spot
and don’t forget to vote in Prospect’s own national executive elections
general secretary
Profile
2
■
April 2/10
Crunch time nears
for UK electorate –
and for trade unions
I have never seen it as part of my job or that of
Prospect to advise members, much less instruct
members, on how to vote in a general election. People
belong to Prospect for advice, support and representation about issues at work, not for political direction.
In any case, voting intentions are informed by many
factors including moral and social issues and the
quality of the local candidates, and are not just decided
by views on employment or economic matters.
But I do think it appropriate for us to provide
information on what the main political parties who
could form the next government say they will do on
a range of employment issues important to Prospect,
and these are reported in this issue of Profile. What
you make of it and how you use your vote is a matter
for you. I am, however, grateful to the parties for
responding to our questions.
After the election
How will Prospect, and indeed trade unions generally,
stand after the general election? For our part, we have
had discussions on policy issues with all three main
parties. The electorate, not the TUC general council,
will decide the election and it is our job to seek to
work constructively with whoever is in power.
I am under no illusions, however, about how
difficult this might be. The parties are being coy
Paul Noon
jonathan eeles
WITH THIS
PROFILE
The electorate, not
the TUC general
council, will decide
the election
and it is our job
to seek to work
constructively
with whoever is
in power
about saying where and when they intend the axe
should fall yet they all talk about significant public
sector spending cuts. These will affect many Prospect
members, not just those in the civil service. Whatever
the election outcome, we will continue to set out the
case for the work done by Prospect members whether
in protecting health and safety, effective regulation, public science, supporting Britain’s defence or
the many other areas vital to a successful modern
economy. We will also continue to work hard to
protect members affected by organisational change
and oppose compulsory redundancy.
These issues also matter to our members in the
private sector. Savage, early public spending cuts
would have a recessionary effect with less spending
power to support the private sector. Hopes for growth,
in my view key to economic recovery, could so easily
be stifled by ill-judged and ill-timed spending cuts.
For the wider trade union movement and the
TUC we may be reaching a point of decision. Do we
want to be the voice of people at work, whose voting
patterns are probably no different to the rest of the
electorate, working with all legitimate political parties
(and here I exclude the BNP) to represent the employment interests of our members? This is the pattern for
most modern European trade unions. Or do we want
to align ourselves only with one party – or even worse,
see ourselves as part of the class struggle?
I know which I prefer, and more than that, which
path offers trade unions the greater chance of
prospering in the 21st century.
IN THIS ISSUE ...
SURVEY
5 MEMBERS’
10,000 replies tell us what your
priorities are for Prospect
7
10,11
Platform – the
newsletter for
members in the public
and private sector
defence industry
[email protected]
www.prospect.org.uk
Editor: Charles Harvey
Reports: Graham Stewart
Katherine Beirne
Penny Vevers
Sorry, says minister – and promises
fresh start for research council
SPREADING THE WORD
Experts tell it like it is at Prospect
seminars on regulation and defence
13
WHAT PAY GAP?
14
PENSIONS MYTH EXPLODED
15–19
22
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by Prospect from
New Prospect House
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Fax: 020 7902 6667
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SCIENCE PLEDGE
The great public-private sector pay
divide does not exist, figures show
Official report lays to rest the ‘burden’
of public sector pensions
GENERAL ELECTION QUESTIONS
Main three political parties set out
their stall for the election
COMPROMISE AGREEMENTS
What are they? And are they a good idea?
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news
Profile
April 2/10
Prospect has condemned plans by the Conservative party
to allow firms to avoid safety checks by Health and Safety
Executive inspectors, describing them as “dangerous and
expensive”.
The union’s comments followed an interview by shadow
business minister John Penrose with Construction News
at the beginning of March. He said that, if elected, the
Conservatives would allow immunity from HSE inspections
for ‘low-risk’ firms who arrange their own independent
audits.
Prospect negotiator Mike Macdonald said: ”Plans to
side-step HSE inspectors amount to plans to side-step
safety. Not only would this increase the risk to UK workers
but far from reducing the regulatory burden on business, it
will increase it.”
Macdonald said the union will be writing to shadow
business secretary, Kenneth Clarke, to highlight flaws in
£4m for
sick and
injured
members
stefano cagnoni
Legal victories can mask tragedy and
distress – but Prospect still has cause to
celebrate more than £4m recovered last
year for members through the union’s
personal injury scheme.
The amounts varied from a few
payments of more than a quarter of a
million pounds for serious injuries and
diseases to more modest sums for minor
injuries like trips and slips.
Prospect submitted 237 applications for
advice to the union’s lawyers during 2009,
and by the end of the year 117 cases had
been settled. In all, Prospect is currently
pursuing 343 cases involving asbestosrelated illness, stress, repetitive strain
injury, deafness, occupational diseases and
accidents at work.
The LegalLine service, operated by
Prospect solicitors Russell Jones & Walker,
continues to be popular. It provides a
24-hour advice line service to members on
legal issues not related to work – such as
consumer, family or housing queries. The
service is also available to immediate family
members who are financially dependent.
Major clinical negligence
settlement – page 23
■■ Safety inspector Simon Hester carries out
checks at a London bakery
the policy and ask why, despite productive discussions with
shadow spokespeople, the union had not been consulted
over the issue.
“We will also question why they wish to restrict HSE’s
actions. Given that the average time between visits is
around 15 years, you have to ask how much of a burden on
business HSE inspections really are.”
HSE branch chair, Neil
Hope-Collins (left), said that the
calibre of independent consultants would be crucial and they
would most likely be recruited
from the existing inspectorate, thereby denuding HSE
of expertise. “These proposals
will open the floodgates for an
army of unaccountable private
consultants, trained at public
expense, to be unleashed on
British industry.
“They would be free to charge a fortune for advice that
would constitute an inferior service to that currently provided
for free by HSE. Our members struggle to see how this
reduces the burden on business or saves any public money.”
3
Legal assistant Helen Hall advised: “The
clock starts ticking on a claim caused by an
accident from the day it happens, so claims
must be lodged within three years.”
Also, avoid entering into correspondence or negotiations with a solicitor until
advice is received from Prospect. Engaging
your own solicitor will exclude you from
the Prospect scheme.
Any member who wishes to make a
personal injury claim should call the 24-hour
Prospect ClaimLine on 0800 587 4543.
■■ Members who would like to talk with
an expert should call the the LegalLine on
0800 328 7987.
Mark Thomas
Union warns
of dangers in
‘self-audit’
safety plans
■
■■ Cheers – Evelyn Wilson celebrates
keeping it in the family
Prospect’s legal services are not just for members. An
important benefit is that accidents outside work affecting
spouses, partners or the immediate family of members are
covered by the union’s personal injury scheme.
Librarian Evelyn Wilson was off work for two months
after she damaged her left knee and foot in a holiday
accident at a caravan park in St Ives, Cornwall.
“The next day Penzance hospital X-rayed my leg and
foot,” said Evelyn. “I had broken a bone between my
toes, and I was given crutches and advised to rest. Later
it was found I’d also sustained a break to a bone in my
foot. I had a course of ultrasound treatment and saw the
physiotherapist once a week.
“I had tripped over a sleeping policeman which was
unlit, and I blame the caravan park, because there was no
lighting in the area I fell.”
The incident became Prospect’s business because
Evelyn’s husband Peter, who works with electrical
engineers Doble Power Test of Guildford, is a Prospect
member. Union lawyers pursued a compensation claim on
her behalf, which has now been settled for £17,500.
Vote for Prospect’s new NEC
The election of Prospect’s new national
executive committee for 2010-12 is
now under way. A postal ballot of all
101,000 working members began on
Wednesday March 31.
Make sure you vote and return your
ballot papers by 6pm on Wednesday
April 28.
Twenty-seven nominations have been received from
branches for the 23 seats on
the executive. An additional five
seats are reserved for two years for
members from the Connect communications sector, so there will be 28 seats
on the new NEC.
■■ Votes will be counted by the Electoral
Reform Society and the results
announced as soon as they are
available. A full report will
be in the May issue of Profile.
news
Profile
4
■
April 2/10
In brief ...
■■ Prospect staff and reps joined a vigil
outside the Colombian Embassy in
London against the continued detention
of human rights activist and political
prisoner Liliany Obando. The protest was
held to mark International Women’s
day on March 8. Liliany was imprisoned
in August 2008 for condemning the
murders of trade unionists.
'We can
see no
likely
benefit
and huge
potential
downside
in this
course of
action'
Cabinet Office imposing the terms of the
earlier, greatly inferior, December offer.
Equally, Prospect did not consider that
industrial action would either be supported
or held any chance of success. The parliamentary order was laid in February and the
new terms will take effect in April.
“Apart from the fact that we are about
to enter a general election campaign when
ministers can no longer take decisions, it
is hard to see any potential government
restoring the previous terms,” said John
Streeter, civil service sector president.
Dai Hudd, deputy general secretary,
pointed to the dangers of a high-profile
court case over payments to civil servants
being dragged into party politics in the
midst of a general election campaign. “We
can see no likely benefit and huge potential
downside in this course of action,” he said.
■■ A small-scale carbon capture and storage testing project
at ScottishPower’s Longannet power station – the full-scale
development of green technologies will depend on an energy
system that encourages investment, warns Ofgem
‘FIx energy policy or
forget green future’
Eleanor Bentall
As Profile went to press, Prospect
branches were reporting back on the
consultation exercise with members over
the civil service compensation scheme.
As of March 26, branches had come
out unanimously in favour of endorsing
the decision of the civil service sector
executive to accept the package negotiated
by Prospect and four other unions with the
Cabinet Office.
The same result was recorded at the
two workshops held at the end of February,
attended by representatives from 30
branches.
Meanwhile PCS has been continuing its
campaign of industrial action against the
offer, with three days of action held so far.
In addition it has lodged an application for
judicial review, scheduled to be heard on
April 22-23.
The deal in question covers the early
retirement and redundancy compensation paid to civil and public servants under
the CSCS. Under the revised arrangements
agreed by Prospect, redundancy payments
will be capped at three years’ salary up to
a ceiling of £60,000; or the higher of two
years’ pay or £60,000. An enhanced pension
can be paid to early retirees over 50, who in
a compulsory redundancy can also leave on
the present terms until 2011.
While for some staff this is a reduction
from the present terms, it brings the civil
service into line with the rest of the public
sector. The protections for the lower paid
and those close to retirement mark a major
advance on the first offer from the Cabinet
Office in July 2009.
Prospect, the FDA, POA, GMB and Unite
decided not to seek a judicial review of the
changes because of a lack of confidence in
the judicial system and the danger of the
paul lees
Unanimous backing
for redundancy deal
■■ At a joint Prospect-FDA meeting to discuss the compensation scheme at Central Hall, London, were (l-r) David
Watts, FDA president; John Streeter, president of Prospect's
civil service sector; and Dai Hudd, deputy general secretary
Memorial day
Trade unionists in the UK
will join with workers across
the world on April 28 to
mark Workers’ Memorial Day
and highlight the dangers
to health of unsafe working
environments. The 21st
annual Workers’ Memorial
Day is the first which the UK
government will formally
recognise as a national day
of remembrance.
Thousands of trade
unionists will mark the
event with a minute’s
silence, as well as demonstrations at construction
sites and other places
where employees have died
at work.
It’s a breeze
Congratulations to Paul
Tomlin, senior wayleaves
officer and property surveyor
from the Central Networks
branch, who won the
giveaway in Profile 1/10 of a
hot air balloon flight for two
and a traditional champagne
toast when receiving a flight
certificate signed by Sir
Richard Branson.
Look out for this month’s
competition to win a set of
travel luggage – page 6.
Prospect last month endorsed electricity regulator Ofgem’s
call for a radical shake-up of Britain’s energy system. Without
far-reaching reforms, neither security of supply nor environmental objectives can be met, Ofgem warned.
It said the industry needs £200bn of investment by 2020,
but energy companies would need strong incentives before
committing that level of funds.
Ofgem is consulting on five options to address the unprecedented problems triggered by the financial crisis: global energy
investment demand; tough EU emissions targets; ageing power
stations; and increasing dependency on gas imports.
The most radical is for government to introduce a central
energy buyer “to determine the amount and type of new
generation needed and enter into long-term energy contracts
for power.”
The other ideas outlined in ‘Project Discovery’ are:
●●setting a minimum UK carbon price to encourage investment in green technology (best as part of an EU scheme)
●●enhanced obligations for suppliers and the system
operator (National Grid) to show how they would cope with
threats to supply
●●replacing the renewables obligation with tenders for
renewable generation, guaranteeing a return to investors
over longer periods of, say, 20 years
●●introducing ‘capacity tenders’ for all forms of generation
– though Ofgem warns that large-scale, centralised supplyside solutions could dominate at the expense of smallscale, local solutions.
“Prospect has long warned that the market alone cannot
deliver a low-carbon, secure energy system, so all Ofgem’s
scenarios are preferable to doing nothing,” said Prospect
head of research Sue Ferns. “But the minimum carbon price
and enhanced obligations may not be enough.
“Many members would favour large-scale, centralised
supply-side solutions for reasons of technical and economic
efficiency,” she said. “But we would not want to see renewables or other newer technologies crowded out. On the other
hand, specifying the generation mix might encourage investment and provide more certainty over workforce needs.”
A centralised energy buyer would operate in a different
context from the days of the Central Electricity Generating
Board. “These are no longer nationalised industries, and they are
dominated by multinational companies, mainly foreign owned.
So this option poses corporate and political challenges.”
Prospect responded to Ofgem’s consultation by the end
of March. However, a government paper on energy market
reform released at the time of the budget appeared to rule out
Ofgem’s ‘single buyer agency’.
news
Profile
April 2/10
What you
say about
Prospect
5
Pension
charges:
check the
small print
Many members of defined contribution
pension schemes are losing thousands of
pounds in unnecessary charges, Prospect
warned this month.
For the higher the share of pension
contributions absorbed by fees, the lower the
member’s final pension income. Members of
DC schemes can significantly increase their
retirement income by keeping the charges
they incur under regular review and taking
action when necessary.
Fees for defined contribution pension
schemes are usually expressed as an annual
management charge (AMC) and typically
range from 0.3 or 0.5 up to 1.5 per cent.
While these charges may seem innocuous
when expressed in this way, this belies the
significant impact they can have on final
pension pots when compounded over a
Jonathan Green highlights
the outline findings from this
year’s members’ survey
Boosted by three mergers in the last six months, Prospect
has started the new decade in a positive position.
But there is no doubt that in the current economic
climate there are challenges ahead. So to make sure that the
union is well-placed both to continue to support
members effectively and to adapt and thrive in the
future, the national executive committee launched
a members’ survey to find out more about:
●● the membership profile of the expanded
union
●● what members value about our current
range of activities and services
●● members’ experiences and views of work.
Early findings from the survey are very
encouraging. Over 10,000 responses were
received, covering all sections of the union and
giving an invaluable quality check on the union’s
performance.
What is clear from the provisional findings is
that Prospect is a healthy union. 42 per cent of
members took part in a union event in the last year,
and even more encouraging, over 900 members
indicated they would be interested in taking on
a union role, with one in five members under 30
expressing an interest.
The findings also give us important information on
how members like to receive information from the union.
Contact with workplace representatives and direct communication are seen as the key methods of communicating;
nearly 78 per cent of respondents valued email contact
and 64 per cent felt that contact with their workplace rep
was important or essential. The union’s website is seen
as an important source of information for 60 per cent of
members.
Particularly valuable is the information gathered
on members’ working lives (see lower chart). Against a
background of continued economic uncertainty it is perhaps
not surprising that so many respondents are concerned
about job security or career prospects.
What the results also show is how these pressures
impact on members’ health and well-being; 50 per cent say
■
If members are in a personal
pension arrangement then it is
their responsibility to check the
fees associated with that product
they are stressed at work and 38 per cent feel that work
pressures affect their home life.
These themes feature strongly in members’ campaigning
priorities, as shown in the top chart, broken down by
public and private sectors. There is some variation between
sectors, as shown by the results for the Civil Service
Compensation Scheme, but otherwise members sent a very
clear message about the issues of most concern to them.
Pay bargaining, redundancies and pensions are the
three priorities; followed by a number of issues that reflect
members’ concerns about being treated with dignity at
work, in particular health and safety, equal pay, harassment
and bullying, poor performance management systems and
age discrimination.
■■ A full report of the survey findings will be published in
the May issue of Profile. Results will be available on the
Prospect website in early May.
Congratulations!
Prizes of £250, £150 and £100 go to the following
winners of the prize draw for filling in the survey:
■■ 1. Helena Carlon, British Telecom
■■ 2. Heidi Kraft, Isle of Man Government
■■ 3. Paul Stein, HM Prison Service
working lifetime. Indeed, members often
find that the money deducted in charges
exceeds the total amount they contributed to
their scheme in the first place. For a member
contributing £1,000 a year to a DC pension
scheme a decrease in the AMC of just 0.1 per
cent can result in pension income increasing
by more than £400 a year.
Prospect pensions officer, Neil Walsh,
commented: “One of the most important
things that members of defined contribution schemes can do to boost their retirement income is to make sure they are not
paying unnecessarily high fees.
“The level of fees is not the only consideration, as higher charges are sometimes
justified if the manager takes a more active
approach in order to maximise returns. But
where fees are higher than competitors
offer for similar products this should be
challenged wherever possible.”
If members are in a personal pension
arrangement then it is their responsibility
to check the fees associated with that
product and to shop around if these seem
unnecessarily high.
Many Prospect members will be in
group pension schemes operated by their
employer and therefore may have less
individual control over the pension options
they can choose. In these situations it might
be useful to approach your local branch or
full-time officer with a view to reviewing
the arrangements offered and making representations on charges if appropriate.
communications
Profile
6
■
April 2/10
Prospect welcomes BT
pensions agreement
Agreement on the valuation of the BT
pension scheme was reached between BT
and its trustees in February. The valuation is
conducted every three years by
an independent actuary and this
agreement sets out the recovery
plan to deal with the scheme’s
deficit.
This is an important
milestone for the 360,000
members of BTPS because of
the size of the scheme deficit,
which rose from £3.4bn in 2005
to £9bn at the end of 2008.
The trustees have worked to
ensure that the deficit is tackled
in a way which will fully protect
the pension scheme whilst
being affordable for BT. The
company will be able to make
the contributions needed to
pay off the deficit over 17 years
whilst maintaining the BTPS in
its current form.
BT is in a strong position to
meet its commitments and its
third quarter results demonstrate that the
company is generating the cash necessary
to make these payments and to invest in the
future of the business.
Prospect welcomes BT’s agreement
to make these payments to
the scheme and to commit to
protecting pension provision,
with payments increasing from
£525m per year for the next
three years and increasing over
time.
Ben Marshall, Prospect
assistant general secretary,
said: “While the deficit is
clearly substantial, the fact that
agreement has been reached
between the trustees and BT on
dealing with it is very positive.
“What is positively unhelpful
is the pension regulator’s
comment to the effect it has
substantial concerns about the
valuation. We view the valuation
as prudent and the recovery plan
as meeting a reasonable balance
– it will pay off the deficit whilst
giving BT headroom to invest.
“The regulator’s remarks are damaging to
BT and unjustified.”
job cuts: Vodafone
condemned for
failure to consult
Mobile communications company Vodafone plans to cut
hundreds of jobs in the UK without notice, Prospect learned
in March. The union has expressed serious concerns about
the job cuts and the complete lack of consultation with
Prospect or union members.
Individuals are being asked to leave the business without
notice and with no redundancy consultation. Steve Thomas,
Prospect national officer said: “This is a disgraceful way
to treat employees, particularly long-serving and loyal
members of staff who have been with Vodafone from its early
days and made the company so successful.”
Staff were extremely disappointed to learn about the job
losses from the media and not the company, said Thomas. “We
will be representing members throughout this process and
we advise all Prospect members to contact the union urgently
before accepting any proposed individual agreement.”
More than 500 jobs are likely to go at the company
headquarters in Newbury, Berkshire and around the country.
Some new jobs will be created in customer-facing roles, and
the union will be pushing Vodafone to ensure that these
opportunities are made available to those losing their jobs.
Thomas said the episode once again showed the difference between workplaces that work with and recognise trade
unions, and those that don’t, like Vodafone. “It is essential to
build the membership in Vodafone to strengthen Prospect’s
role in future.”
■■ Any members with concerns should contact Connect, the
communications sector, on 020 8971 6000.
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EMAIL YOUR ANSWER TO THE QUESTION BELOW WITH YOUR NAME,
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WITH ‘TRIPP LUGGAGE’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE, OR FILL IN THIS
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POST YOUR ENTRY TO: PROFILE, TRIPP COMPETITION, PROSPECT,
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OFFERED AND NOT REDEEMED AGAINST ANY OTHER PRODUCT OR SERVICE. NO CASH ALTERNATIVES. PRIZE IS NOT TRANSFERABLE AND NOT FOR RESALE. THE WINNER
WILL BE DRAWN AT RANDOM AND WILL BE NOTIFIED WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THE CLOSING DATE. PROMOTER’S DECISION IS FINAL. NO CORRESPONDENCE WILL BE ENTERED
INTO. PROMOTER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SUBSTITUTE A PRIZE OF EQUAL OR GREATER VALUE. WHILE EVERY CARE IS TAKEN IN SELECTING COMPETITIONS, PROSPECT AND
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IF EMAILING YOUR ANSWER PLEASE WRITE ‘OPT OUT’ AFTER YOUR CONTACT DETAILS IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR CONTACT DETAILS PASSED ON TO THE PROMOTER.
news
Profile
April 2/10
■
7
Science and Technology Facilities Council
‘We’ll protect science’
pledge to Prospect
Prospect won an apology for lack of consultation in the
past and a promise of full consultation in the future when it
met science minister Lord Drayson
Prospect has won a series of pledges
from government to protect the research
base and to put the Science and Technology
Facilities Council onto a more stable
financial footing.
A delegation from Prospect was given
the assurances at a
meeting in March with
Lord Drayson, science
minister, Keith Mason,
STFC chief executive, and
Michael Sterling, STFC
chairman. They were
confirmed in an official
announcement two
weeks later (see right).
■■ Ferns –
This followed a TUC
attacked string
meeting in February
of science
where Drayson firmly
decisions
committed the government to maintain investment in pure
research “as this is the source of major
and unanticipated breakthroughs”. But its
commercial application had to be improved,
he said.
In response to Lee Jones, chair of
Prospect’s STFC branch, Drayson said he
was seeking a government commitment
to protect science and engineering in the
same way as front-line services. Similarly,
he wanted to see a technology assessment carried out on new policies on the
same lines as the existing requirement to
undertake an economic impact assessment.
Drayson agreed departmental silos were
an ineffective way of responding to crosscutting challenges, and said he was pushing
for the creation of a government network of
R&D establishments, along the lines of the
German Fraunhofer model.
Prospect head of
research Sue Ferns
expressed grave concern
about the steady slide
in departmental SET
expenditure. She cited a
string of recent decisions
taken without regard
to their implications,
including the cancella■■ Jones –
tion of the New Light
challenged
Source and other projects
cuts in capital
by STFC, cutbacks at
spending
the National Physical
Laboratory, the closure of Warwick HRI
and job cuts at the Institute of Biological,
Environmental and Rural Sciences in Wales.
In particular, Ferns protested at the
complete lack of consultation over the
minister’s latest review of STFC, after the
research council’s ‘re-prioritisation’ exercise
in December. The union urged him to
ring-fence SET expenditure and exercise
‘strategic oversight’ in order to safeguard
national SET capacity.
In March, Drayson apologised unreservedly for the failure to consult and pledged to
do so “at every step of the way” in future.
■■ Lord Drayson
announces the creation
of an executive agency
for space last December
STFC gets what it wanted
True to his word, in early March
Drayson announced a series of
measures to assist the troubled
STFC. They include long-term
arrangements for the Department
for Business to work with the Bank of
England and reduce its exposure to
exchange rate fluctuations.
For 2010-11, STFC will be
provided with similar protection to
the previous year in respect of the
costs of international subscriptions.
From the next spending round
in April 2011, RCUK and STFC will
agree the funding needs for its large
domestic facilities – Diamond Light
Source, the Central Laser Facility
and the ISIS pulsed neutron and
muon source.
BIS will then allocate funds to
STFC for the next two CSR periods
– effectively a six-year spending
envelope – separately from the
remainder of its budget allocation.
Also, the UK’s subscription to
the European Space Agency will in
future be managed by the UK Space
Agency, safeguarding STFC’s grantgiving function from fluctuations in
space subscriptions.
The moves were welcomed by
Prospect’s Sue Ferns for fulfilling
the minister’s commitments the
previous month. “There is clear
recognition for the importance of the
STFC’s work and for the vital contribution made by research council
staff to UK science.”
Statement to STFC members by Lord Drayson
Many Prospect members
will be aware of the challenges
that have faced the Science
and Technology Facilities
Council. I am confident, however, that the
STFC is now in a much better position.
There is no doubt that the STFC supports
world-leading science and technology of
real benefit to the UK. But it has encountered problems in discharging its responsibilities for international projects and large
facilities alongside scientific grants. The
rising costs of international projects, particularly through exchange rate movements
beyond the control of STFC, have squeezed
the money available for those grants.
My position is that when difficulties arise, you must confront them. The
situation at STFC had become unsustainable, which was why I announced a review
of the Council in December last year.
For the coming
financial year,
investment in
science and
research will
have doubled
from its 1997
level to
over £6bn
I believe the changes we are making to
STFC will improve things dramatically for
all those who depend on the Council for
funding. As a scientist myself, I know that
researchers require certainty – which is
what the new arrangements will provide.
Grants will remain with the STFC so
that there is continuity of investment from
facility design through to exploitation.
By removing the risk of foreign exchange
impacts, meanwhile, and by securing a
longer-term funding arrangement for our
big science facilities, the STFC will be on a
sounder footing financially.
At the same time, we must remember
that science represents this country’s
competitive advantage.
Our research base ranks among the best
in the world, supporting business development and attracting inward investment.
We are the most productive nation in the
G8 per researcher and per pound of public
money spent. For the coming financial
year, investment in science and research
will have doubled from its 1997 level to
over £6bn.
This government recognises the importance of science and that curiosity-driven
research generates the knowledge which
translates into commercial opportunities
and jobs. We remain committed to the
national science and innovation campuses
at Daresbury and Harwell.
Making changes at STFC has required
some difficult decisions, but I believe
that they will serve the best interests of
UK science.
We must now work together on making
a success of the new arrangements. I can assure Prospect
members they will be fully consulted at every step of the way.
Profile
8
■
April 2/10
Famous portrait photographer Rankin
is helping Oxfam raise awareness of the
conditions facing people in the Democratic
Republic of Congo after ten years of conflict
between the military government and
opposition militia groups.
This war rarely reaches TV screens in
the UK, says Oxfam. Yet in the east of the
country, more than five million civilians
have been killed. Every day, people fear
Rankin/Oxfam
Human faces of a
forgotten conflict
eviction, rape, severe injury or even death.
More than a million people have fled their
homes and thousands have died trying.
Oxfam is helping the survivors to
stay alive. Many are taking refuge in
overcrowded camps, where the charity is
supplying, installing and maintaining water
tanks and tap stands.
Rankin visited Congo twice with Oxfam
in recent years. He organised photography
Andrew Davies/Oxfam
■■ Rankin taking photographs of the crowds in Mugunga camp
■■ Mbrize Loyi, 28 (centre) at Sange refugee camp. Her nine-year-old
daughter Elisa died at the camp a month after the family’s arrival
workshops with local people, many of
whom had never seen a camera before. His
eye-opening photographs are on display
until April 11 in a free exhibition in front of
London’s National Theatre.
Rankin said: “I’ve met some incredible people – people whose resilience and
positivity in the face of insurmountable
problems, I can only wonder at and admire.”
A glossy book, price £20, features images
from his trips, and stories of the people he
met and photographed.
“It’s a testament to the vibrancy and
passion of a people who are too often
regarded as victims, rather than human
beings; the same as you and I,” he said.
All proceeds go to Oxfam’s work in the
country.
■■ Order from: www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/
ethical-collection-accessories/HN253871
■■ Exhibition details: www.oxfam.org.uk/
oxfam_in_action/where_we_work/drc/
rankin_exhibition.html
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The Gutu district has
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and the project is helping
people adapt to climate
change and provide a yearround source of food.
However, local planning
laws have delayed the
start of the project, which
will be reported in a future
issue of Profile. See an
interim report at: http://
library.prospect.org.uk/
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news
Profile
April 2/10
EDF members vote
to defend pensions
Prospect members at EDF Energy decided
this month to back a ballot on industrial
action – if management does not withdraw
an attack on the pensions of 2,000 London
members.
In a consultative ballot, members
voted in favour of industrial action by an
overwhelming majority of
15 to one. The branch will
now put the result to the
company and decide whether
to launch an official ballot for
industrial action.
The company wants to
cut provision for employees
in the Electricity Supply
Pension Scheme’s London
section by ending the
‘Barber Waiver’ in 2011 – an
arrangement agreed 21
years ago.
Before 1988, men had a
normal retirement age of 65, while women
could retire at 60.
In 1990, the European Court ruled that
pensions, like pay, should be equal for men
and women. Men’s normal retirement age
was reduced to 60 – but only for service
built up after May 17, 1990.
The Barber Waiver allows men to take
■■ Prospect deputy general
secretary Mike Clancy will
represent energy unions on
the Power Academy
Prospect
hails new
links in UK
nuclear
supply
chain
Stefano Cagnoni
French unions echo Networks fears
French unions offered support last month to Prospect members
in their campaign against any sale of EDF Energy’s UK networks
business.
Laurence Hoeffling (right), secretary general of the company’s
European Works Council, told the branch annual conference in London
that many issues facing British union members coincided with those
affecting their French counterparts.
Delegates passed two motions on the proposed sale,
condemning the company’s ‘betrayal’ and urging Prospect, through
the EWC, to ensure staff terms and conditions are protected if a
sale happens.
EDF was due to make its final decision about a sale in early April,
depending on the value of bids received.
9
Electricity
bosses urged
to take lead
on safety
a pension built up from service before this
date at age 60, without reduction.
Negotiator Azim Hajee said men joining
the ESPS London Section before 1988,
wanting to retire before age 63, were under
threat. They include staff transferred into
the London Section from Eastern (TXU),
Powergen, Sweb and WPD
after successive takeovers.
He warned that 1,950
employees would be hit
– over 14 per cent of the
13,500-strong workforce.
Ironically, 1,400 similar
employees in the Seeboard
section of the ESPS will be
safe as the company agreed a
permanent Barber waiver for
them in the 1990s.
Hajee said: “EDF Energy
claims keeping the waiver
will encourage people to retire
earlier, thus causing a skills
shortage. In fact, if the waiver ends, many
experienced staff will leave earlier simply to
avoid the 2011 deadline.
“The company’s arguments about cost
are equally flawed. In practice, very few
employees take their pension before age 63
– only 50 did so between 2006-08.”
■■ Attention span – delegates at EDF Energy’s branch conference in London
■
Prospect welcomed
last month’s government
decision to provide an
£80m loan to build a
nuclear manufacturing
facility in Sheffield.
Other partners in
the project – worth an
estimated £170m – are
Westinghouse, the
European Investment
Bank and engineering
factory Sheffield
Forgemasters.
A 15,000-tonne press
will be built at Forgemasters
to make pressure vessels
and castings for nuclear
reactors, creating 180
highly skilled jobs. To date
they have only been made
in Japan.
“This deal adds a new
and vital link to the UK
nuclear supply chain,”
said Michael Macdonald,
Prospect negotiator
in Yorkshire.
“Workers will be
making an essential
product to support new
nuclear build in the UK, as
well as the global market.”
■■ A Power Academy to
boost electricity industry
skills has received the
green light with £2.9m
of government investment, matched by £3.9m
from industry employers.
Prospect deputy general
secretary Mike Clancy will
represent energy unions
on its board.
Electricity companies are being urged
to energise their leadership on improving
workplace safety as a new five-year strategy
is launched.
‘Powering Improvement’ will be unveiled
jointly by companies, unions and the Health
and Safety Executive at the industry’s annual
health and safety conference this month.
All chief executives in generation, transmission and distribution were sent a letter
in March asking them to formally endorse
the strategy.
Signed jointly by Peter McCormick,
company side chair of the tripartite national
health, safety and environment committee,
and Mike Clancy, union side secretary,
the letter said the aim is to “make the UK
electricity industry a world leader in health
and safety performance by 2015.
“We will do this by supporting the priorities in the HSE strategy, in particular the
themes of leadership, worker involvement
and improving competence, to proactively
manage the risks that cause real harm and
suffering.”
‘Powering Improvement’ replaces the
ten-year
Safelec 2010
programme.
Each year will
have a specific
theme. These
are:
●● 2010:
leadership
●● 2011: occupational health/
wellbeing
●● 2012: asset
management/
■■ Page – prevention
maintenance most sensible approach
●● 2013: behavioural safety/personal responsibility
●● 2014: beyond 2015 – next steps.
Prospect health and safety officer Sarah
Page, who sits on the strategy’s steering
group, said: “Last year’s Safelec annual
report showed stress levels had almost
quadrupled in a year.
“Prevention is the most sensible
approach, so we welcome the early focus on
occupational health.”
The emphasis on worker involvement was
also excellent news. “Evidence shows union
health and safety reps have a real impact on
reducing accidents at work, provided they
have their company’s support and commitment to effective consultation.
“So it’s up to company CEOs to sign up
and deliver.”
news
Profile
10
■
April 2/10
Regulation: the great debate
A wide range of experts came together
at The Royal Society in London in March to
debate the complexities of regulation in the
modern economy.
At a seminar organised by Prospect,
they examined everything from economic
regulation to democratic accountability, but
started off by focusing on the role of regulation in stimulating investment and active
industrial strategy.
Andrew Miller, chair of the Commons
regulation reform select committee, used
anecdotes to make the serious point that
unless people were trained to apply regulations properly it would “lead us to believe
all regulation is mad and bad, where clearly
it is not.”
He cited a leek farm manager visited
in four consecutive weeks by gangmaster,
minimum wage, health and safety and supermarket regulators, which illustrated the need
for regulators to work together and “cause
minimum disruption to the regulated.”
But reducing administrative burdens had
to be balanced with essential protections,
such as the new Agency Workers Directive.
“We hear about light touch, arms’ length
regulation but what we mean is ‘right
touch’,” he said.
Dorothy Smith, BT’s regulatory affairs
spokesperson, said while the previous era
of regulation had been about competition
and lower prices for consumers, the Digital
Britain initiative illustrated how governments had to address longer-term policy
objectives requiring investment, particularly
in infrastructure.
Key issues for BT were: commitment to a
universal broadband service; expanding next
generation access; content and copyright;
and the powers of regulator Ofcom. “What
happens next will depend on the outcome
of the general election,” she said.
Smith was confident that universal
broadband would happen, as funding mechanisms were already in place through the BBC
licence fee. But the government proposal
Pictures: Jonathan Eeles
Prospect seminar brings the
experts together to discuss
the role of regulation today
■■ Miller – regulators must
work together
■■ Dorothy Smith – longerterm policy objectives
■■ Fincham – will continue
to press for efficiencies
for a 50p monthly levy for next-generation
access was opposed by the Conservatives.
For Ofgem, senior partner for local grids
Steve Smith said the electricity regulator
was conducting two key reviews. Project
Discovery was examining whether current
regulatory policies and market arrangements could deliver government’s policy for
carbon reductions, maintaining security of
supply and affordable energy.
RPI-X-20 focused on regulation of the
monopoly pipes and wires businesses and
how to modernise them, as networks would
bear the brunt of decarbonisation.
Emerging thinking from both reviews
was that while the status quo may keep
the lights on, it could not deliver the carbon
targets. Ofgem was consulting on several
solutions, ranging from modest to more
radical reform.
“But we need to preserve what is good
in the system,” added Smith. “We have
attracted substantial investment into the
UK and driven down the costs of capital
because investors trust the UK system of
economic regulation and assess it as very
low risk. We must avoid killing the goose
that lays the golden investment egg.”
Nick Fincham, director of economic
regulation at the Civil Aviation Authority,
argued that while the path of regulation
had not been smooth since the part-priva-
■■ Steve
Smith –
status quo
cannot
deliver
carbon
targets
tisation of NATS in 2001, going private had
been a good decision.
He cited a 19 per cent reduction between
2001-02 and 2008-09 in NATS’ en route
charges. In 2001 the average delay per
flight attributed to NATs was 90 seconds; in
2008-09 it was 19 seconds.
NATS had maintained an excellent safety
record despite operating some of the most
complex air space in the world.
But Fincham warned of continued
pressure for greater efficiencies. The CAA’s
ongoing review of spending for the next
five years was examining operating costs –
including treatment of pension costs – and
how the business could ensure adequate
capital to fulfil its services.
The meeting also heard from Scottish
Power’s director of energy networks Frank
Mitchell, Prospect general secretary Paul
Noon and deputy general secretary Mike
Clancy. More reports in May’s issue of
Energy Lines.
‘bonfire of red tape’ no answer in the post-crash world
Regulation is no longer a dirty word, said Adam Lent (left), TUC
head of economic affairs. “The limitations of markets have been
laid bare for all but the most ideological to see; and the government’s new industrial strategy represents a welcome change of
direction.”
A ‘bonfire of red tape’ was not the solution, but a system
of economic regulation fit for purpose in the new post-crash
economic era.
“We need to use the power of regulation to help us rebalance
our economy,” he said, “to build the clean, green industries of
the future and to meet the energy, environmental and economic
challenges of the decades ahead.”
The government’s active industrial strategy, outlined in
‘New Industry, New Jobs’, signalled a major departure from the
‘market knows best’ approach. This was complemented by the
low-carbon industrial strategy, with its promise of strategic
investment in the energy infrastructure.
There would be significant consequences for the regulation
of the aviation, energy and telecoms industries.
However, Lent added: “It’s all very well reforming regulatory
systems in key sectors, but ultimately that will count for little
unless we have the scientists, engineers and specialists in place
to build the world-class industries and companies we all want to
see. And that requires government to take the lead.”
news
Profile
April 2/10
regulators
can maKe a
difference
■■ McIntosh – high
broadband take-up
competitors access to BT
infrastructure on an equal
basis. “This was a real
innovation which made the
market more responsive,”
said McIntosh.
Regulatory change
had helped to transform
the UK into a country with
one of the highest rates
of broadband take-up
in Europe and allowed
deregulation of BT’s core
telephony services.
But there was no desire
from Ofcom to cease regulation altogether. “Regulators
need to be able to intervene,
for example where competition gives rise to potential
consumer exploitation,”
McIntosh said.
Philip Cullum of
Consumer Focus called for
a review of regulators, “to
establish whether regulation is doing the business
for the economy and for
consumers.” The voices
of vulnerable consumers
needed to be heard to
ensure that services were
delivered in a fair and
accessible way.
Regulators needed
to make evidence-based
decisions, using an
improved knowledge base
to be gained by sharing
information with each
other, he suggested.
■■ Cullum
– review
the
regulators
The final session involved lively debate
over who should regulate and what should
be regulated.
Shailesh Vara
(right), shadow
deputy leader of
the Commons, was
concerned at the
growth in quangos
over the past 30
years. “An incoming
Conservative
government would take a detailed look at
regulators and decide whether some regulatory decisions should really be taken by
ministers in central government, to promote
democratic accountability,” he said.
Transport minister
Chris Mole (left), a
Prospect member
in the Connect
sector, countered
that the principle of
democratic accountability was already
well established,
with government and parliament setting
targets and holding regulators to account.
Regulators should adopt the principle
of ‘intelligent regulation’, ensuring it was
appropriate and proportionate to the particular market, he said.
The audience
was urged to
remember the global
dimension by Marcus
Courtney (right),
of Union Network
International.
“Regulation plays a
role in tackling climate change and in the
enormous displacement caused by the
recent economic downturn. Markets fail
and can fail catastrophically, so it would be
dangerous to rely on market solutions alone.”
The needs of workers also had to
be considered. “We can’t have a social
outcome focused only on consumers or
competition … People need jobs and jobs
need to be created.”
Business minister
Lord Tony Young
(left) echoed the calls
for regulation to be
focused and proportionate. “Everyone
benefits from good
regulation,” he said.
“Business benefits though the creation of
a level playing field and a more motivated
workforce.”
But, he suggested, self-regulation,
voluntary targets and raised awareness
were all part of the solution.
11
Change must not ignore the
vital role of civilian staff in
the Ministry of Defence
Reform
needs to
start now
The Ministry of Defence is hell-bent
on pursuing its discredited outsourcing
strategy despite protestations that it values
its civilian workforce and has taken on board
the recommendations of critical reports, a
seminar on defence heard in March at New
Prospect House.
Alan Grey, chair of the union’s defence
maritime and logistics group, said that in
the wake of reports which had strongly
criticised MOD outsourcing, cost-cutting
and the erosion of its role
as an intelligent customer,
“It carries on with reviews
that continue with the same
flawed strategy. We need an
alternative.” But there did
appear to be ‘slow recognition’ of the importance of
civilians to front line operations, he said.
From the Defence College
of Science and Technology,
Shrivenham, Tony Edwards
(top) warned that the
defence budget faced a cut of 16 per cent
over the next four years. “By comparison
with education and welfare, defence has
been government’s lowest spending priority
since 1987. Previous defence reviews have
been little more than cuts masquerading as
reviews.”
The funding gap which had been
denied by the minister, Quentin Davies, at
Prospect’s previous defence seminar last
April had been exposed by the Commons
Pictures: stefano cagnoni
The communications
market has changed
enormously since the 2004
Telecoms Strategic Review,
said Stuart McIntosh of
Ofcom.
Broadband had spread
rapidly and Openreach
had been created, to allow
‘More decisions
by ministers
would promote
accountability’
■
defence committee as standing at a
massive £36bn.
Kevan Jones (below), veterans’ minister,
opposed salami-slicing cuts but acknowledged that ‘tough choices’ had to be made.
“Defence spending is not going to grow
in the next five years, no matter which
government is returned,” he admitted.
“Some sacred cows might have to be
shot. We need to identify new threats and
how to counter them within an agreed
budget.”
But he recognised there
were other issues to address,
including how the armed
forces were organised.
On civilians, Jones said: “I
have seen civilians working
very hard on the front line –
just as hard as the military
and without any recognition. If you take them away
what needs to be done on
the front line cannot be
delivered.”
Jones agreed that MOD’s role as an intelligent customer was important and cited the
chaos surrounding the Future Rapid Effects
System (FRES) vehicle programme. “We
need better specifications for equipment
and a better decision-making process.”
The seminar then heard from Dr Robin
Hiley, scientific advisor at the Defence
Science and Technology Laboratory, who
has served on two tours of duty in Iraq and
Afghanistan (see page 20).
‘prospect the voice for civilians’
Prospect’s Mike Clancy
told the audience that in
the run-up to the general
election the union would
press for an honest debate
about how defence expenditure needed to match foreign
policy objectives.
“Our challenge is to be
the voice for civilians across
the defence sector and to
put pressure on the political
parties over their plans for
both MOD and industry.”
He drew attention to
the findings of the latest
Commons defence select
committee report ‘Defence
Equipment 2010’, which
reached a number of
damming conclusions about
MOD’s capacity to face facts
and ensure it had a coherent
relationship with industry.
Clancy quoted the report:
“Transparency is not a
practice which has traditionally been embraced by
the MOD.” In relation to the
equipment programme, it
said: “Information provided
by the department was either
confusing or incomplete.”
The committee had
recognised the reduction
in MOD’s ability to act as an
intelligent customer, saying
it was unconvinced it had
an effective strategy to
train and educate its staff.
“What is required is not
only the provision of appropriate training, but also a
longer-term commitment to
career management which
is organised to suit efficient
acquisition, not just military
needs.”
The department’s failure
to be clear about the deficit
in funding the equipment
programme also impacted
on private sector companies
“who need certainty about
the needs of the department
and the timing of investments,” said Clancy.
pay
Profile
12
■
April 2/10
stefano cagnoni
pledge to exempt those earning under
£18,000 from a general pay freeze mean
in practice? Can such low earners actually
expect more than the 1 per cent rise
promised by Labour? If so, will others have
to pay the price in job losses? What about
everybody else earning below the median
annual full-time wage of £25,800? Why
should they pay a higher price than top
bankers, whose companies seem prepared
to pay the higher tax charge on their
bonuses on their behalf? Will any savings
prove illusory as more people are forced to
take up means-tested benefits?
And why should higher-paid public
servants providing valuable services and
key specialist skills be expected to work for
less than their counterparts in the private
sector? Here too, the highest earners are
not slow to lecture those lower down the
earnings ladder on the need for financial
sacrifice without ever expecting to forgo
any part of their own incomes.
These questions illustrate the need for
By the time you read this, the chancellor
a more coherent and transparent debate
will have delivered the final Budget before
about pay and reward, based on the
the general election. We will therefore know
economic evidence and on better informamore about how the state of the public
tion about jobs and incomes than has so
finances is likely to influence
far been disclosed. The
decision-making in the
Why should higher-paid country’s finances clearly
period ahead. Yet, both
do matter in this debate, as
public servants
government and opposition
do political decisions about
providing valuable
policies on pay – at least
spending priorities. But
for the public sector – have
there are other important
services and key
been set for some time.
questions too – about
specialist skills be
Further, the government’s
access to decent jobs and
stated intent to freeze top
expected to work for less skills, quality of services and
pay was confirmed by its
the kind of society we want
than their counterparts to live in.
response to the Senior
Salaries Review Body earlier
In this wider context,
in the private sector?
this month (see page 25).
Prospect is interested in the
So it’s clear that this part of the
willingness of all political parties to engage
pre-election debate is driven by politics
in meaningful discussions with unions as
not economics. How else to explain the
key stakeholders. Without such engageupfront commitment by all the main parties
ment, there can be no confidence about
to hold down public sector pay despite
the prospects for progressing to a fairer
rising inflation? What will the Conservative
settlement.
Pay policy should reflect
society’s needs as well as
the state of the nation’s
finances, says Sue Ferns
Tight vote to end Grid pay disputE
Prospect members at National Grid narrowly
decided to accept a 1.3 per cent pay offer last
month. Of 885 ballot papers issued, 53 per
cent favoured acceptance and 47 per cent
opposed, on a 56 per cent turnout. Members
of the other unions also accepted.
Nine out of ten Prospect members voted
in January to take industrial action short
of a strike in protest at an earlier 1 per cent
offer, also involving proposals to reduce
annual leave and healthcare entitlements for
newcomers in electricity.
Action was suspended so members could
vote on the latest offer, which would provide for
separate discussions on leave and healthcare.
“The company would not have improved
the offer without members’ earlier support
for industrial action,” said Prospect national
secretary Emily Boase. “But this close result
shows how many people are still dissatisfied
with the outcome. We will take their concerns
on board in the 2010 negotiations.”
Unions were aiming to get the pay
increase in April’s pay packets, backdated
to July 2009. Separate talks will now take
place about annual leave and common
handbook terms between gas and electricity
employees.
prisonimage.org
Pay – it’s about
more than money
Prospect wins major
concessions on prison
psychologists’ pay
Psychologists in the Prison Service are being advised to
accept a deal to bring their pay into closer alignment with
that of uniformed colleagues.
Nearly 200 psychological assistants and trainee psychologists in the Prison Service had lodged grievances or equal
pay claims at employment tribunals because of differences
between their pay and that of prison officers.
In March, after five months of intensive negotiations,
Prospect won key concessions from management and is
now balloting members on an offer. If accepted, the legal
claims would have to be withdrawn to trigger the payments.
“Prospect has come this far because
members acted together through their
union,” said negotiator Andy Bye.
“While all our demands have not been
met, we are recommending acceptance as
the offer provides significant improvements
in pay and some compensation for back pay.”
Under the offer from the National
Offender Management Service:
●● the trainee psychologist pay range
would increase to £21,000-£24,000 from
£17,429-£19,877
●● the psychological assistant pay range
would increase to £17,000-£20,500 from
£14,774-£19,581
●● from March 31, 2010, psychological assistants at
the maximum of their current pay range would get an
additional £1,500; and trainee psychologists £1,000 (not
guaranteed beyond March 31, 2011)
●● one-off lump sums of up to £2,000, non-consolidated,
would go to current staff who have spent time in the
trainee psychologist grade in the six years to March 31,
2010; up to £1,800 would go to psychological assistants.
Staff in these grades who have left would receive one-off
non-consolidated settlements of up to £4,000.
Bye said there could be no guarantees of success if the
union continued down the legal route. “At best it would
take another couple of years to resolve and at worst, if there
were appeals on points of law, several more years.”
■■ Bye –
legal route
could take
several
years
pay
Profile
Public ‘pay lead’ is almost
non-existent, say experts
Public servants are paid almost exactly
in line with their counterparts in the private
sector once age, experience and qualifications are taken into account, says the
Institute for Fiscal Studies.
In its pre-Budget presentation, the IFS
says that in 2006, before the financial crisis,
the public sector enjoyed a premium on
paper of 15 per cent for men and 22 per cent
for women.
But once corrected for
Average
various characteristics in
Public
earnings
the workforce that affect
sector
growth (%)
wage levels, these differgroup
1997–2009
entials fall to 2 per cent
and 4 per cent, says IFS.
Private
58
Similarly, if pay
Public
59
Charts source: ONS, www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=9537
movements since 2000
Average earnings indices (AEI) not seasonally adjusted and including bonuses
Practices allied
98
are compared, by October
to medicine
2009 the public sector
Nurses
72
had enjoyed earnings
HM
Forces
59
growth 5 per cent greater
Doctors
58
than the private sector.
Teachers
52
But, observes IFS, the
starting point for such
Civil service
44
comparisons is critical. If
Prison
40
May 1997 is taken as the
Police
36
starting point, average
earnings growth is only
fractionally higher in the public sector (see
chart), with the recent drop in private sector
wages allowing the public sector to catch up
for the first time in 12 years.
Among the factors that IFS says
influence the differential are the increasing
Note: The monthly indices have been smoothed by annual moving average in order to smooth the
dominance of women and graduates in
bonuses effect in the private sector at the end of the year
the public sector, especially in health and
education. This has contributed to workers
by 2012-13, but only £2.1bn if the knock-on
the IFS notes that these are less than meet
in the public sector (39 per cent graduates)
effect on indirect tax revenues is included.
the eye: loss of taxes, increased benefits
being substantially more qualified than the
But if pay is similar, the IFS concludes,
and tax credits eat up 38 per cent of any
private sector (29 per cent graduates).
pension provision is very definitely not.
reduction in the pay bill.
Within the public sector, there are wide
Public sector workers are both more likely
Thus a 5 per cent cut in public sector pay
variations in pay between different groups,
to be in a pension scheme and in a defined
would save £7.5bn on gross wages, but in
as shown in the table above.
benefit scheme than the private sector. The
reality would only save government £5.5bn.
Commenting on the potential savings to
resulting difference is worth at least 12 per
The government’s declared 1 per cent cap on
government from holding down public pay,
cent of earnings, says IFS.
public sector pay would save £3.4bn a year
Key indicators %
Average earnings
(inc bonuses, year to Jan)
Average earnings
(exc bonuses, year to Jan)
Private sector
Private sector
Public sector
Public sector
Retail Price Index
(year to Feb)
Consumer Price Index
(year to Feb)
0.9
1.4
0.0
0.4
3.8
4.0
3.7
3.0
April 2/10
■
13
DEVONPORT ROYAL
DOCKYARD
Members have accepted an offer
for a two-year settlement worth
2 per cent,
effective from
October 1,
2009. Year
two of the
deal is worth
a minimum of
2 per cent or
RPI plus 0.5 per cent.
Paycheck
KILROOT POWER
STATION
for 2010 pay worth 3 per cent,
effective from January 1.
NORTHERN IRELAND
ELECTRICITY
for a two-year settlement worth
0 per cent in 2009, excluding
progression payments and £500
performance bonus, but with a
pledge to award RPI plus 0.5 per
cent in 2010. The effective date
of the deal is April 1.
ORTHO-CLINICAL
DIAGNOSTICS
for 2010 pay worth 2.4 per cent,
effective from March 1, 2010.
The deal provides increases
between 3.1-2.4 per cent
depending on performance.
TRANSPORT FOR
LONDON
for 2009 pay worth 1.5 per cent,
effective from April 1. The deal
is the first year of a three-year
settlement.
VALUATION OFFICE –
CORRECTION
In the February issue of Profile
(1/10) it was wrongly reported
that members in the Valuation
Office Agency had accepted an
offer for 2009 pay. In fact the
offer, worth 2.65 per cent overall,
was imposed by management.
Apologies for any inconvenience
caused to members and
branch reps.
VT unions to campaign against freeze
Over 650 members at VT Group face a battle
over attempts by management to impose a
pay freeze this year.
The company, which provides support
services to both the public and private
sector, made a profit of over £60m last
year. Members, based at sites around the
country, are angry that their hard work is to be
rewarded with an effective pay cut.
Prospect negotiator John Ferrett said:
“The company is very successful, it has
made big profits and its share price is rising.
Staff who have helped to make the business
a success are being punished. What is
even more annoying is that we met with the
chief executive just a few weeks ago and
he stressed that there would be no central
mandate or remit on pay.”
VT unions are to meet in London at the
end of March to agree a campaign against the
decision, which will take effect from April 1.
Meanwhile, a new row is brewing at
Portsmouth naval base, just weeks after a
long-running dispute over terms and conditions was settled there.
Over 280 members at BAE Systems
Surface Ships are furious that BAE plans
to close the current healthcare insurance
scheme and replace it with one that is more
expensive.
Negotiator John Ferrett said this latest
move by the company showed that it had
learned nothing from the dispute last year
over its unwillingness to negotiate over
changes to terms and conditions.
“The company have not engaged with us at
all and we may be heading for another dispute.
Some people are receiving treatment now
under the auspices of the scheme and face
having that cut off. It is not a very sensitive
approach by the company and they need to
rethink it quickly.”
Profile
14
■
April 2/10
Public sector pensions just 1.7% of GDP
While the existence of Bigfoot or the Loch
Ness monster remain mysteries, one myth
busted last month is that public sector
pensions are too generous and represent an
unsustainable burden on the taxpayer.
The Cost of Public Service Pensions – the
first of two reports by the National Audit
Office – has done much to debunk the
falsehoods often perpetuated about ‘goldplated’ public sector pensions, said Neil
Walsh, Prospect pensions officer.
The report focuses on the big four
pay-as-you-go schemes of the civil service,
the armed forces, teachers in England and
Wales and the NHS, in which pensions are
paid out of taxation rather than an underlying investment fund. The NAO predicts
that payments will rise from £25bn this
year to £79bn in 2060, before allowing for
employee contributions.
But in terms of Gross Domestic Product,
projected costs look set to rise from 1.7% of
GDP today to a peak of just 1.9% in 18-19
years’ time – and then back down to 1.7%
by 2059-60, taking into account anticipated
growth in the economy.
By presenting these figures in terms of
Pension payments as a percentage of projected Gross Domestic Product
Percentage
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
2009–
2010
20192020
Armed forces
2029–
2030
Civil Service
2039–
2040
NHS
2049–
2050
Teachers
2059–
2060
Others
Note – Payments in each of the five categories are for the whole of the UK
Source: National Audit Office analysis of data used by the Government Actuary’s Department to support the Treasury’s Long-term public finance report of December 2009
an annual percentage of GDP – an indication of the country’s ability to pay – Walsh
said the NAO has “brought clarity to an
issue which partisan groups often seek to
bury in alarming figures about multi-billion
pound liabilities, taken out of context of the
country’s ability to pay.”
And even the NAO figures don’t allow
for the public sector reforms agreed in 2007
■■ Walsh –
civil servants
are paying
59 per
cent more
for their
benefits
which have had the intended effect of
limiting future taxpayer liabilities. These will
be examined in a second report.
Walsh said the NAO had demonstrated
that attempts to stir up a culture of envy
with claims that public sector pensions are
overgenerous fall far short of the facts. “Not
only do the figures show the average civil
service pension is under £6,000 a year but
that members of these schemes are paying
more for their benefits – the average civil
servant contribution is 59 per cent higher
than 10 years ago.”
Detractors, said Walsh, often forget
to add that cutting back on public sector
pensions will save little as, deprived of this
income, many recipients would have to fall
back on state benefits; while tax relief on
private sector contributions costs more than
the burden of public sector pensions.
Some nay-sayers in the media seized on
the NAO’s caveat that the figures assumed a
growing economy and a static public service
headcount. But Walsh pointed out that the
report also called for more work into the
impact of higher employee contributions and
higher retirement ages for new entrants.
The greening of BT’s Adastral
Park
James Allen
explains how
union reps
are helping
to cut carbon
emissions at an
R&D centre by
80 per cent
malcolm watson/visual media
jacky chapman
Adastral Park is BT’s research and development headquarters, near Ipswich. BT plans
to redevelop the park to create ‘a sustainable
community’ with homes and jobs on site
and a renewable energy plant providing heat
and power.
At present the site produces annual carbon
emissions of approximately 45,000 tonnes
of CO2, plus the commuting travel impact of
4,000 employees. The company has a target to
reduce CO2 emissions by 80 per cent against
1996 levels.
The TUC’s GreenWorkplaces project is an
opportunity for unions to play a crucial role in
improving workforce engagement in this kind
of environmental scheme. More than 3,500
■■ Andrew Cassey –union
support invaluable
BT staff plus 500 non-BT employees work at
Adastral Park, and union members belong to
both Prospect and CWU.
Phil Dance, MD of Adastral Park, says: “Our
vision is to create an innovation centre that is
truly sustainable and fit for the 21st century.
True sustainability is a team effort and I am
pleased to see the active involvement of
the unions.”
The main goal of the project is to involve
the workforce in a bottom-up approach to
greening BT, initially by engaging staff in
site-wide carbon impact assessments covering
energy, water and waste. Nationally, BT has
an extensive, largely top-down approach
to managing environmental issues. To
complement this, it has set up a network of
‘carbon clubs’ (some of them union-led) that
now have more than 1,000 members.
The project started in October 2009, offering
union training. For BT staff, agreement was
reached that participation could be registered
as official BT volunteering activity, with hours
included in staff personal development plans.
On union environment day, employees
visited the Energy Saving Trust’s ‘energy
doctor’ for advice and tried out a driving
simulator to practice eco-driving techniques.
The unions provided further advice, efficient
light bulbs and energy meter try-before-youbuy services.
Andrew Cassey, a Prospect rep who was
instrumental in delivering environmental work
at Adastral Park, said: “I found the union support
and resources invaluable for my own personal
development and awareness, which has fed
directly into my employment activities. The full
range of union resources have been used, from
online information feeds, training events, local,
national and even international conferences,
green camps and booklets through to local
branch representation and support.”
Union carbon club events and seminars will
be held regularly.
Meanwhile, Andrew has been invited by
the Department for Transport to address an
international conference on “harnessing
and building on the power of the people.” The
event will be attended by local and regional
government staff, sustainable travel professionals and the private sector – it will be an
excellent chance to disseminate the lessons
learned at Adastral Park and to promote the
GreenWorkplaces project.
n
io ial
pec
Elect0 S
1
20
features
Profile
April 2/10
■
15
QUESTIONS
& Answers
Profile asks the three main parties soME pre-election posers
n
As we approach a general election, the main national political parties
have responded to a request from Prospect to answer questions on a
range of key policies that will directly affect Prospect members.
Eight of the replies from the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat
parties are published here. The full set of answers is on the union website at
www.prospect.org.uk/generalelection
On the following pages are the parties’ answers to questions on specialist
pay, health and safety, science funding, universal broadband, equality, clean
energy, civil service pensions and defence procurement.
On specialist pay...
What measures will your party take to ensure
that government departments and agencies have
sufficient specialist staff to meet future needs and
sufficient funding to provide pay systems that retain
those specialists?
Labour – All departments have already agreed detailed budgets
that run until April 2011. Within these budgets, individual departments are responsible for ensuring they recruit and retain the
valuable specialist staff that support the work of departments and
agencies.
You, as public servants, are the key asset in the public sector. That is
why we have rejected the Conservatives’ proposal to freeze pay across the
public sector in the coming years. Our record over the past decade makes
clear our commitment to rewarding the hard work of public sector workers.
Between 1997 and 2009 earnings growth for the public sector was 25 per
cent compared to 22 per cent in the private sector. And it is important to
remember that, although the government will cap the increase in basic pay
uplifts at 1 per cent, many public sector workers will also get progression
payments that go beyond this. Within this overall framework civil service
awards will continue to be set via delegated arrangements. The government is committed to its relationship with Prospect and other recognised
unions in the civil service and always seeks to reach agreement on pay and
staffing issues.
Conservative – We will enhance the role and mandate of the
government–wide professional heads of finance, HR, IT, procurement and communications. These should all be full-time
dedicated roles, with responsibility for recruitment, training and building
career paths for their professional stream within the civil service. We want
to build on work being done currently in the civil service and enable these
roles to properly manage the development of professional skills in
government.
Liberal Democrats – As we pay down the budget deficit,
public sector budgets are inevitably going to come under evergreater pressure. If we are to prevent widespread job losses in
the public sector there will have to be restraint in public sector pay.
The Liberal Democrats will cap public sector pay rises at £400 per person
for two years to limit the growth of the pay bill while ensuring fairness for
public sector workers. By capping pay rises in this way we will ensure that
those with the lowest salaries receive the highest percentage increases.
Every public sector worker will be eligible for a pro-rata pay rise of up to
£400. This is the equivalent of a 2 per cent rise for someone on £20,000 a
year, but a 3.3 per cent rise for someone on £12,000 and a 0.4 per cent pay
rise for someone earning £100,000. This cap will be in place initially for two
years.
However, £400 is a pay cap, not a guaranteed pay increase to everyone.
Within the £400 cap, pay will be negotiated as at present.
On health and safety...
What proposals do you have for ensuring that health
and safety law is more effectively enforced to reduce
injuries and deaths at work; and to ensure that the
Corporate Manslaughter Act is implemented?
Labour – Labour has always been committed to health and
safety, which is why we introduced the Corporate Manslaughter
Act as well as other vital pieces of legislation to protect people in
the workplace. In addition to the legislation we are working to improve
awareness and understanding of health and safety requirements by developing tailored approaches and guidance for different sectors; and establishing exemplars, case studies and networks for spreading good practice.
We are also committed to having sufficient numbers of frontline inspectors, provided with the training and support they need to ensure the
consistent application of the Health and Safety Executive’s prosecution
policy. We are working with the Sentencing Guidelines Council to ensure
General election
Profile
16
■
April 2/10
guidelines for the courts reflect developments in legislation, including the
Corporate Manslaughter Act. By contrast, David Cameron has pledged to
cut ‘over the top’ health and safety legislation.
Conservative – Health and safety legislation in the UK has a
long and noble history, and as a result Britain has one of the
lowest workplace fatality figures in the EU – and close to the
lowest for non-fatal accidents. It is right to place reasonable rules on
employers so they maintain a duty of care for those that work for them.
Too often, however, creating a safe environment has been undermined
by a tick-box culture and a stultifying blanket of bureaucracy that encourages people to focus on compliance with narrow rules, rather than creating
a culture of safety. So we will establish clear and specific principles about
when health and safety legislation is appropriate, and when it is not, so we
can evaluate whether existing or future legislation is necessary. And we will
propose practical changes in the law to help bring an end to the culture of
excessive litigation while at the same time giving legal safeguards to those
who need them most.
Lord David Young is conducting an extensive review of the subject for
David Cameron. One of the issues he is looking at is whether we need a
single Civil Liability Act that defines civil liability for negligence in statute
and clarifies the law in this area.
this regard with implementation due by April 2011. We would have liked
this implemented sooner, but it is vital that implementation is not delayed
beyond the date to which they have committed.
On science funding...
Funding through the Science Budget has grown,
but there continues to be a worrying decline
in expenditure on science, engineering and
technology by key government departments, such as
environment and defence, as well as cuts in university science funding.
What will your party do to safeguard SET spending over the next
Comprehensive Spending Review period and how will you ensure that
funding for research council and university research in key areas such
as climate change, food production and nuclear physics is sustained?
Labour – Since 1997 the government’s science budget has risen
from £1.3bn to its current £3.7bn. By the end of the current spending
review period in 2010-11 the science budget will be just under £4bn.
The government has also provided funds from other budgets for specific
projects, for example the establishment of the Nuclear Advanced
Manufacturing Research Centre in
South Yorkshire. We have also recognised the need to support civil
servants working in SET roles.
Scientific advice is central to the
formation of government policy on
climate change and we will continue
to support work in this area in order
that we can reach our commitment
to reducing emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
‘Public servants are the key asset in the public sector. That
is why we have rejected the Conservatives’ proposal to
freeze pay across the public sector in the coming years. Our
record over the past decade makes clear our commitment to
rewarding the hard work of public sector workers’ – Labour
Liberal Democrats
– Liberal Democrats
believe it is the government’s duty to send a strong
message to companies which
endanger lives that such behaviour
will lead to very substantial fines
and loss of reputation.
We would like to see a more
collaborative approach to enforcement that focuses on overall objectives
rather than detailed rules. We will therefore change the manner in which
regulation is enforced so that the rules are clearly set but with businesses
given more flexibility in their detailed implementation. Enforcement would
focus on assisting compliance rather than on a tick-box approach. We will
focus resources on the areas of greatest risk. Regulation should be about
tackling those who break the rules, not repeatedly checking on those who
stick to them.
It is still too early to assess the effectiveness of the Corporate
Manslaughter Act – the first corporate manslaughter trial only started
recently. We will look at the outcome of a number of cases in order to
ensure that the legislation is achieving its intended results.
We also believe that the protections of the Corporate Manslaughter Act
should be extended to those in custody. Gradual progress is being made in
Conservative – It is clear that funding for university research
will be tight whoever wins the next election, but we agree that
it is vital to ensure we protect Britain’s science base and worldclass academic reputation. A Conservative government would safeguard SET
spending over the next spending review period by allocating a dedicated,
multi-year science budget, which would be ring-fenced. By giving research
councils stable, long-term budgets protected from future cuts, we would
help them make long-term investments to train PhDs or commit to major
international research collaborations.
We would also suspend the government’s proposed new Research
Excellence Framework – the new method for allocating funding to universities based on evaluation of their past research – for up to two years. The
new system is deeply unpopular with academics, and there is a risk that
General election
Profile
April 2/10
the proposals could sacrifice valuable ‘blue skies’ research to a short-term
industrial policy, with those disciplines unable to demonstrate an immediate
economic benefit missing out on funding. We will work with the academic
community to develop a robust system which distributes funding across all
disciplines, ensuring that money reaches the projects which really need it.
More generally, we would also seek to reform the way universities are
funded in order to put them on a more stable footing. The current system
is clearly flawed – universities say they are underfunded, but students say
they are worried about debts. We hope that the recommendations of Lord
Browne’s funding review will form the basis of a fairer, more stable, more
affordable system in the future.
Finally, we need to work to identify new sources of funding for university
study and academic research – our plans to inject cash into universities by
introducing an early repayment discount on student loans are an example of
the kind of innovative thinking we need. Private sector donations, corporate
partnerships and philanthropy also have a role to play – if we can help more
universities build up larger endowments, we can protect research funding
from suffering unstable boom-and-bust cycles in the future.
Liberal Democrats – We have ruled out guaranteeing
spending commitments to any individual Whitehall departments – as opposed to our commitments to specific policy
outcomes – until we are clearer about the scale of the reductions needed to
address the deficit.
Investment in science has increased worldwide during the downturn
as a means of fiscal stimulus in the US, China, India, France and Germany.
However, in the 2009 pre-Budget report the government announced plans
to cut £600m from higher education
research budgets.
Unlike the government, science
remains at the forefront of Liberal
Democrat thinking when it comes to
the economy. Indeed, we believe that
funding allocations to research councils
once announced should be kept to in
order to maintain long-term planning
and short-term effectiveness of research
programmes.
Liberal Democrats will invest in two other areas to secure the long-term
future of science in this country: in schools through our pupil premium and
in the development of low-carbon infrastructure. Prioritising spending in
these two areas would help safeguard social mobility for today’s children,
create jobs for those without work and support science and research
through investment in cutting edge infrastructure. These measures would
also see the UK follow the lead of other developed countries by promoting
science as the cornerstone for economic recovery.
■
17
to think that the market will deal to 100 per cent of the country, however,
and we are happy to agree to the government’s proposed use of the Digital
Switchover Help Scheme under-spend to help fund the roll-out of 2 mbps
broadband. Beyond that we would consider using the small proportion of the licence
fee that is currently set aside for digital switchover beyond 2012, on a
match-funded basis, to deliver superfast broadband to those parts of the
country which it is not commercially viable for the market to deliver to. This
is crucial to ensuring a digital divide does not emerge.
Liberal Democrats – High-speed internet connections are
increasingly important to businesses, the creative industries and
the delivery of services. Consumers increasingly require faster
internet connections so that they can access new services and demand is
set to grow rapidly over the next few years. If we don’t invest in our digital
infrastructure now we will be in danger of getting left behind in the global
marketplace.
Liberal Democrats support the government’s long-overdue announcement to invest in this area and believe that universal access to the internet
is vital to prevent a growing digital divide. With public services increasingly
moving online it is the duty of the government to ensure that people are
not excluded from these services.
We also welcome BT’s recent move to share its existing infrastructure
with other providers to increase competition in the market and encourage
further roll-out of high-speed networks. We will consider other regulatory
changes (such as building regulations) that could further stimulate the
market.
In terms of public investment,
Liberal Democrats believe this should
be targeted first at those areas that
are least likely to be provided for by the
market. We think it would be wrong to
start on the margins of what the market
is expected to provide as this could stifle
the natural progression of the market.
Instead, we will use public funds to
extend coverage to those communities
that are typically ignored by the commercial sector. Public money will be
used to offer incentives (in the form of matched funding or low-interest
loans) to providers to extend their networks.
‘Our policy is to ensure full gender pay audits for all
companies found guilty of discrimination – including
those with fewer than 250 employees – but we will
not subject companies that do not discriminate
to this bureaucratic process’ – Conservatives
On universal broadband...
Do you support proposals to deliver universal
broadband access to all areas of the UK at a speed of 2
megabits per second, to ensure that every home has fair
access to the benefits of this technology? If so, to what
extent do you support public investment to deliver universal broadband?
Labour – We have already committed public funding to ensure
existing broadband reaches nearly every household in Britain by
2012. In addition, a Labour government will ensure superfast
broadband reaches every home in the UK, creating hundreds of thousands
of new jobs in the process. The Conservatives’ funding for broadband
connection wouldn’t be available for three years and they would leave
Britain’s rural communities in particular in the broadband slow lane – a
betrayal of rural communities.
Conservative – The current government’s commitment is to
pursue universal broadband service by no later than 2012. We
are happy to match that commitment but we do not think this
proposal goes anywhere near far enough. The Conservatives have pledged to
provide nationwide superfast broadband (at speeds of up to 50-100 mbps)
by 2017.
Where possible, private sector investment ought to lead the way and
we will deregulate the market, and tackle BT’s monopoly on certain infrastructure, to develop competition in the broadband sector. It would be naive
On equality...
Following the introduction of the Single Equality
Act, how will your party implement the regulations
bringing into effect the public sector duties
under this Act? In the private sector, how will you
implement the Equality Bill requirements for companies with 250
or more employees to publish information about pay differences
between women and men?
Labour – Labour has always had a deep commitment to equality
and we are proud of the introduction of the Single Equality Act.
The current equality duties in respect of race, disability and gender
will continue to apply until the new specific duties come into force in April
2011. The new regulations will be consulted on this summer before their
implementation.
Ensuring that there is equal pay between the genders has been an
important issue for this government, which is why we have introduced
public reporting on pay gaps in companies. The Equalities and Human
Rights Commission will regularly monitor and report to government on the
employers’ reporting process.
Conservative – The first step is to ensure that the Equality
Bill actually passes before the election is called and we are
working hard to ensure it does. Although we have some
concerns about specific aspects of the Bill, we have firmly welcomed it. It is
essential that consolidating the equality duties makes it easier for public
bodies to adhere to them.
It is also essential that public bodies correctly interpret the single
equality duty and that there are no unforeseen consequences. For example,
we have been concerned that the existing gender equality duty has, in fact,
damaged some of the women-only services that domestic violence victims
General election
Profile
18
■
April 2/10
rely on, and we would issue clear guidance to local authorities to ensure
that this is no longer the case. Regarding the gender pay gap, we believe
the government’s proposals can be improved. Currently, the Labour government intends to exclude all employees in companies with less than 250
employees from a compulsory pay audit. We believe that where a company
is found guilty of discrimination all employees are entitled to be protected,
not just those that work for big companies. Our policy is to ensure full
gender pay audits for all companies found guilty of discrimination –
including those with fewer than 250 employees – but we will not subject
companies that do not discriminate to this bureaucratic process.
Liberal Democrats – One of the biggest concerns we have
had about the implementation of these regulations is the
prospect of turning them into yet another tick-box exercise.
Liberal Democrats want to see a fundamental change in the way that the
public sector undertakes its equality duties and, through a process of
consultation and engagement, will ensure that the duties placed upon the
public sector are both practical and achievable.
In the private sector, we believe that the proposals in the Equality Bill
do not go far enough to identify pay
differences. After nearly 40 years of
equal pay legislation, it is clear that the
voluntary approach to equal pay audits
has not worked; recent research reveals
that 76 per cent of organisations have
no plans to undertake an equal pay
review.
Instead, we would introduce
mandatory pay audits for all companies
with more than 100 employees.
Extending audits these companies provides a reasonable balance between
achieving obtaining meaningful coverage of employees but avoiding an
undue burden on smaller businesses. Under these plans, companies would
be required to compare the pay of men and women doing equal work (ie
one or more of the following: like work; work rated as equivalent; work of
equal value), identify pay gaps and then establish plans to eliminate those
gaps that cannot be satisfactorily explained on grounds other than gender.
development of clean coal through carbon capture and storage – will not
only clean up and secure our energy supply, but will be central to the
creation of our overall target of 1.2 million green jobs by the end of the
decade.
We have always said that we will keep open the option of further
measures to reinforce the operation of the EU emissions trading scheme in
the UK should this be necessary to provide greater certainty to investors.
Conservative – While we must never lose sight of the
environmental imperative for carbon reduction, there is also a
compelling economic case for going green. A more balanced
economy must include a dynamic industrial change, challenging the dependency of our economy on carbon-based energy.
Britain is uniquely well placed to be the world’s first low-carbon
economy and by taking a leading role in tackling climate change, we will
gain a head start on the green technologies of the future and help Britain to
create new jobs in green industries.
We will consult on the creation of a new lending institution, a Green
Investment Bank, which will draw together money currently divided across
existing micro-government initiatives,
and leverage private sector capital
to finance new green technology
start-ups, create jobs and back the
bright ideas of the future in an area
where Britain is now lagging behind.
Many leading economies, including
Germany, Spain and Australia, already
have similar institutions. A Green
Investment Bank could help us to
generate green growth by winning a
greater share of the rapidly growing market for green goods and services.
Energy efficiency is vitally important too – it saves money, it saves
energy, and it saves our environment. So we will give every household in
Britain a Green Deal – the right to have home energy efficiency improvements worth up to £6,500. The upfront costs will be privately financed
by banks and investment funds; and repaid over a period of up to 25
years through the savings on energy bills. This will open up a whole new
market in energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions. We have estimated
that our plans could create over 70,000 skilled jobs, including at least
3,500 new ‘green apprenticeships’. It will also save families money and
make homes warmer in winter – helping the elderly and ‘fuel poor’ in
particular.
‘The Liberal Democrats are the only party that has a
clear, long-term strategy to cut carbon emissions at
home and provide the necessary leadership across
the world. We have the most ambitious target of all: to
make the UK zero-carbon by 2050’ – Liberal Democrats
On clean energy...
A just transition to a sustainable future in the UK
will require a strong price for carbon and investment
in green technology and jobs. What are your plans
for intervening in the energy market to ensure the
necessary finance and skills to achieve this objective?
Labour – The transition to a low-carbon economy is a major
driver of Britain’s economic growth and job creation, supported by
Labour’s new active industrial policy. Clean energy – including new
nuclear power, renewables such as wind and tidal energy, biofuels, and the
Liberal Democrats – The Liberal Democrats are the only
party that has a clear, long-term strategy to cut carbon
emissions at home and provide the necessary leadership across
the world. We have the most ambitious target of all: to make the UK zerocarbon by 2050.
We will achieve this transition by setting new and ambitious carbonreduction targets; rolling out a massive programme of energy efficiency;
decarbonising our electricity and transport systems; introducing new regula-
General election
Profile
April 2/10
tion on carbon emissions, and increasing the price of carbon.
We believe the European emissions trading scheme has the potential
to be a powerful lever for promoting low-carbon technologies, but it needs
to be reformed and regulated to ensure that it prices carbon appropriately.
We will also introduce tougher regulation on emissions to all sectors of the
economy, including goods imported from abroad, and impose new energy
efficiency performance standards on all electrical appliances, all buildings
and all forms of transportation. This will mean that more products will have
a net energy saving and economic benefit over their lifetime.
In terms of green technology and jobs, we are also committed to
financing development, innovation and skills in green energy by creating
new streams of finance. We have committed £500m to the research,
training and development of the offshore renewables industry. We will
also create a fully integrated European ‘super grid’ by 2030, upgrading the
national grid to meet the demands of the 21st century and making it capable
of delivering the new energy mix.
On civil service pensions...
Will you honour the safeguards for existing and future
staff provided by the 2007 pension agreements reached
with the civil service unions? Do you plan any further
reforms of these schemes and, if so, what are they?
Labour – We drew up the 2007 civil service pension reforms in
consultation with the civil service trade unions and we remain
committed to this deal. The aim was to continue to provide staff
– both existing and new – with good quality, defined benefit, index-linked
pension provision delivered in a sustainable way while reducing civil service
pension costs by £2.1 billion over 50 years and controlling unplanned cost
growth. We will consult with the civil service unions on any further reforms.
Conservative – Conservatives value the work of the millions
of public servants who deliver the services upon which we all
rely. A Conservative government will work with public sector
workers to make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe, back
the NHS, raise standards in schools and fight back against crime.
And of course we believe that public servants are entitled to security
in retirement. But it would be irresponsible to ignore the rising cost of
public sector pensions, particularly given the current state of the economy
and the public finances, the closure of defined benefit schemes in the
private sector, and growing disparity between pension expectations in the
public and private sectors. We will outline our policies in more detail in
due course, and any proposed changes will involve extensive discussions
with interested parties. One thing on which we are absolutely clear is that
accrued benefits would be protected. We have not yet laid out plans to
reform the majority of public sector pensions, although we have said that
we will find ways to cap the largest pensions to a maximum of £50,000
per year. A first step will be to improve transparency – the new Office for
Budget Responsibility will hold a full audit of the public finances, including
public sector pensions liabilities.
Liberal Democrats – Liberal Democrats believe that a
pension promise made should be a pension promise kept and we
would not make any changes to pension rights that have already
been accrued by public sector workers.
We are committed to reforming public sector pensions to review their
costs and to make them fairer. At present, all bar one of the public sector
pension schemes are unfunded. This means that rather than the contributions paid by the employees and employers being invested to pay for future
pension payments, they go to the Treasury and are used to pay current
pensions. In addition, those who do best out of public sector pensions are
not the lower paid but rather the highest paid, such as judges who receive
large increases in their salaries at the end of their careers.
To overcome these problems, we would immediately establish an
independent commission, along the lines of the Turner commission which
looked into other pensions issues a few years ago, to examine the long-term
future of public sector pensions. We would ask the commission to look, on
a scheme-by-scheme basis, at issues such as pay levels in the public and
private sectors, relative job security, the level of contributions that scheme
members already make, the structure of pensions in retirement, scheme
retirement ages, the way in which benefits are calculated and the cost of
the scheme to the taxpayer.
■
19
This commission would respect the principle that pension rights already
accrued cannot be affected.
On defence procurement...
An incoming government will have to make
important strategic decisions on Britain’s future
defence needs. These decisions will be informed
by the Gray report, which proposes reforms to the
defence acquisition process, and the recommendations of HaddonCave into the Nimrod disaster. How will you ensure that the
Ministry of Defence is an intelligent customer in the procurement of
equipment? How will you ensure that the defence industry retains UK
sovereign capability in key defence assets?
Labour – As part of the Strategic Defence Review, which Labour
has committed to undertake straight after the election, we will be
updating the Defence Industrial Strategy. Implicit within the DIS
was recognition of the importance of the UK defence industry for the skills
needed for high-tech design, manufacturing and support. The updated
strategy will follow the same principles as the first and will be produced in
partnership with industry. It will also include emerging sectors of military
need such as space and cyber-security as well as refreshing our assessments in those sectors within the original strategy.
We have also recently reorganised the way in which the MOD conducts
defence science and research, by enhancing the Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory trading fund. Whilst the MOD will continue to look
to the broadest possible supplier base for the delivery of the majority of
its science and technology requirements, delivery will be supported by the
enhanced laboratory, which will continue to be the department’s in-house
focus for knowledge, skills and advice. Under the new structure, the laboratory will also be responsible for the planning and delivery of the defence
research programme. These changes will enable a clearer organisational
structure for defence science and technology and improve our ability to be
an intelligent customer in vital areas such as counter-terrorism.
Conservative – A future Conservative government will have to
do more than make decisions on future requirements, they must
also balance the imperative of present operations, which will be our
primary concern, against likely future threats.
It is right that both the Gray and Haddon-Cave reports will feature heavily
in a future Strategic Defence and Security Review and accompanying work
to reform the MOD. The way in which we provide defence capability in this
country must change, as Gray recognised, and we agree with a great deal of
what he says. Haddon-Cave has shown us how a careless government, with
a skewed set of priorities, can put at risk our armed forces – this is an object
lesson in how not to do things.
It is critical that the MOD remains an intelligent customer. This is best
achieved by maximising the talent within the civil service, for example through
training and secondments, and ensuring that the likes of the Defence Science
and Technology Laboratory operate at the very centre of MOD planning.
The best way to ensure that the UK retains its sovereign capability is to
ensure we maintain a vibrant defence industrial base. This is something we
are fully signed up to.
Liberal Democrats – Liberal Democrats will draw on the
conclusions of the Gray report to inform radical reform of acquisition and procurement. We have long been in favour of
five-year defence reviews, which would give the MOD clearer political
guidance for acquisition. We believe that there must be a far more realistic
appraisal of what is meant by ‘sovereign capabilities’. Too often the UK has
pursued bespoke options for acquisition (for example Nimrod), which have
proved very poor value for money.
We will seek to find efficiencies by working more effectively with European
partners and ensuring British leadership in the European Defence Agency, as
well as bilaterally with France. Liberal Democrats believe that the Conservatives
are making a strategic error in committing to take the UK out of the EDA. We
will push for the creation of a common European defence market to rationalise
industry and create economies of scale in procurement and research and
development. We believe that the opacity of the Ministry of Defence and in
particular its equipment plans has proven self-defeating for British interests.
We therefore believe that in future there must be much greater openness and
effective parliamentary scrutiny of acquisition and procurement strategy.
Feature
Profile
20
■
April 2/10
What did you do in the war, daddy?
It’s not only soldiers who
are part of the war effort
– there are scientists on
the front line too. Graham
Stewart reports
■■ RAF Land Rovers ready to go on patrol at Kandahar airfield, Afghanistan.
Left, Robin speaking at Prospect’s defence seminar in March
Stefano Cagnoni
If ever there was an archetypal Prospect
member, Dr Robin Hiley looks like one.
A mild-mannered scientist, he is easily
imagined with his head buried in a mass
of calculations or seeking inspiration from
on high.
But first impressions can be deceptive.
And that is certainly the case with Robin,
who is one of scores of defence civilians
who have put personal safety to one side
in order to make their own contribution to
the UK’s armed operations overseas, right
on the front line.
Robin works for the Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory, an agency of the
Ministry of Defence whose 3,500-strong
workforce includes some of the UK’s most
talented and creative scientists.
He has completed two tours of duty
as a scientific adviser (SCIAD) to military
commands. From October 2005 to January
2006, he was SCIAD to the Multi-National
Division South East in Basra, Iraq; and from
April to July 2009 he was SCIAD to the UK
forces in Afghanistan, based in Kandahar.
“In each case I was embedded in the
military headquarters, working directly with
the military staff, says Robin.
”My first priority was to give rapid
scientific and technical advice direct to the
command, on timescales that ranged from
one hour to a few days. Sometimes I could
Graham slocombe/Alamy
The best
aspects are
the team spirit
and can-do
attitude that
I have always
encountered
in working with
the military
do this from my own knowledge, but more
often I acted as an intelligent go-between.
“I frame the military questions for my
colleagues back at Dstl, and then translate
their answers into terms that the command
can immediately understand and use. And
the questions can cover a huge range of
topics, from heroin to radar.”
Back in the UK, that advice structure
includes contacts with other government
departments and industry which have the
knowledge or experience of the problem
that the front line needs.
Another major activity for Robin was
to arrange, support and conduct scientific
trials in the theatre environment. “For
example, while in Afghanistan I arranged
trials associated with the new camouflage
clothing recently announced by MOD.”
Robin recounts testing a piece of
urgently-needed equipment on base one
morning. As he returned to his tent he
was stopped by a soldier, who took the
equipment from his hand and then jumped
straight into his helicopter to begin a
mission.
Robin calmly explains his work, but
says: “I took these opportunities to deploy
relatively late in my career because my
two daughters were by then grown up
and independent and I had lost my wife to
cancer.
“I also have the right knowledge and
skills, a wide range of scientific expertise
with lots of experience of MOD and how
it works. I am a hands-on scientist, very
useful in theatre environments.”
Robin studied natural science at
Cambridge University and took a PhD at
Imperial College, London. He joined MOD
WEB
Dear diary: remember to check for Prospect events...
Lynn
Stephenson
explains
two new
features
that went
live on our
website this
month
Events calendar
The events calendar shows all Prospect’s
key national events: conferences, meetings,
seminars and training courses. You can:
●● browse through a list of all upcoming
events
●● use a month-to-view calendar to check
events on specific dates. If there is an event
scheduled, the date is shown in blue. Let
your mouse hover over the date to see brief
details, or click on the date and the event
will be displayed in the main text area.
Below each event’s listing is a link to ‘More
information’. This will take you to additional
details including any downloadable files
associated with the event
We’ll be enhancing the calendar over the
next few months, adding search and filter
options, and giving quick access to event
listings in specific areas of the site.
‘Quick download’ option
Events calendar
>
April 2010
<
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Fr
Sa
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Regular users of our website library will know that
when they click on a link to a document, they’re
taken to its library listing page. This gives a range of
information about the document such as its unique
ID number, title, description, file size, creation date,
publication date, file format and audience. You can
then click through to download the document itself.
We are aware that you don’t always want to see
this extra information – sometimes you want to
download the file straight away. So we’re working on
a system that will give you the choice – download
now, or view the full document info.
The first stage of this system has just gone live
in our eStructures. So if you’ve got an eBranch or
feature
Profile
April 2/10
UNiON
as a higher scientific officer in 1976 and
worked until 1989 on lubricants and fuels
research and development for the Royal
Navy. From 1989 to 1998 he worked at
the forensic explosives laboratory that has
provided evidence in numerous high-profile
explosives cases, including the recent
‘airlines plot’.
Since 1998 he has concentrated his
efforts on research and development into
counter-terrorism and insurgency.
“I am a dyed-in-the-wool defence
scientist,” says Robin. “Although basically an
analytical chemist I am quite versatile and
have been lucky enough to work in several
different areas. I have always preferred
hands-on science; working close to the
military or police users.
“I find theatre work challenging, but
rewarding. The best aspects are the team
spirit and can-do attitude that I always
encounter in working with the military.
Although the hours are long, 10-12 hours a
day, seven days a week, it is compensated
by having accommodation, meals and a gym
within a short walk, which makes it possible
to have a little down-time most days.”
The accommodation is shared, so
although it is comfortable there is little
privacy, says Robin.
“The wash areas are clean, food is
plentiful and good quality and there are
good personal communications back to the
UK – free email, phone and letters. However,
it is very hot and dusty with daytime
temperatures over 40 degrees centigrade.
That can be a problem for some civilians
who deploy for a short period and struggle
to acclimatise to the conditions.
“Apart from writing home and regular
exercise my recreations were reading long
novels by Anthony Trollope and Jane Austen
and playing or writing music,” says Robin.
Which sounds like a very British
response to being stationed in a harsh
environment in the middle of a war zone.
We’ll be extending the use of the quick
download option to other areas of the website
over the next few months.
An intriguing insight into the conflict between
an MP’s personal beliefs and their public role
emerges from the diaries of Chris Mullin, the
transport minister who in 1999 had to take
the privatisation of air traffic control through
the Commons (A View from the Foothills,
Profile Books). Recalling a meeting with
Gwyneth Dunwoody, the doughty chair of
the transport select committee, Mullin says:
“Gwyneth was affable, but uncompromising.
With magnificent aplomb she brushed
aside our feeble attempts to justify the
government’s plans. Were any of us to appear
before her committee in our present state
of unreadiness, she would reduce us to
mincemeat.” His record of a heated meeting
over safety with Prospect and the regulator,
“the unfortunately named Mr Profitt,” is also
refreshingly off-message. “They were an
impressive bunch and put forward their case
forcefully. Rightly they are angry about not
having been consulted in advance. The more
I think about this privatisation that we are
not allowed to call a privatisation, the more I
wonder if it is worth the trouble.”
Dave the ghostbuster!
Over the last 18 months, hundreds of visitors
to Cumbria’s Lake Windermere found their
cars failed to lock or, worryingly, unlock within
an area known locally as the ‘Windermere
Triangle’. One local baker, with a shop next
door to an undertaker’s, even blamed a ghost
named Albert, whose footsteps he thought
he had heard. But when Ofcom was
brought in to investigate, the mystery
was solved by Prospect member Dave
Thornber. Using a gadget called a
spectrum analyser, the field engineer
tracked the problem to a restaurant
till at Lazy Daisy’s Lakeland Kitchen.
The interference was being caused by
a wireless order-taker used by waiting
staff, which used the same airwaves as
wireless car keys supposed to be outside
its frequency range. The restaurant
reprogrammed its devices to transmit on a
frequency further away from car key fobs, and
the problem was solved.
Blogging for science
Joanne O’Brien
are covered by one of our eGroups, eNetworks or
eSectors, when you visit their documents page
you’ll start to see a new green symbol
to the right of the title . This is the ‘quick
download’ option.
Below left, is an example from our civil service
eSector documents page.
Clicking on the title will take you to the
document listing page in the library as usual (and
if you let your mouse hover over the title you’ll see
an onscreen prompt saying “Go to full document
details”).
If you hover over the green symbol you’ll see an
onscreen prompt saying “Download now”. Click on
the green symbol, and depending on how you’ve
set your browser preferences, the document will
either open immediately or be downloaded to the
preferred location on your computer.
MINISTERIAL MINCEMEAT
An inspired online discussion of how Prospect
can help scientists and managers was
triggered by a member’s blog in February.
Lindsay Chapman, Prospect branch secretary
at the National Physical Laboratory, was
featured on the website of the UK resource
centre for Women in Science, Engineering and
Technology. The senior research scientist,
who specialises in the thermophysical
properties of materials at high temperatures,
explained how her work has practical
applications: “Aeroplane engineers, for
instance, need to be absolutely certain how
much a turbine blade will expand in service.”
She also talks about why she chose to
work on science and water rockets and
to campaign against budget cuts. Follow
Lindsay and other woman scientists
at www.ukrc4setwomen.org/html/
women-and-girls/getsetwomen-blog/
■
21
Tricia’s big heart
February was National
Heart Month, when
thousands of people
raised funds for
organisations like the
British Heart Foundation,
which supports research and care efforts
for people with heart disease. Among those
taking part was Tricia Tabbner, whose husband
Richard is a negotiator based at Prospect’s
Chertsey office. Two years ago she suffered
a totally unexpected heart attack, and now
she’s preparing for double heart bypass
surgery. But none of this stopped Tricia, a child
protection social worker, from celebrating Red
Heart Day by doing a five-mile sponsored walk
into Weymouth, Dorset, and raising £400 for
the BHF. Magnificent – any further comment
would be superfluous.
Wrong kind of white stuff
Prospect member Ross
Lilley has a dream job. He is
an area officer for Scottish
Natural Heritage, but his
area includes the Hebridean
island of Tiree. The natural
beauty of the beaches
throughout the Hebrides
is renowned, but on Tiree it is under threat
from unscrupulous builders who have removed
tonnes of fine white grains from its coastline
and sold it on to local construction companies.
Ross explained that Hebridean beaches are
a fragile interaction between the sand and
the machair – a rich coastal grassland that
helps to stabilise the sand – and local crofters
who graze their animals on it. Ross said: “The
thieves are in danger of weakening the cycle by
taking away so much sand.”
Thank you for calling
In what may be an apocryphal story in the
national press, non-striking civil servants
at the Department for Work and Pensions
were allegedly advised to imitate answering
machines in order to cope with the volume of
calls during the two-day industrial action by PCS
members in March. The department says the
story is rubbish – let’s hope the government
doesn’t seize on it as a cost-cutting option as
the age of austerity edges ever closer.
Every little bit helps
As we approach the election, political debate
is all about the extent of public spending
cuts in the next parliament and how there
is no place to hide for departments, local
authorities or other public bodies. Which has
put the Government Hospitality Advisory
Committee for the Purchase of Wine at the top
of the hit list of Treasury targets. The quango,
with the help of four ‘masters of wine’, decides
which vintages the taxpayer should add to
the government wine rack – currently 37,000
bottles of wine and spirits worth £2.5m – in
order to ensure the smooth running of official
banquets and other state events. In fact the
administrative costs of the quango are only
£10,000 per annum, so its abolition will
hardly dent the £175bn UK deficit.
law at work
Profile
22
■
April 2/10
What is a
compromise
agreement?
More disputes
between employer
and employee
are being settled
by the use of
compromise
agreements.
But what are
they?
Chris Hann
explains
■■ Chris Hann is foreign
lawyer in the employment
department at Prospect
solicitors Russell Jones &
Walker
A compromise agreement is a
legally binding settlement between
an employer and an employee.
Usually, the employee accepts
a sum of money in return for
agreeing not to bring a legal claim
against the employer. In this way,
the employee’s rights are ‘bought
out’ or ‘compromised’.
Employees can ‘waive’ (ie sign
away) many of their contractual or
common law rights merely by stating
this in a document and signing it. This is
why employees have to be careful not to
inadvertently prejudice their position by
signing documents, for example when an
employer proposes to change their terms
and conditions.
The law deliberately makes it more
difficult for employees to sign away certain
statutory rights, like those granted under
unfair dismissal and anti-discrimination laws.
Agreements which sign away such rights
are not legally enforceable unless they meet
certain requirements – most importantly,
that the employee has received independent
legal advice about the agreement.
The principle behind a compromise
agreement is that the employee has
received independent legal or trade union
advice before signing it and therefore he or
she now understands its terms and its very
restrictive effect upon their ability to take a
complaint to an employment tribunal.
Compromise agreements can be used
■■ The
employee
usually
accepts money
in return for
agreeing not
to bring a legal
claim against the
employer
in many ways. The employer may want to
negotiate a deal to terminate the employee’s employment, or to settle a claim made
by a continuing employee. The employer
may have already dismissed an employee
and the employee has commenced, or
threatened to commence, a tribunal claim.
In these situations, the employer may try
to negotiate a compromise agreement to
settle the claim.
Minimum requirements
The law sets out statutory minimum
requirements for what a compromise
agreement must contain in order to waive
an employee’s statutory rights: It must be:
●● in writing
●● signed by the employee
●● the employee must have received
independent legal advice
●● the legal adviser must be identified and
insured
●● it must record that the requirements
regulating compromise agreements have
been satisfied.
If the agreement does not
comply with those requirements, it
will not compromise your statutory
rights. If the agreement does comply,
the ET will no longer have jurisdiction to
hear claims based on the statutory rights
listed in the agreement.
Depending on the wording of the
agreement, it may also prevent you from
bringing any contractual claims and/or
common law claims.
The role of the lawyer or trade union
adviser is to explain to the employee
the terms and effect of the agreement.
Technically, the independent adviser is not
required to advise the employee on the
merits of any potential legal claim against
the employer, ie whether the agreement is
a good or bad deal. But it is normally a good
idea for the employee to seek such advice
in order to prevent any misunderstandings
or regrets.
Clauses in the agreement
A compromise agreement will at the very
least contain clauses whereby the employee
gives up their rights to sue the employer in
exchange for something, usually a sum of
money. Usually, it provides for the employer
to contribute towards the legal costs
incurred by the employee in taking advice.
The parties are free to include other
matters in the agreement and frequently
do, for example:
●● the taxable nature of the sums paid
●● payment of outstanding holiday pay
●● a reference in agreed form to be provided
to prospective employers
●● payment of a bonus in the next financial
year for work done in the current year
●● compensation for lost pension rights
covering the notice period
●● repayment of any outstanding loans
●● an obligation to return all the employer’s
property
●● confidentiality clause
●● agreement for the parties not to
disparage each other
●● restrictions on future employers.
Blow to post-TUPE transfer pay rises
After a transfer of undertakings, workers
cannot rely on new collective agreements
that are reached between the original
employer and the union after the date of
transfer, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
The decision last month in Parkwood
Leisure v Alemo Herron is a blow to case
law built up since the 1990s, which has
held that where collective pay agreements
are part of the employment contract at
the point of transfer, future pay increases
continue to be binding – even when
the new employer was not party to the
agreement.
This principle was challenged in 2006 by
the European Court of Justice, which ruled
that under the Acquired Rights Directive,
the transferee was only bound by collective
agreements in force at the time of transfer
and not by any subsequent agreement.
Prospect legal officer, Marion Scovell
said: “The latest decision is bad news for
members who have been subject to successive transfers. However, where agreements
before the transfer guarantee that future
increases are paid they should be met
by the new employer because they are a
contractual right.”
Such a guarantee would apply to future
increases as a result of multi-year pay deals
or specific progression through a scale, she
said.
In the recent case, employees who
were transferred from a local authority to
■■ Scovell – only
guaranteed increases
need to be paid
a private company and then to a second
company, sought to rely on an agreement
between the local authority and unions.
The first company continued to apply the
agreement, but the second refused.
The union lost its appeal to an employment tribunal because of the ECJ ruling, but
succeeded on appeal to the Employment
Appeal Tribunal. The EAT ruled that the ECJ
ruling was not binding on domestic legislation and that the UK could provide better
rights than laid down by the directive.
However, the Court of Appeal overturned
the EAT decision, holding that the pay of
employees must be honoured at the date of
transfer, but they would not be entitled to
increases after the transfer took place.
prospect
Profile
April 2/10
and defence. It will build on earlier work
Prospect has launched a ground-breaking
with Lantra SSC (land and environment),
two-year project to expand learning opporSemta (science, engineering and manufactunities for members into new industrial
turing), Cogent (includes nuclear) and
sectors.
Government Skills.
The union has won £407,240 from the
Support for older workers and those at risk
Union Learning Fund to “integrate and
of redundancy will be offered across all the
strengthen union routes to learning,” and
sectors. Another aspiration is to achieve 10
embrace the new Connect communications
per cent diversity among ULRs. Ten reps will
sector.
receive dedicated training on
“The timing is excellent
Among branches set equality and diversity aspects
because from April 6,
of learning.
employees have a new legal
to benefit are the
Among branches set to
right to request time off for
Prison Service,
benefit are the Prison Service,
training at work,” said Rachel
Bennett, learning services
Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Defence, BT, O2,
Airwaves, Efra/Fera and their
officer.
BT, O2, Airwaves,
agencies, British Library and
“Our project will give
union learning reps the tools
Efra/Fera and their English Heritage.
Prospect already has 161
and training to help members
agencies, British
recognised ULRs – including
acquire new skills, continue
their professional developLibrary and English 29 newly trained last year.
The communications sector
ment and engage in lifelong
Heritage
has 30. Early workshops
learning.”
and briefings are planned to share best
The project will work with relevant
practice, including new technologies, and to
sector skills councils in targeted areas,
integrate their work.
including those heavily dependent on
Fifteen more ULRs are being trained this
science, engineering and technology
month, with a target of recruiting 65 new
expertise, said Bennett. “Not only does
ULRs within two years. Prospect will support
this match government priorities, it will
24 reps as mentors for learning reps.
encourage employer support.”
Another strand of the project will
She will lead the project, aided by three
promote two existing skills agreements
project workers and one administrator.
with employers at BT and MOD, using them
A part of the new programme, Prospect’s
as models to negotiate agreements at other
learning agenda will expand to three new
workplaces.
sectors – business/IT (e-skills UK), justice,
rod leon
High praise for Prospect ULRs
Prospect was highly commended by TUC unionlearn this month for its work
to promote the informal learning agenda at work. Learning services officer
Rachel Bennett (right) and project worker Kate Antoniou (left) went along to
Congress House in London, accompanied by two union learning reps.
They were Stephanie Lambeth, from the Big Lottery Fund, winner of
Prospect’s own ULR of the year award last November; and Robert Foot, ULR at
the Valuation Office, where a web-based unionlearn ‘climbing frame’ has been
introduced to help members access learning.
23
stuart james
£400k boost for
members’ learning
at work ambitions
■
■■ Paul Sankey of
solicitors Russell
Jones & Walker
with Colin and Iris
Freeman
Union’s legal service
helps scientist win a
long battle for justice
A Prospect member has recovered substantial damages
through the union’s personal injury scheme after hospital errors
left him paralysed, in a wheelchair and severely brain damaged.
Colin Freeman’s award will enable him to have 24-hour
care for life and to live in adapted accommodation, easing the
burden on him and his family.
A scientist working for QinetiQ, Colin was 39 when he was
admitted to Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey with
pneumonia in December
ce
2004. A series of errors led
rvi
se
al
leg
a
ers
off
ct
Prospe
to him being discharged 10
ims
for medical negligence cla
days later, no better than he
ilies
was on admission.
to members and their fam
ce
rvi
His doctors planned to
se
e
Th
.
RJW
gh
ou
thr
investigate the state of his
by
st
co
no
at
le
ab
is avail
heart but failed to do so.
spect
telephoning the 24-hour Pro
Tests would have revealed a
43
heart infection which could
ClaimLine on 0800 587 45
have been successfully
treated. Next month he collapsed at home, having suffered a
severe stroke as a result of the untreated infection.
Colin was left paralysed down the left side, with restricted
vision and brain damage. He spent 11 months in hospital and
could only be discharged once his wife, Iris, had sold the family
home and bought somewhere wheelchair-accessible. Having
worked to recover some mobility, he fell, fracturing his hip.
Colin spent another nine months in hospital but since this
accident he has been unable to walk more than a few steps.
The hospital denied any shortcoming in its care, even
saying that if it happened again it would do nothing different.
BENEFITS TO
But in response to a legal claim, the trust responsible
MEMBERS
admitted liability and eventually agreed to pay substantial
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2010
damages.
Colin had children aged nine, six and four. The impact on his
BENEVOLENT FUND
family life was devastating. He briefly tried returning to work
■■Number granted
6
■■Total granted
£7,945
but was retired on medical grounds. Although he received little
help from the hospital or social services, Colin’s award will give
DEATH BENEFIT
him support for life from a 24-hour carer living with the family.
■■Number granted
25
Colin and Iris said: “We would like to thank Prospect, and
■■Total granted £23,325
especially
Gerry Wright, Colin’s local rep, and Russell Jones &
PERSONAL INJURY
Walker for the management of Colin’s case. Without their help
SCHEME
we would not have been able to pursue this difficult claim.”
■■Applications approved 30
■■On books
321
Paul Sankey of RJW, Prospect’s solicitors, said: “It has been
■■Number won
27
a privilege to act for Colin. This has been a long battle for justice
■■Value of awards
and while nothing can turn back the clock, the award should at
£6,071,079
least make a devastating situation more bearable.”
features
Profile
24
■
April 2/10
MEET
Job cuts, pay freeze, pension costs,
new nuclear build, MOD cutbacks
Prospect
stories
that have
appeared in
media across
the country
in recent
weeks
will draw their own conclusions
at the fairness of a policy which
rewards the politicians while
cutting the real pay of their staff.”
Public sector pensions were
also the subject of headlines
after the National Audit Office
published a report debunking
the myth about their drain on
the taxpayer. The Independent’s
report quoted pensions officer
Neil Walsh saying:
“The report makes it clear
that public sector pensions are
far from being the unsustainable burden on current or future
generations of taxpayers that
they are often portrayed.”
The Independent was among
the many media to report
Prospect’s reaction to news that
a Sheffield company had secured
an £80m government loan to
build new nuclear plant, up to
now only available from Japan.
Along with the Telegraph,
BBC website, Morning Star, PA
newswire and regional and trade
press, the Indie reported negotiator Mike Macdonald saying: “This
deal, in which Westinghouse
Electric is also investing, adds
a new and vital link to the UK
nuclear supply chain. It will help
pave the way for three generations’ worth of high-quality new
jobs at each site where new
nuclear build is planned.”
Plans to axe regional army
headquarters before any further
cutbacks to MOD civilian staff,
revealed at a recent Prospect
defence seminar by veterans’
minister Kevan Jones, were
reported in the Sunday Express.
The paper outlined the minister’s belief that a reduction in
bases and axing some big military
projects will yield better savings
than taking a ‘slice, slice, slice’
approach to civilian jobs.
n
1960
Underhand management
tactics at several Prospect
employers generated significant
coverage for the union in recent
weeks. The spate of stories
began with news that Vodafone
planned to axe 375 jobs from
across its businesses without any
consultation with Prospect.
The BBC website and many
Berkshire media reported the
story, quoting Connect sector
officer Steve Thomas decrying
the disgraceful way employees
who were being made redundant
had been treated.
The south-west media were
quick to pick up on disputes at
two employers. Responding to
news that the VT Group had
frozen pay, negotiator John
Ferrett accused the company of
punishing the very staff who had
made it a success; while at BAE
Surface Systems Ships he said
members were furious over plans
to withdraw private healthcare
insurance.
Ferrett expressed disappointment that management had left
the union ‘out in the cold’ and
had not learnt from their recent
narrow escape from industrial
action.
Nationally, Prospect’s
response to news that Gordon
Brown had frozen senior public
sector pay featured in the Daily
Mail, the Metro, the Independent,
the Times, Aberdeen Press and
Journal, Yorkshire Post, Belfast
Telegraph, the Scotsman,
PA News, BBC News 24 and
elsewhere.
Most ran with Noon’s observation: “There is a glaring contrast
between MPs who have just
awarded themselves 1.5 per
cent, and the harsh treatment
meted out to the government’s
own staff. Prospect members
Describe yourself in four words.
Large white wine please! Or, large brandy
and coke! Large being the operative word
(oops that’s five)!
What do you like or dislike about members?
Their passion. Being a member of a trade union is a demonstration of their commitment to their profession.
Which aspects of trade unionism particularly appeal to you?
A person’s a person, no matter how small – Dr Seuss.
Would the grass be greener for you somewhere else?
Yes, it if wasn’t for the restraining order. Although this is my
second stint with Prospect, so probably not!
Do you have any hidden talents?
No, they are well hidden, but I do know a negotiations officer
who is a Teddy Sherringham wannabe.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
A highly debated subject, which couldn’t be agreed upon, but
there was the time...
What or who gets you rattled?
Lunch boxes. Teachers who think they know what is better for
my children than I do.
What’s on your iPod?
Unfortunately, I don’t own one but I love listening to Capital
Radio on my way into work. Johnny and Lisa rock!
What’s your favourite book and why?
Anything that sends my children to sleep at night has to be a
favourite. Thomas the Tank Engine usually does it.
Prada or Primark, Monsoon or M&S?
And Next, and GAP, and H&M, Laura Ashley, Principles, Miss
Selfridge and so on.
How do you plan to beat the credit crunch?
By spending my way out (see above). After all, it helps to keep
the economy moving.
What would you like to change most about the world?
Bring back Robin Hood! Fairer distribution of wealth.
What would you do if you were invisible for the day?
You mean you can see me? I’m in the Man United dressing
room!
TEAM
■■ Sheffield Forgemasters will be only the second firm in the world
capable of making the forgings used in nuclear reactors
Vikki Aira is an executive assistant for
the south-east regional office II, based in
Chertsey.
The new National Insurance Act with its state graduated
pension will come into effect in April 1961, and soon the
electricity supply industry will have to consider its probable effect
on the industry’s existing pension schemes. The Government of
course have stated that they wish to encourage the continuance
of ‘private’ industrial schemes and because of this the Act contains
provisions for contracting out. Pensions are very much in the news
these days. The National Executive Council’s rejection of a general
move to make the normal retirement age 60 instead of 65 has
brought some adverse comment from readers. However, although
retirement at 60 or otherwise may be controversial, there can be
no argument, we think, that to maintain the status quo in relation
to the National Insurance Act 1959 is sound policy and much in the
interests of the staff.
Electrical Power Engineer, April 1960
n
The story of the Government Laboratory is just one reminder
that Government concern with scientific research is no
new thing, as might sometimes be imagined from the great
developments which followed two world wars. Even earlier
examples were the Royal Observatory (1675) and the Geological
Survey (1835), and later the Patent Office (1852), the National
Physical Laboratory (1903), the Medical Research Council (1913),
the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (1916)
and the Agricultural Research Council (1916). Quite apart from
research to meet the needs of the armed services, Government
research must be undertaken in order that the executive may reach
all its decisions on the best possible scientific advice and in order
that aspects of national life for which industry is either unable or
unwilling to undertake responsibility shall not be neglected.
State Service, April 1960
news
Profile
April 2/10
■
25
Top pay freeze breaks agreement
The pay of 4,300 senior civil servants has
been frozen for 2010-11.
The announcement by the prime
minister at the beginning of March followed
the decision to impose a pay range of 0-1
per cent on mainstream civil service grades
from April.
However, the armed forces will get
their recommended 2 per cent rise; the last
stage of a three-year deal for nurses and
non-medical NHS workers will be honoured,
giving them a 2.25 per cent increase; most
junior hospital doctors will get 1-1.5 per
cent; and teachers will receive the third
stage of their deal in September.
News of the civil service freeze sparked
an immediate protest by Prospect, which
said that civil servants were once again
being discriminated against by comparison
with most of the public sector.
Paul Noon, general secretary, said: “There
is a glaring contrast between MPs who
have just awarded themselves 1.5 per cent,
and the harsh treatment meted out to the
government’s own staff.
“Prospect members will draw their own
conclusions at the fairness of a policy which
rewards the politicians while cutting the
real pay of staff.”
In particular, Noon attacked the decision
for failing to honour the last year of a three-
year deal agreed for the senior civil service.
He warned it was increasingly difficult to
recruit high quality professionals to lead
public services “when they can earn twice
Phoning in helps Fund to pay out
More than 5,000 phones were handed in to the Civil Service Benevolent
Fund in January for National Bring a Phone to Work Day. Along with used ink
cartridges, the phones will be recycled to raise money for the CSBF, which last
year gave out almost £5m to help more than 7,300 people in need – its busiest
year ever. To help the fund by donating or volunteering, go to www.csbf.org.uk
as much in the private sector.”
Last year, the government reduced
the recommended increase by the Senior
Salaries Review Board for the SCS, from 2.1
per cent to 1.5 per cent. The pre-Budget
report in December declared the SCS pay bill
would be cut by £100m, or 20 per cent, over
the next three years.
In evidence to the SSRB, Prospect had
earlier called on government to honour the
existing deal for the SCS, due to provide
increases of 7 per cent over the three years
to 2011.
But this year’s SSRB report chose to
back both sides in the debate. On the one
hand, it said: “We are not convinced by the
government’s explanation of why the SCS
agreement should not be adhered to while
the others are honoured.”
It criticised this approach as ‘inconsistent’ saying: “We have seen no evidence,
in this or previous years, that the level of
settlements for our small remit groups
has any impact on behaviour in the wider
economy.”
But the overall economic situation
meant the public sector had become “a
haven of relative job and earnings security,”
said the SSRB. It therefore concluded: “There
is no justification for general pay increases
for our remit groups this year.”
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SECTION HEAD
Circa £50,000 + London allowance + excellent benefits
Littlebrook Power Station, Dartford, Kent
RWE npower operates a portfolio of power stations with the capacity to produce sufficient electricity for around nine million homes. Our retail business,
npower, is one of the UK’s largest energy suppliers, making us one of the country’s leading integrated energy companies. We now need the right person
to join our team in our oil-fired power station at Littlebrook.
You will manage and grow your Mechanical Engineering team, focusing on the development of cost effective solutions that deliver excellent process safety
together with improved reliability and availability. You will balance the station’s long-term objectives with providing engineering support to the maintenance
and production departments, and optimise the delivery of specialist engineering services. You will play a key role in business planning and budgeting for the
station, ensuring compliance with statutory legislation and company directives whilst making a significant contribution to the management of engineering at
Littlebrook Power Station along with being responsible for health, safety and environmental compliance in your section. Qualified and experienced in a relevant
discipline suitable for institute membership, you will have extensive knowledge of power plant O&M delivery. Detailed knowledge of mechanical engineering
standards is essential. A champion of change, you will concentrate on delivering continuous, business-focused improvement. You will possess excellent
influencing and leadership skills, be confident in presenting data, and be able to use business IT systems.
To apply, please visit www.npowerjobs.com and search the reference number LB848363LN.
Closing date: Friday 23rd April 2010.
RWE npower is strongly committed to its principles of Diversity & Inclusion and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.
news
Profile
26
■
April 2/10
FT
Machinery of government changes are
usually unclear, unnecessary, unplanned
and highly expensive, says a devastating
report by the National Audit Office.
It concludes that the value for money of
central government reorganisations cannot
be demonstrated “given their vague objectives, the lack of business cases, the failure
to track costs and the absence of mechanisms to identify benefits and make sure
they materialise.”
The NAO survey, published in March,
examines 51 of the 90 reorganisations of
government departments and arm’s length
bodies between May 2005 and June 2009.
It puts their cost at a staggering £780m,
equivalent to £15m for each reorganisation
and just under £200m a year.
The main cost areas relate to staff
(£320m), of which 17 per cent was spent
on redundancies and 12 per cent on raising
staff salaries as part of pay harmonisation. Information technology cost £153m,
property £116m, corporate functions £106m
and rebranding and communications a
further £33m.
However, the NAO says
these figures fail to capture
all the costs involved
and exclude data for 42
mainly smaller changes.
The numbers do not take
account of the benefits
generated by reorganisation
“because we found limited
evidence of measurable
benefits, or of reorganisation being the most
cost-effective way to deliver those benefits.”
Criticising government’s ‘poor’ ability to
identify costs, the NAO points out that there
is no standard approach for preparing or
approving business cases for such exercises.
“It is therefore easy to take decisions without
clearly demonstrating that they are sensible.”
Only half of arm’s length bodies
implement changes with a reorganisation
budget in place, and departments generally
never do so. “Thus the true costs are hidden,
including from the bodies undergoing
reorganisation, and are borne by routine
business activities.”
Because there is no requirement for
bodies to disclose the costs of reorganisations after they happen, parliament
cannot exercise oversight and there is little
A Cabinet Office review is to look at
official policies for claiming travel and
subsistence expenses right across the civil
service.
The Council of Civil Service Unions says
the most contentious item to be reviewed is
a proposal to remove the right to first-class
travel.
Prospect negotiator Dave Allen said:
“There is clearly a contractual issue that
needs to be examined before any change
can be made, but the CCSU has told the
■■ Workers reinstate
the plaque outside
DTI headquarters
in 2005, after it was
briefly renamed
the Department for
Productivity, Energy
and Industry (PENI)
Government rejigs
cost £200m a year
Do you
need help?
Members or their dependants
in financial distress can apply to
the Prospect Benevolent Fund for
help. Amounts up to £2,000 can be
granted as a single award, larger
amounts with NEC dispensation.
For an application form write to
‘Prospect Benevolent Fund’ at head
office or ask your branch, section or
sub-section representative.
‘We found limited
evidence of
measurable
benefits, or of
reorganisation
being the most
cost-effective
way to deliver
those benefits’
Review bid
to curb first
class travel
incentive for considering value for money
when deciding to reorganise, says the NAO.
A range of benefits is claimed for
reorganisations, including customer and
shareholder satisfaction, financial savings
from estates, back-office rationalisation
and improved policy focus. But the NAO is
unconvinced, saying that no departments
set metrics to track the benefits that would
justify reorganisation, “so it is impossible
for them to demonstrate that benefits
outweigh costs or materialise at all.”
Calling for adherence to basic principles
of good project management, the NAO
recommends that a single team is set up
in government with oversight and advance
warning of all reorganisations in order to
exercise quality control and apply lessons
across the board.
CO that it doubts the practicality of such a
measure as staff are expected to work on
trains when travelling on business.”
Other proposals include the ability to
claim for costs in lieu of accommodation
when a member of staff stays with friends
or relatives while on official business.
Foreign travel arrangements for the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the
Ministry of Defence and the Department for
International Development are not included
in the review. Non-departmental public
bodies are also exempt.
Prospect says it is not clear if the Cabinet
Office will set financial limits centrally on
items like hotel costs or whether departments will retain the ability to set their own
limits.
Although the official proposals comment
on relocation expenses, these are to be the
subject of a separate consultation with
unions. Further meetings with the Cabinet
Office are planned.
Overseas pensions appeal falls on deaf ears
More than one million
pensioners who live overseas
will continue to have their
pensions frozen after an
appeal in March to the
European Court of Human
Rights failed.
The decision means that
their pensions will stay
frozen at the level reached
when they moved overseas.
The coalition of pension
groups that took the case
argued that UK rules discriminate against them and have
fought an eight-year battle
through the court system.
But the court said
the applicants “did not
contribute to the UK
economy, in particular, they
paid no UK tax to offset the
cost of any increase in the
pension.”
One million UK pensioners
live in countries where their
pension is not uprated –
chiefly Australia, Canada,
New Zealand and South
Africa – because there is
no reciprocal agreement
between them and the UK.
For the oldest overseas
pensioners who retired in the
1970s, pensions can be as
low as £6 a week.
Campaigners say that
they paid into the pensions
system when they were
working and are entitled to
the same benefits as those
who remained in the UK.
In November 2008 the
European Court ruled against
the case. However, the
court president dissented
from the majority ruling:
“Considerations of social
justice and equity require
that persons who have duly
contributed towards the
pensions of others should
not be treated differently in
the subsequent calculation
of their own pension.”
It is estimated that it
would cost at least £3bn
to fully uprate all frozen
pensions – or £420m a year
if arrears were not paid.
news
Profile
April 2/10
Over 250 delegates from thirty unions descended on
Eastbourne in March for the 2010 Women’s TUC.
Prospect’s two motions were both carried. The first urged
that the expertise of women scientists, technologists and
engineers be utilised as part of any solution to the challenge
of climate change.
And on gender and international development, the
union called for the inclusion of gender perspectives in
corporate procurement policies to ensure they are free from
discrimination.
A motion from PCS on the civil service compensation scheme was opposed by Prospect. Speaking against,
president Catherine Donaldson respected the decision of
PCS to take industrial action but said five unions had signed
up to the deal and needed to respond accordingly.
The Connect sector still had its own delegation because
Prospect has vacancies for two project
workers – one full-time and one part-time.
The full-time role will be part of the Union
Learning Fund team, working in support of
a new project to strengthen union routes
to learning. The part-time role will support
Prospect’s bargaining for international
development project. For further details
about both roles and information about
how to apply, see Prospect’s website or
email [email protected]. The
closing date for applications is April 30 and
interviews will be held on May 13-14.
nominations for delegates and motions were made before
the merger in January.
This meant that there was an opportunity to debate two
further motions – one focusing on the need for action to
promote equal pay in the private sector and one on discrimination against women part-time workers, which called for
monitoring and the sharing of best practice. The Connect
sector delegation also seconded a motion on gender-sensitive occupational health and safety.
The combined delegations were: Catherine Donaldson,
Prospect president; Joan Tozer, Valuation Office; Helen Kenny,
Forensic Science Service; Lucy Hibbitt, Ministry of Defence;
Eileen McCormack, Scottish Agricultural College; Jane Pitfield,
AWE; Carla Banks, Caroline Sansom and Sue Harding, all
from BT; Aveen McHugh, assistant secretary, Connect sector;
and Sue Ferns, head of Prospect research.
■■ Prospect delegates
voting at this years
Women’s TUC,
Eastbourne
■■ Bryan Wakely, Prison Service, receives a
Prospect recruitment award from Premier League
referee Alan Wylie at conference 2008
CELEBRATING
EXCELLENCE
Prospect is looking for branches and
individuals who have demonstrated excellence in recruiting and organising over the
last two years.
Individual branches can either nominate
themselves or individuals and the winners
will be presented with an award at biennial
national conference.
Please provide details of why the
nomination is being made, with particular
regard to innovative or novel approaches,
to [email protected] to arrive by
Friday April 16.
Stress – don’t
grin and bear it
Prospect hails Welsh
funds for nuclear skills
The Wales Assembly has awarded
£174,000 to Prospect and Unite to set up
workplace union learning centres at two
nuclear power stations.
Employees at Wales’s
two Magnox reactor sites
are facing key changes that
will require new skills – and
the area has also been
tipped for potential new
build.
■■ Williams –
●● at Trawsfynydd power
union learning
station, Snowdonia,
centres will be
employees need to prepare
a big help
for alternative employment
once the current decommissioning phase comes to an end.
●● Wylfa, Anglesey, is set to move from
power generation this year into decommissioning, again requiring new skills.
●● a new nuclear build site is proposed at
Wylfa B, demanding specialised construction skills.
janina struk
Two Prospect
appointments
27
stefano cagnoni
Union women call for an
end to recruitment bias
■
Wylfa Prospect rep Owen Williams
(known to colleagues as ‘O.T’) said: “We
look forward to working with the employer
to make the most of this funding. Our
members are facing many changes, heightening the need for flexibility and transferable skills. The union learning centres will
be a big help.”
Gareth Howells, Prospect national
secretary in Wales, said: “I am delighted we
have secured this funding from the Welsh
Assembly, which will help provide opportunities for the upskilling of our members.”
He thanked all who helped with the
successful bid, including Barbara Hale of
Wales TUC, local reps and management, and
Prospect’s North West national secretary
Mike Graham.
Prospect has 1,500 members – including
more than 300 in Wales – across the
UK’s ten Magnox reactor sites, which are
managed by EnergySolutions on behalf of
the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Wolverine or
Bananaman?
Prospect member Steve
Moss is taking a running
jump – all in a good cause.
The former Met
Office member, who now
works for the John Lewis
Partnership, is taking a
tandem parachute jump on
May 23 at Bicester, near
Oxford, with 14 other JL
partners to raise funds for
the Alzheimers Society.
He must raise a
minimum of £500 to cover
costs but hopes to raise
double that amount.
Anyone can sponsor him
by visiting www.justgiving.
com/Steven-Moss50.
Steve is thinking of
jumping in a Wolverine
suit (see website) that
most people think is more
Bananaman, or in a mankini
as an extra incentive for
sponsorship. He will also
be doing a 20-mile walk
around Brownsea island in
the autumn. A busy chap ...
Half a million people in the UK become
ill through work-related stress every year.
Prospect is acting to tackle this hazard with
an updated guide to help members and reps
ensure it’s taken seriously.
The Prospect Members’ Guide
to Work-Related Stress explains
the physiology of stress and how
the ‘fight or flight’ reaction is an
automatic response triggered
when people feel under
pressure. It shows how if the
response to a perceived threat
is constantly being set off, the
body never gets a chance to
return to its normal state.
A section on the law
explains the importance of risk assessments
in relation to work-related stress, and
outlines the standards for good management practice developed by the Health and
Safety Executive.
Prospect’s guide also spells out how
the problems of workplace stress can be
jointly tackled by unions and management
treating it as an organisational as well as an
individual issue, with attention to reporting
concerns and difficulties.
■■ Contact [email protected]
for a copy or download it from the website
library at www.prospect.org.uk
retired members group
Profile
28
■
April 2/10
Mixed verdict on asbestos decision
AVON VALLEY
Annual general meeting
Wednesday April 21, 2 pm,
the Bath Sports and Leisure
Centre, North Parade, Bath – in
the lounge of the Bath Rugby
Club Hampton Stand Hospitality
room. Entrance under the BLC,
through the car park far left,
through the iron gate into the
building opposite, on the 2nd
floor (lift available). Coffee, tea
and biscuits from 1.45 pm. For
further information, contact Pat
Lomasney (secretary) 01934
834510 or pblomasney@tiscali.
co.uk. For members in postcodes
BA, BS, SN and SP.
CHESHIRE, MANCHESTER,
MERSEYSIDE, DEESIDE,
NORTH WALES, ISLE OF MAN
Next meeting Wednesday April
21, 1pm, Campanile Hotel, near
to Runcorn rail station. Guest
speaker Dai Hudd, Prospect
deputy general secretary.
Contact: John Augoustis on 0151
638 2498 or john@augoustis.
fsnet.co.uk. For members in
postcodes LL, CH, WN, BL, WA,
MCW, SK, OL, IL and IM.
EAST ANGLIA
Next meeting Wednesday May
12, 1pm, Red Lion, Whittlesford,
Cambridge. Following meeting
September 15, same time and
venue. AGM November 24.
Each meeting tries to have a
small presentation on topics of
interest and a pre-meeting snack
and chat. For further information,
contact Les Nicholls ([email protected]). For members
in postcodes EN, NR, IP, PE, CB,
CO, CM, RM, SS and IG but all
retired members welcome.
NORTH-WEST
Next meeting Thursday April 22,
11am, County Hotel, Carnforth.
Speaker Gerald Perks, vicepresident of the RMG. For further
details contact Mike Duncalf
(secretary) on 01524 732128.
For members in postcodes CA,
LA, BB, PR and FY.
related disease, any risk of a person with
pleural plaques developing an asbestosrelated disease arises because of that
person’s exposure to asbestos rather than
because of the plaques themselves.
Accordingly, he would not restore the
previous position but he outlined steps to
assist victims of asbestos-related disease:
£5,000 compensation payments. These
will be paid to all individuals who had a legal
claim for compensation for pleural plaques at
the time the Law Lords ruled in October 2007.
Mesothelioma claims. A group of experts will
examine ways of streamlining procedures
for mesothelioma claims. The Third Parties
(Rights against Insurers) Bill will enable claims
against insolvent employers to be brought
directly against the employer’s insurer.
Employers Liability Tracing Office. An ELTO
will be created to manage an electronic
database of EL policies and to operate the
existing tracing service, in co-operation with
the Association of British Insurers.
Employees’ Liability Insurance Bureau.
This will provide a compensation fund of
last resort for individuals who are unable to
jess hurd /reportdigital.co.uk
Trade unions have welcomed a series
of steps announced by the government on
behalf of workers suffering from asbestosrelated disease.
But there has been a chorus of disapproval for its refusal to reverse the House
of Lords decision in 2007 that ended the
payment of damages for workers with
pleural plaques.
At the end of February, justice secretary
Jack Straw said more than 224 responses
had been received to its consultation paper
on the issue, including from the chief
medical officer and the Industrial Injuries
Advisory Council.
He had concluded that while the
current medical evidence was clear that
pleural plaques are a marker of exposure
to asbestos, and that exposure to asbestos
significantly increases the risk of asbestos-
■■ Straw – refused to
reverse Lords ruling
■■ Barber – campaign to
change law will continue
trace their EL insurance records.
Increased compensation. From April,
government is to increase payments under
the Pneumoconiosis Etc. Act 1979 by 1.5
per cent and equalise them with payments
made due to mesothelioma under child
maintenance law. Payments to all dependents under these two Acts will be increased
by up to £5,000 so that their awards are
closer to those paid to sufferers.
In addition, the government is to step up
funding for research into asbestos-related
disease, and will create a world-leading
network of medical practitioners to research
into these diseases.
Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary,
called the decision not to reverse the
House of Lords judgement ‘disappointing’
and pledged to continue to campaign for a
change in the law.
But he said the other measures would be
of real benefit to mesothelioma sufferers,
in particular the steps being taken to help
sufferers trace their former employer’s
insurer, which would help them to get the
compensation to which they were entitled.
JANUARY 22–MARCH 14
Prospect regrets to announce the deaths of the following members, notified to headquarters between January 22 and March 14, 2010:
Mrs B A Allen
Mr W M Armer
Mr G S Artus
Mr D Barnfather
Mr A Bilton
Mr P J W Boone
Dr C R Brewitt-Taylor
Mr A Brooks
Mr S F Brown
Mr M B Brydon
Mr H L Burrough
Mr G E Butcher
Mr J E Butler
Mr A W Cawkwell
Mr P Chilvers
Mr J A Cole
Mr J S Cowan
Mr T R Davies
Mr A G Davis
Mr L A Deefholts
Miss D Dent
Mr R Dixon
Mr T Dodd
Mr G Dowson
Mr M G Dwek
Mr A G Eagle
Mr D K English
Mr H F Ermen
Mr R R Fenton
Dr K Field
Mr G S Finlay
Mr J Gleave
Mr W Green
Mr R S Grieve
Mr E M Guiver
Mr K J H Hacke
Mr T Hackett
Mr F Hawley
Mr P Hodgkins
Mr C G Howson
Mr P Hudson
Mr W S Hughes
Mr L G Jones
Mr R T Jones
25/02/10
19/02/10
28/01/10
29/01/10
22/01/10
03/03/10
25/01/10
11/02/10
22/01/10
22/02/10
18/02/10
03/03/10
25/01/10
05/02/10
09/03/10
15/02/10
11/03/10
11/03/10
12/02/10
26/02/10
29/01/10
04/02/10
04/02/10
25/02/10
10/02/10
16/02/10
25/01/10
04/02/10
15/02/10
01/02/10
03/03/10
04/03/10
04/02/10
25/02/10
15/02/10
11/03/10
17/02/10
15/02/10
24/02/10
28/01/10
12/02/10
11/03/10
16/02/10
29/01/10
English Heritage
British Aerospace
North West RMG
National Grid
East Anglia RMG
Wales RMG
QinetiQ
Overseas RMG
QinetiQ
Scottish and Southern Energy Group
Innogy
East Midlands RMG
East Anglia RMG
Scotland North RMG
Central Networks – East
Innogy
Scottish Power
QinetiQ
Jersey Electricity Company
London Electricity
London Central RMG
Thames Valley RMG
Thames Valley RMG
South West RMG
National Grid
National Grid
National Nuclear Labs
South East England RMG
National Library of Wales
Avon Valley RMG
Electricity Assoc. Services
CMMDI RMG
CE Electric UK (was Yorks Electricity)
National Nuclear Labs
South East Midlands RMG
National Grid
Institute of Food Research
Innogy
Electricity Assoc. Services
London Central RMG
Thames Valley RMG
West Midlands RMG
Scottish Power
Mr J Keith
Mr H A Kelsall
Mr A F Kemp
Mr A F Keys
Mr D Kitson
Mr R A Lomax
Miss N F Loundes
Mr R Y Lowe
Mr R D MacLeod
Mr G Melville
Mr D Morfoot
Mr C P Munday
Mr A Nelson
Mr R Noakes
Mr D Owen
Dr H A Painter
Mr V A Parobij
Mr R J Pearce
Mr P I Perry
Mr F Phillips
Mr L Place
Mr J D Powell
Mr R J Quew
Mr R T Radish
Mr F G Rose
Mr T H Saul
Mr B F Sharpe
Mr N P Slattery
Mr G B Smith
Mr A E Stallard
Mr K A Statham
Mr D J Strong
Mr R H Swetman
Mr A Topping
Mr S C Turner
Mr S C Vercoe
Mr E C Walford
Mr M M Webb
Mr H G Wells
Mr D E Williams
Mr J A Wood
Mr R R Woolven
Mr H L B Yeoell
11/03/10
15/02/10
09/03/10
25/02/10
11/03/10
03/03/10
27/01/10
25/01/10
19/02/10
10/02/10
29/01/10
23/02/10
01/03/10
18/02/10
17/02/10
26/01/10
19/02/10
15/02/10
11/02/10
11/02/10
27/01/10
08/03/10
12/02/10
02/02/10
22/02/10
29/01/10
23/02/10
02/02/10
15/02/10
09/03/10
19/02/10
15/02/10
12/02/10
19/02/10
15/02/10
25/02/10
24/02/10
19/02/10
03/03/10
16/02/10
29/01/10
02/02/10
23/02/10
BAE Systems
Central Networks – West
Eastern Group
Vehicle Inspectorate Agency
British Energy
National Grid
Isle of Man Government
East Anglia RMG
Innogy
Ministry of Defence
National Air Traffic Services
Northeast Press
Southern RMG
South East England RMG
East Anglia RMG
Home Office
Innogy
Ofcom
Sellafield Limited
Hyder Utilities
Central Southern RMG
London Central RMG
Innogy
South West RMG
Innogy
Ministry of Defence
London Electricity
Avon Valley RMG
Innogy
United Utilities
E.On UK
Western Power Distribution
EDF Seeboard
Thames Valley RMG
National Grid
Innogy
British Energy
CLASSIFIED
Profile
April 2/10
OVERSEAS HOLIDAYS
ANDALUCIA - This is the real Spain! Gorgeous,
spacious country house, stunning views,
large pool and terraces, sleeps up to 10 in 4
double rooms, all comforts including
internet, aircon, heating. Guided walking and
biking available. One hour Malaga airport.
From £448pw. www.casalouisa.net
07803 951 960
HOLIDAY IN PARADISE? Fully equipped two
bedroom house in Porto Santo, the 2nd
Madeiran Island. Phone; 01308 482483
[email protected]
S.FRANCE – AVEYRON Rural hillside cottage.
Sleeps 4. Balcony, orchard. Explore
surrounding area, walking/cycling. Excellent
historic centre. £280pw June-September.
Tel: 01246 207715
SOUTHERN HUNGARY - Traditional spacious
comfortable cottage in courtyard sleeps 5/7.
Baja, a market town on Danube. Peace and
quiet, walking, cycling, discover folklore,
architecture, river environment. £195 - £275
p/w call Claire Weiss. 02085392833 details
at www.holiday.lettings.co.uk
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TEWKESBURY, GLOS. Riverside cottage in
medieval town, near Cotswolds. From
£55p.n/ £275 p.w. Tel- 01684 276190
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sea views quiet location close to beaches &
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Email [email protected]
MID PEMBROKESHIRE Excellent self-catering
cottage/flat sleeps 4+ from £200pw 3 nights
£150 discount off summer prices.
Tel 01437 563504
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Letters
Profile
30
■
April 2/10
Letters should be sent by email to [email protected], via fax on 020 7902 6665 or by
post for the attention of the editor, New Prospect House, 8 Leake Street, London SE1 7NN.
Emails preferred. Letters may be shortened for reasons of space.
PrizeLetter of the month receives a £10 book token
Severn Barrage beats ‘smart’ grid any day
It is reported that
Britain may pay £37
billion for a ‘smart grid’.
Presumably to provide computer control
of every 275kV, 132kV, 33kV and 11kV
network, and automatic control of every
circuit breaker and isolating switch in
the British Isles.
Hopefully this would enable wind
farms (mainly imported) to deliver
electricity from the constantly variable
output from their generators into local
distribution networks, without causing
constantly fluctuating voltages to
consumers.
How much better if this money was
spent on construction of the Severn
Barrage. The twice daily tidal difference
on the Severn Estuary is the second
highest in the world, averaging about
42 feet (13 metres) between low
and high water. This is our nation’s
best environmental scheme for the
generation of over 6 per cent of the
electricity consumption of England and
Wales.
Using proven technology, the 216
specified turbines could also be used
as pumps to lower the height of the
flooding Severn, thus assisting in the
What’s the problem?
I don’t understand the argument that potential
lay-offs in nuclear decommissioning will have
a negative effect on nuclear new-build. How
could these lay-offs exacerbate the existing
nuclear skills shortage – if anything it will be
the reverse.
I certainly can see that lay-offs might be a
bad thing for the workers involved and could
lead to significant personal disruption, but
surely with such a significant
skills shortage in the industry they It seems that nuclear laywill not be out of work long.
offs are coming at exactly
As several of the sites proposed
for new build are at or near existing
nuclear sites, it seems that nuclear the right time to help the
lay-offs are coming at exactly the
new-build programme
right time to help the new-build
programme. Surely the likes of EDF would be
ecstatic to have several thousand talented
and experienced nuclear professionals (with
existing security clearance) available to them.
■■ James Borggren, Macclesfield
Trade unions’ proud history
of international work
I don’t normally rise to the bait of the ‘poor wee
Israel and those nasty bad boys’ brigade but,
flood defence scheme for the Severn
basin.
Initially, the scheme would
provide welcome employment in civil
engineering and provide time for our
neglected electrical manufacturing
industry to provide and install the
necessary generators, transformers and
infrastructure.
A win-win-win for the UK – always
assuming our government does not
allow British companies to be bypassed
in favour of cheaper foreign labour or
subsidised foreign competitors.
■■ John Riddington, Broadstone, Dorset
really Brian Bradley (ViewPoint 1/10). Someone
takes time out of their busy life to raise money
for an eye clinic and somehow they’re part of
a “political organisation which supports the
enemies of my people”. Wasn’t there something
in the bible about the mote in your own eye?
I take extreme exception to the odious
comparison of ‘my people’ and, presumably
‘them’, which is, generally trumpeted by the
odious BNP and its followers.
I would add that while Brian joined this
trade union so that it would represent him
in negotiations with his employer, this is
not simply a staff association. Trade unions
have a long and proud history of international
involvement. I would recommend Mr Bradley
looks at Trade Union Friends of Israel, which
was established to promote Israeli-Palestinian
trade union co-operation and strengthen the
links between the Israeli, Palestinian and
British trade union movements.
In 2008 the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and
the Palestine General Federation of Trades
Unions (PGFTU) signed an agreement to
base relations on negotiation, dialogue
and joint initiatives to advance ‘fraternity
and co-existence’. This has led to a number
of other historic agreements between
unions who represent major sectors in their
Cross
Apr2010
ACROSS
8 Leave mother something in New York (9)
9 Unabridged, like book not having its leaves trimmed
(5)
10 Bookkeeper had sign - rain spreading (9)
11 Stressful when numbers start exercising (5)
12 Taking to the air, Western European finds ghostly
ship (6,8)
15 Cure obtained from the Alps (4)
17 He had many a serf (5)
19 First four crashed maybe leaving this mark (4)
21 Oral inspection arranged in place of Pop (2,4,8)
23 Almost get cover – it’s icy (5)
24 Washes pot out in place where wages
are low (9)
26 Kingdom of true Frenchman (5)
27 Left-winger, a continental worker after first day not
required (9)
DOWN
1 Jack provided fellow with price list (6)
2 Treachery of Albert struggling round a yard (8)
intertwined economies.
Differences will always be there between
two groups of people disputing land in a small
area. Those differences will be exploited to
the full by those on both sides with vested
interests in narrow, blinkered agendas.
■■ Irene Danks, Edinburgh
No to Palestinian bias
I wholeheartedly agree with Brian Bradley
(ViewPoint 1/10) over the anti-Israeli bias
in Stephanie Williamson’s cycling article.
Israel (and I am not Jewish) is a small
democratic state about the size of Wales.
The Arab lands are vast. While I have every
sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians
I see no reason for the pro-Palestinian bias
of the union.
Can I remind Prospect that it exists to
further the interests of its members and not
to promote political ideologies and minority
groups. I would be interested to see how much
of our subscriptions go on such matters.
■■ David Mullen, Merseyside
There is no pro-Palestinian bias. There is the
right to freedom of expression for a member
who contributes an article about their
personal experience. No part of Prospect
subscriptions go to such matters.
Censorship call is
typical of ‘warmists’
Interesting to note that you printed four
letters (ViewPoint 1/10) in response to
Rod Eaton’s in the December Profile in
which he perfectly reasonably refuted the
anthropogenic global warming theory. More
disturbingly, at least one called for such
letters not to be published in future. Since
the AGW theory has been almost completely
demolished, your correspondents might like
to reconsider their position.
The call to censor the views of climate
realists is symptomatic of ‘warmists’ with
Marxist tendencies. Messrs Waldegrave,
Leonard, Wolff and Davis are clearly in
this camp, accepting only the views and
3 Establish oneself in French river with fish swimming
round (8)
4 Hothead in Vietnam or Sicily? (4)
5 Magistrate completely frozen (7)
6 Come round with another coin when it’s inexpensive (8)
7 Pass the dog (2,7)
13 Mouth of the Dee (5)
14 Part of ream said to be for the lass in church? (9)
16 Nobody doubts this signal (3-5)
18 The hothead with fever in Holland (3,5)
19 Adjourn although ready with new ideas (3,5)
20 School day came round (7)
22 Ranger receiving advance in southeast (6)
25 Very small gentle cry (4)
■■ Solution to appear in the next issue
Answers February 2010 – ACROSS: 1 Prospect 6 Stride 9 Flight 10
Equal pay 11 Congregation 13 Union 14 Amusement 17 Hopscotch 19
Faint 21 Donkey’s years 24 Militant 25 Tremor 26 Hi-tech 27 Creature.
DOWN: 2 Rule 3 Sagacious 4 Extend 5 Theorem 6 Sluggish 7 Relet 8
Dragooning 12 Anno Domini 15 Means test 16 Polymath 18 Cryptic 20
Battle 22 Knife 23 Door.
Letters
Profile
April 2/10
■
31
ProfileINDEX
Nothing green about
burning waste wood
Hard-to-treat homes
need insulation too
February’s Profile carried a full-page
advertisement from British Gas extolling the
benefits of its home insulation scheme.
But British Gas, along with all the other
energy providers, is only willing to help with
cavity wall and loft insulation. This literally
leaves out in the cold all those homes which are
officially designated as ‘hard to treat’ – homes
with solid walls, early timber-framed houses
and houses with living space in the loft.
In Scotland we have a high proportion
of such homes because of traditionally
different types of construction, when
building regulations did not require much in
the way of insulation.
Back in 2002 the government gave the
energy companies the energy efficiency
commitment (now the carbon emission
reduction target). Eight years on we need
a more flexible set of measures. The social
housing providers have had to find ways of
conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change. Plenty of evidence is
now available, from eminent scientists such
as Prof Richard Lindzen, Prof Fred Singer, Dr
Ferenc Miskolczi, Nils-Axel Morner, Viscount
Christopher Monckton, Dr Tim Ball, Steve
McIntire and many others that AGW is dead.
The internet is awash with information but
it seems there are still too many people in
denial of the truth.
Yes, the IPCC was politicised right from
the start. Conclusions such as “no study to
date has positively attributed all or part (of
observed climate change) to anthropogenic
causes” (Source: IPCC, 1995) were deleted
and replaced by: “The balance of evidence
suggests a discernible human influence on
global climate” (IPCC 1995 rewrite). The rot
set in from there.
So yes, I certainly can believe that the
discussions in Copenhagen were based on a
complete misinterpretation of the observed
data. There are many examples of how the
data have been seriously skewed in favour of
human-induced climate change.
■■ Rowland Pantling, Colchester
IPCC twists science to
get what it wants
It makes sense to conserve and make the
best use of scarce resources.
But the science on man-made
global warming is far from settled. Just
check out the SPPI paper on surface
temperature measurements at http://
scienceandpublicpolicy.org/originals/policy_
driven_deception.html for examples of how
basic measurements are distorted.
As a technically educated layman, I’ve seen
enough to realise that the science is deeply
flawed, as each week a new ‘gate’ emanates
tackling their own ‘hard to treat’ stock and
Prospect members in the Building Research
Establishment are well able to provide the
necessary technical advice to guide the
upgrade of the whole housing stock, provided
funding is provided by the energy suppliers.
■■ Hazel Carnegie, Aberdeen
from the IPCC – ClimateGate, GlacierGate,
AfricaGate, now it’s ScandinaviaGate.
There are also revelations about vested
interests. I’d recommend your readers check
and see what companies Al Gore or Dr Pachuri,
head of IPCC, have interests in. Is it not odd
that they have very close links to companies
that stand to make the most out of carbontrading schemes?
Some basic research will show how
many eminent scientists in climatology and
associated disciplines have resigned from
the IPCC in disgust because the science is
misrepresented in the ‘summary for policy
makers’ to provide the answers the IPCC wants.
It’s surely time for an impartial Royal
Commission to look at the case for and
against man-made climate change before
we embark on a solution for a potential nonproblem that could shut down our economy
for all the wrong reasons.
■■ Derek Cook, Ceredigion
TH NKS APR 2010
1Rearrange the letters of the following
phrase to form a single word related to the
phrase.
OFTEN SHEDS TEARS
2What familiar phrase or saying is
represented here?
LILLI MARLENE
COLONEL BOGEY
WE’LL MEET AGAIN
DAMBUSTERS MARCH
n Solution to appear in the next issue
MindMaze SolutionFeb10
SAND – All of the others have their letters in
alphabetical order.
A Danish company wishes to build a 300MW
electricity generating station in Hull. Next to
it would be a shipping berth, to enable ‘waste
wood’ to be delivered for consumption by the
plant. In addition, the company is building 50
bulk sea-going carriers for the renewables
industry.
Apparently this greatly reduces the need to
transport the fuel by road and “would therefore
reduce the power station’s carbon footprint and
impact on the local transport network.”
What nonsense. The carbon footprint of the
shipping will be a direct consequence of the
operation of the plant and must, therefore, be
accounted with the plant.
For the same amount of energy, wood
releases 9.3 per cent more carbon dioxide
than coal when burnt. But wasn’t the object of
the exercise to reduce the amount of carbon
dioxide we pump into the atmosphere?
When trees grow, they take carbon dioxide
out of the atmosphere and lock the carbon
into their structure. Humans then cut the trees
down and burn them. This is called ‘carbon
neutral’. In which case burning coal must
also be ‘carbon neutral’, since the carbon it
contains was once in the atmosphere.
The Hull plant will require 1.4 million tonnes
of waste wood a year and will release 2.43
million tonnes of carbon dioxide. It would need
an unmanaged mature forest of 61 million
trees covering an area of 2,610 square miles
to render this ‘carbon neutral’. By comparison,
the county of North Yorkshire is about 3,000
square miles.
Produce electricity, by all means, but be
truthful about the process. What is meant
by ‘waste wood’? Where will it be sourced?
Because it is waste, will it be subject to EU
waste disposal regulations? Will carbon capture
techniques be installed? If not, why not?
I fear the ‘green’ label attaches more to the
naivety of believers than to the plant itself.
■■ David Loxley, North Yorks
Ashamed of response
I was ashamed to read the response of Dr
Roger Wallsgrove (ViewPoint 1/10) attacking
the critics of climate change.
Earth has taken millions of years and many
cycles to evolve and nothing catastrophic is
going to happen in the next millennium that
mankind is even remotely likely to influence.
■■ Brian Cale, Pembs
Copter blunder
I’m sure you have been inundated with
comment about the blooper on page 23 of the
February edition of Profile but just in case:
Under the head “SET skills...” mention is made
of the “Nimrod helicopter disaster”! A Nimrod
helicopter? Without doubt, a sight to behold!
■■ Geof Norris, Burnham-on-Sea
It would be indeed – our apologies.
April 10
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