This week’s news in brief
Fire talks stall
Talks to avert the first firefighters’ strike for 25 years have
"stalled" according to union leaders. Fire Brigades Union general
secretary Andy Gilchrist said local authority employers have still not come up
with an acceptable pay offer. The first 48-hour strike is due to start tomorrow
(Wednesday). www.fbu.org.uk
Airport stalemate
Airport staff represented by the T&G union have voted to strike after
rejecting the latest pay offer from the British Airports Authority.
Firefighters, security guards and operational support workers employed at
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh are
set to take industrial action. www.tgwu.org.uk
Job travel extended
More jobseekers are to get travel discounts to get to interviews and the
first three months of a new job. The initiative was originally only open to the
New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25+ but has now been extended to cover
over 50s, lone parents and the disabled. www.dwp.gov.uk
Paris winner
Emma Patmore, senior HR officer at Britton Merlin, was the lucky winner of
the Personnel Today/Manpower competition. Emma enjoyed a luxury weekend in
Paris after completing a survey on the impact of the EU Agency Workers
Directive. Her entry was chosen randomly following a bumper response.
Ethical stance
The Government has asked NHS trusts and agencies to stop recruiting nurses
from Ghana because the country has its own shortages. England’s chief nursing
officer Sarah Mullally made the appeal after the introduction of a code of
practice on ethical recruitment. www.nhs.uk
