YOu couldn’t make it up (4) Rail company takes the coach

It has been reported by the BBC that Network Rail has booked coaches to take 200 of its staff from Reading to Coventry because the train was too expensive

Open rail tickets to take the staff to a conference would have set them back some £27,000, but that to take the coach would cost £2,400

Such is the absurdity of rail privatisation. The greater “effieciency” acheieved by the market means that whereas in 1994 the old nationalised British Railways recieved a subsidy £1.6 billion, by 2005 this had risen to £4.6 billion.

Britain now has one of the most expensive rail networks in the world.

Pause for thought as Labour announces yet another round of back door privatision of he NHS.

Patients are going to get the “right” to demand private treatment if not seen within a certain time.

So yet more money will be shovelled into the private sector, money that could have been on improving NHS services.

BBC article on Network Rail

BBC article on NHS

 

“You couldn’t make it up” (3) Terrorism law used against protest

Just in…

“A hearing is pending in the Royal Courts of Justice, London, on Wed. 21st, October at 10.30am, at which Scottish & Southern Energy is applying for an injunction against Steve Acheson. The Injunction is being sought to prevent Steve from protesting at Fiddlers Ferry power station about his dismissal from the project because of the now notorious construction industry blacklist.

This injunction is under the Prevention of Terrorism Act & seeks to show that Steve, as the 1st respondent, & others unnamed [as second respondents], by their constant picketing of the site represent a threat to the energy supplies of this country.

The basis of the application is that by picketing the site he is committing a Trespass because he & others are on the Firm’s property; that having issued leaflets to workers on the site calling for ‘direct action’ he is ‘inciting’ the workforce to commit acts contrary to the national interest which may impact on energy supplies & that he has, at times, acted in a way that might have intimidated the workforce.

Their is no mention in the company’s deposition to the Court that he was formerly employed by them, nor that his picket represents a campaign against blacklisting.
If this goes ahead it will have consequencies for the whole trade union movement.
Blacklist Support Group will be protesting at the Royal Courts of Justice in The Strand from 9:30am in support of Steve Acheson.

Steve is a trade unionists NOT a terrorist
Blacklisting is a Human Rights Issue
Defend Trade Union Rights”

“You couldn’t make it up” (2): The Blairs’ property empire

Graphic: The Daily Mail

Plugs of the Daily Mail is not something you would normally see here, but some things are os outrageous that even a story in The Mail deserves repeating

The Blairs recently bought a £1.3 million mews in an “upmarket area of London”, for cash. This is their sixth “home”

Furthermore it seems that they bought it for their 23 yearold son Nicky, who is listed as one of the propert’s “owners” at the land registry. So there is at least one first-time buyer that hasn’t been forced out of the housing market by the credit crunch.

As one of Private Eye’s erstwhile columnists used to say “Dontch it make you sick”.

For the full nauseating story of the Blairs’ property empire click here for The Daily Mail article

You couldn’t make it up (1)

Sally Keeble MP

A story from the “you couldn’t make it up” section.

Many of you may have heard about London Midland Railways having to cancel their services on Sunday because not enough drivers volunteered to do the Sunday shift

The reason? Staff used to get double time on a Sunday. And now they don’t. So no one wanted to do it. And who can blame them? After all we are continually told that without the incentive of giant bonuses bankers won’t want to come in Britain. So why would anyone want to give up their Sunday without some inducement?

Well Labour MP for Northampton North Sally Keeble has weighed into the argument. Apparently what needs to happen is:

“London Midland really needs to speak to its staff and to unions to get this situation resolved, because it is ridiculous.

“A review of Sunday working is now long overdue. It should be rostered into staff working hours so this situation doesn’t come up ever again.”

So there you have it. No more carrot, just stick.

This was spotted in the Morning Star

You can also check out the story in the Northampton Chronicle

Sally Keeble’s website