Posted by admin on Oct 19, 2009 in
Uncategorized “When I started, the postman was part of the community, he knew everybody. That sort of thing has gone because all they are interested in now is getting the mail out. There just isn’t enough time.
“I used to deliver in a village and I knew everyone. I could get £600 tips at Christmas. When I delivered to farms, instead of dropping the mail in a letterbox at the end of the long drive, I would take the letters, the newspaper and the milk all the way up the drive, walk into the house and put it on the kitchen table. I was that close to people.”
The Communication Workers Union, which represents most of the 150,000 postal workers, says it would be alarmist to say postmen and women are suddenly strangers but many are under too much strain to stop and chat.
“Postmen and women are still delivering to every address, six days a week, so still getting the coverage but what we’re noticing is that there’s less time to do that work because there is more pressure,” says a union spokeswoman.
“People have said that when they see their postman he’s rushing from place to place and can’t chat anymore. Royal Mail would say stopping to chat is not efficient. But postmen are working harder than ever before, handling 10% less mail with 30% less staff.”
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Posted by admin on Oct 19, 2009 in
Uncategorized The postal workers’ union’s head has said he is prepared to stage further industrial action before Christmas.
The Communication Workers Union has announced two nationwide strikes next week due to an escalating row over pay, working conditions and reform.
General secretary Billy Hayes told the Times that he was “not ruling anything out”, including more stoppages.
Mr Hayes also suggested that he was in a stronger position than former miners’ leader Arthur Scargill in the 1980s.
The 24-hour strikes will begin on 22 October. On the first day, mail centre staff and drivers will strike. The next day it will be delivery and collection staff.
Mr Hayes told the newspaper that although the CWU was trying to reach agreement with Royal Mail, its planned 48-hour walkout – due begin this Thursday – may not be the last.
Asked whether his position was stronger than that of Mr Scargill before the 1984-5 miners’ strike, Mr Hayes replied: “Yes. I think in terms of the impact of the Royal Mail on the economy, it’s stronger. There’s no doubt.”
Mr Hayes said the miners’ leader Mr Scargill had failed to secure authorisation for the 1980s strikes via a ballot and had been confronted by a government which had stockpiled coal.
By contrast, he said, the CWU had secured a majority vote in favour of industrial action.
“Mail volumes increase by three times in the run-up to Christmas and the thing about mail is that it’s not something you can stockpile,” Mr Hayes added.
“What this means is that the impact of any future action will not be unimportant. Royal Mail is a key sector of the economy.”
However, he offered Royal Mail management the opportunity of arbitration through Acas and said it would “be foolish of me not to be mindful of the impact of a strike” on the economy.
He said: “We don’t apologise for having influence and power. But that power is exercised quite sparingly.”
Previously, a document leaked to BBC’s Newsnight programme appeared to show Royal Mail digging in for a bitter battle against the union.
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Posted by admin on Oct 19, 2009 in
Uncategorized A spokeswoman for ITN, which produces Channel 4 News and More 4 News, said the broadcast was “a responsible piece of journalism that brings important new information into the public domain”.
Mr Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper vendor, died minutes after he was pushed over by a policeman during demonstrations in central London on 1 April.
The police officer at the centre of the allegations has been suspended and interviewed under caution on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the death.
He was filmed hitting the newspaper seller with his baton and pushing him to the ground.
An attempt to stop new footage being broadcast of the moments leading up to the death of Ian Tomlinson has failed.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) tried to secure a court order preventing Channel 4 News showing the film of the G20 protests.
But a judge refused to grant the injunction and the footage will be shown on Wednesday.
The IPCC said the film could damage its investigation, but ITN said it was a “responsible piece of journalism”.
An IPCC spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that we attempted to seek an injunction this evening against Channel 4 as it came to light that they were due to broadcast further evidence which we believe at this moment would potentially damage our criminal investigation into the death of Ian Tomlinson.
“This injunction was specific to what was due to be broadcast this evening.”
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Uncategorized An energy firm is planning a major security operation to stop protesters carrying out a threat to shut down a Nottinghamshire power station.
Five different climate change groups plan to demonstrate at the Ratcliffe-on-Soar site in what they call “the great climate swoop” later this month.
The station supplies power to around three million East Midlands homes.
E.On said it would step up security and planned to enforce a High Court injunction against trespassers.
Temporary security fences will create an inner cordon and a new perimeter fence has been put in place.
During the planned protest, dozens of staff will stay on the site and sleep there instead of going home. Security guards will back up the police, E.On said.
Spokesman Andrew Barrow said: “We appreciate that the protesters have a right to come and hold their demonstration.
“We have no problem at all with reasonable, responsible protests and demonstrations.
“What we don’t want to see is anybody putting themselves at risk by trying to break into the station or by trying to shut it down.
“It’s just idiotic, it’s not a playground, it’s a power station.”
The protesting groups include Climate Camp and Plane Stupid.
Campaigners said they had chosen Ratcliffe because of its central location and its size.
They said they wanted to end all coal fired power stations because they believe they are not sustainable and there are greener ways to raise electricity.
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Uncategorized Statoil is one of the world’s largest exporters of oil and, with oil topping $100 a barrel on supply concerns, its products are in great demand.
Yet it has a relatively small trading desk in London, with just a handful of traders
If it’s a weak market then we have to go out and sell it more actively, if it’s a strong market they come and buy it from us,” Mr Lie says.
Currently, demand is strong, though the traders are nevertheless on the phone, talking to other traders, analysts and brokers.
Everyone in the market for physical oil – as opposed to paper market traders, who do not want to end up owning any oil – is looking for that precious piece of information that will allow them to sell oil for more, or buy it for less.
“From our side, as the seller of oil, we want to get to know the buyer’s position,” Mr Lie says.
“Are they short of oil, do they really need more?”
The holy grail for buyers is to find a seller having difficulty selling a shipment.
“If you get too close to the delivery date, when it’s taken aboard a ship in the North Sea, and it’s not sold, then the buyers know that we have what’s called a ‘distressed cargo’, so they will try to get a cheap price for that,” he adds.
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Posted by admin on Oct 19, 2009 in
Uncategorized uggs on sale are predominantly popular among young women in their tweens, teens, and twenties. Consequently, Ugg Boots have become considered a feminine item.
ugg classic tall sale
The fighter pilots and bomber crews for World War I and World War II wore Ugg Boots in their airplanes for warmth. Back then, airplanes did not yet have pressurized cabins to keep in air and warmth, and at high altitudes, the air got cold—very cold. During these times, cheap ugg cardy boots were considered not just masculine items, but soldier’s gear.
As Uggs moved into the fashion mainstream in the last ten years, however, they’ve become associated with women, mainly due to female celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey wearing and recommending them.
First, shy away from UGG Classic Crochet Boots with thick, fuzzy fleece cuffs at the top. Such cuffs server no practical function, are purely decorative, and such fuzzy decoration is decidedly feminine.
Next, although most Uggs are one-piece slip-ons without laces, some styles of Ugg Boots do come with laces up the front or sides. Laces make Uggs look a bit more like work boots.
Finally, the trick to wearing Uggs and still looking masculine depends on what other clothing you wear them with. Wearing Uggs with shorts looks way too feminine, and wearing Uggs with slacks or khakis just looks silly.
Wearing blue jeans with Ugg Boots is the safest way to go. Generally, the cuffs of jean legs are tucked into the boots. If you feel that looks too girly, however, you can always wear your pant legs over the boots, as many men do with cowboy boots.
Be aware, however, that the thick fleece lining of UGG Classic Short Boots makes them very puffy, and you might have a hard time getting your jean legs over the boots.
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