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1,714 | abcnews--2019-10-18--Man pleads insanity in police car crash that killed 2 girls | 2019-10-18T00:00:00 | abcnews | Man pleads insanity in police car crash that killed 2 girls | An Ohio man charged in a police cruiser crash that killed two 6-year-old-cousins has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. An attorney for Raymond Walters entered the plea Thursday to 22 charges including murder. The Dayton Daily News reports the attorney also requested a mental health evaluation for Walters. Police say Walters in August stabbed his father in a pickup truck, stole a police car and crashed the cruiser in downtown Dayton, hitting a minivan filled with children. Two girls were killed and nine others were injured. Police have said Walters' father was taking him to a hospital for mental health treatment when Walters stabbed his father. Walters had recently been paroled on a robbery conviction. A message seeking comment was left for his public defender. | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/man-pleads-insanity-police-car-crash-killed-girls-66368609 | Fri, 18 Oct 2019 10:42:32 -0400 | 1,571,409,752 | 1,571,412,358 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
1,782 | abcnews--2019-10-31--Officials: 2 North Carolina men died in Georgia plane crash | 2019-10-31T00:00:00 | abcnews | Officials: 2 North Carolina men died in Georgia plane crash | The victims of Wednesday's plane crash in suburban Atlanta have been identified as two North Carolina men. DeKalb County officials on Thursday said 59-year-old Leslie Csanyi and 60-year-old Scott Robert Lowrie both lived in Salisbury, North Carolina, the plane's intended destination. The two were aboard a Piper PA-28 plane that crashed shortly after taking off from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport . Federal Aviation Administration records show Csanyi had a commercial pilot's license. North Carolina public records show Csanyi was the president of LGC Consulting, which served manufacturers. The plane crashed into a townhome complex, damaging a unit where no one was home. A large section of wall and part of the roof was knocked out of a building. DeKalb County Fire Marshal Joe Cox declared six units unsafe. | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officials-north-carolina-men-died-georgia-plane-crash-66674861 | Thu, 31 Oct 2019 17:21:02 -0400 | 1,572,556,862 | 1,572,559,515 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
1,955 | abcnews--2019-11-06--New NTSB report in fatal crash involving self-driving car | 2019-11-06T00:00:00 | abcnews | New NTSB report in fatal crash involving self-driving car | A new federal report into last year's fatal crash involving a self-driving car in suburban Phoenix says the Uber vehicle couldn't anticipate the actions of jaywalkers. The National Transportation Safety Board report also says the SUV wasn't designed to slam on the brakes to reduce the severity of an unavoidable accident. A 49-year-old woman was killed in the March 2018 crash while pushing a bicycle across a dark Tempe street. It was the first fatality in the country involving a self-driving vehicle. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office hasn't decided whether to file charges against the driver. According to the Arizona Republic, the NTSB released more than 400 pages of documents this week ahead of a Nov. 19 meeting during which the board will discuss the probable cause of the crash. | null | https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ntsb-report-fatal-crash-involving-driving-car-66810188 | Wed, 06 Nov 2019 23:16:42 -0500 | 1,573,100,202 | 1,573,131,992 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
93,874 | chicagosuntimes--2019-11-09--3 injured in crash when car runs red light in Hyde Park | 2019-11-09T00:00:00 | chicagosuntimes | 3 injured in crash when car runs red light in Hyde Park | Three people were hurt in a crash after a driver ran a red light Saturday in Hyde Park on the South Side. A white Chevrolet Cobalt was eastbound about 2:15 a.m. when it failed to stop at a light, striking a Mercedes SUV that was southbound in the 5700 block of South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago police said. The man driving the Cobalt and two males in the Mercedes were all taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said. Their conditions were stabilized. The man was cited for failure to stop at a red light, police said. | Sun-Times Wire | https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/11/9/20956451/hyde-park-vehicle-crash-injuries-red-light-lake-shore-drive | 2019-11-09T03:19:25-06:00 | 1,573,287,565 | 1,573,302,509 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
94,569 | chicagosuntimes--2019-12-20--Woman, CPD officer hurt in Englewood crash involving squad car | 2019-12-20T00:00:00 | chicagosuntimes | Woman, CPD officer hurt in Englewood crash involving squad car | A Chicago police officer and a woman were injured in a crash Friday in Englewood on the South Side. A squad car was eastbound on 62nd Street at 2:43 a.m. when it entered the intersection with Morgan Street and collided with a 2004 Ford Explorer that was southbound on Morgan, according to Chicago police. One officer was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police said. The woman driving the Explorer, whose age was not immediately known, was also taken to St. Bernard Hospital with minor injuries. Citations are expected to be issued against the woman, police said. | Sun-Times Wire | https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/20/21031200/englewood-crash-cpd-squad-car-officer-woman-injured-62nd-morgan | 2019-12-20T04:12:51-06:00 | 1,576,833,171 | 1,576,844,462 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
153,525 | drudgereport--2019-11-07--UBER self-driving car involved in fatal crash couldn't detect jaywalkers... | 2019-11-07T00:00:00 | drudgereport | UBER self-driving car involved in fatal crash couldn't detect jaywalkers... | More surprisingly, the NTSB said Uber's system design "did not include a consideration for jaywalking pedestrians." On top of that, the car initiated a one second braking delay so that the vehicle could calculate an alternative path or let the safety driver take control. (Uber has since eliminated that function in a software update.) Although the [system] detected the pedestrian nearly six seconds before impact ... it never classified her as a pedestrian, because she was crossing at a location without a crosswalk [and] the system design did not include a consideration for jaywalking pedestrians. Uber's autonomous test vehicles may have failed to identify roadway hazards in at least two other cases, according to the report. In one case, a vehicle struck a bicycle lane post that had bent into a roadway. In another, a safety driver was forced to take control to avoid an oncoming vehicle and ended up striking a parked car. In the seven months prior to the fatal crash, Uber vehicles were involved in 37 accidents, including 33 in which other vehicles struck the Uber test cars. When Uber resumed testing in December 2018, it used significantly revised software. According to the NTSB, Uber did a simulation of the new system using sensor data from the fatal Arizona accident. It determined that it would have detected the pedestrian 289 feet before impact and had four seconds to brake before impact at a speed of 43.2 mph. The average stopping distance for a human is about 130 feet at that speed, including reaction time, so it seems likely that the vehicle would have been able to stop in that distance. The NTSB will meet on November 19 to determine the cause of the accident that occurred in Tempe, Arizona in March of 2018. Prosecutors have already absolved Uber of criminal liability, but are still weighing criminal charges against the driver. | null | http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DrudgeReportFeed/~3/pu8paVjQI7w/ | Thu, 07 Nov 2019 13:16:43 GMT | 1,573,150,603 | 1,573,132,714 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
159,704 | eveningstandard--2019-01-16--Croydon crash Man fights for life after being struck by car in hit-and-run | 2019-01-16T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Croydon crash: Man fights for life after being struck by car in hit-and-run | A man is fighting for his life in hospital after being struck by a car in a hit-and-run crash in south London. Police and paramedics were scrambled to the scene in Whitehorse Road, Croydon, shortly after 7.15pm on Wednesday. The pedestrian, believed to be in his 30s, was taken to hospital, where he remained in a critical condition. Scotland Yard said the vehicle involved in the collision did not stop at the scene. No arrests have been made and police are appealing for witnesses. Images from the scene showed emergency services lining the street, which remained cordoned off into the night. Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information are asked to call police on 101 quoting ref 7520/16 Jan. | Sean Morrison | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/croydon-crash-man-fights-for-life-after-being-struck-by-car-in-hitandrun-a4041101.html | 2019-01-16 23:29:00+00:00 | 1,547,699,340 | 1,567,552,175 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
160,914 | eveningstandard--2019-01-23--Catford crash Man in 50s fighting for life after car smashes into bus stop in south-east London | 2019-01-23T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Catford crash: Man in 50s fighting for life after car smashes into bus stop in south-east London | A man in his 50s is fighting for life after a car crashed into a bus stop in south-east London this afternoon. Officers were called to Bromley Road in Beckenham shortly before 2pm on Wednesday, Scotland Yard said. The man was treated at the scene before he was rushed to hospital by London Ambulance Service. His injuries are life-threatening, the Met added. Witnesses said a bus stop had collapsed after the incident, according to reports on social media. A spokeswoman for London Fire Brigade said: "We were called at 1.57pm to a road traffic collision. One car in collision with a bus shelter. "One man was injured and was taken to hospital by LAS. A second man suffered shock and was treated as a precaution. The incident was over at 2.50pm for fire fighters." A Twitter account known as Catford Central tweeted: "There's been another crash on Bromley Road outside of St John's church. The whole bus stop has come down, looks quite serious." A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "We were called to Bromley Road at the junction with Beckenham Hill Road shortly before 2pm following reports of a crash. "We attended with LAS and LFB and found that a car had collided with a bus stop. "A man in his 50s was treated at the scene and then taken to hospital. "There were road closures in place." If you witnessed accident, please call 101 and quote CAD 3627/23JAN. | Ella Wills | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bromley-collision-man-injured-after-car-crashes-into-bus-stop-in-southeast-london-a4046951.html | 2019-01-23 15:35:00+00:00 | 1,548,275,700 | 1,567,551,167 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
161,063 | eveningstandard--2019-01-23--Walthamstow crash Female pedestrian 21 dies after being hit by police car on 999 call in east Lon | 2019-01-23T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Walthamstow crash: Female pedestrian, 21, dies after being hit by police car on 999 call in east London | A 21-year-old woman has died after being struck by a police car while it was responding to a 999 call in east London. The marked police car hit the female pedestrian in Forest Road, Walthamstow, at about 11.45pm on Tuesday. The car stopped and officers battled to save the woman before paramedics and an air ambulance arrived, police said, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The Met is trying to trace her family, who are believed to live outside the UK. The woman was staying at the YMCA in Walthamstow. They said in a statement: “A resident at YMCA Walthamstow was involved in a fatal car incident last night on Forest Road. "YMCA St Paul’s Group is shocked and saddened by this news and wishes to extend its condolences to family and friends." One witness said on social media there were at least five police cars and a forensics van in the road, near The Bell pub, on Wednesday morning. Video posted online last night shows a sheet being held up by police while officers perform CPR. Stella Creasy, the MP for Walthamstow, described the news as "terrible" on Twitter. "Terrible news this morning that a young woman has been killed on forest road in Walthamstow after a fatal collision involving a police vehicle," she said. "That’s all that can confirm at present and will update residents as and when have further details." Waltham Forest Council wrote: "Forest Road between the Bell Junction & Shernhall Street in Walthamstow is closed until further notice due to an accident. "Drivers are advised to avoid the area until the road reopens." A Met Police spokesman said: “The police car had been responding to an emergency call to a man threatening members of the public at a location in Walthamstow. “Forest Road is closed, and is likely to remain so for most of Wednesday morning.” Both the Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have been informed. | Patrick Grafton-Green | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/walthamstow-crash-female-pedestrian-21-dies-after-being-hit-by-police-car-on-emergency-call-in-east-a4046211.html | 2019-01-23 07:49:00+00:00 | 1,548,247,740 | 1,567,551,168 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
161,174 | eveningstandard--2019-01-24--Holloway crash Pedestrian dies after being struck by car in north London | 2019-01-24T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Holloway crash: Pedestrian dies after being struck by car in north London | A pedestrian has died after being struck by a car in north London. Police and paramedics rushed to the scene of the crash in Parkhurst Road, Holloway, on Wednesday night. The man, whose age was last night not known, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car involved in the collision stopped at the scene, at Parkhurst Road’s junction with Holloway road. Road closures were in place following the crash, which took place shortly before 7.10pm. Pictures from the scene showed a forensic tent erected in the street and police officers standing guard. Reports of the collision came as a 19-year-old man was fighting for his life in hospital after a separate crash in Twickenham. The pedestrian was rushed to hospital where he remained overnight in a critical condition. Police were appealing for information after the hit-and-run, in St Margaret’s Road just after 1.30pm on Wednesday. Of the crash in Twickenham, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Detectives are appealing for the driver of a silver VW car involved in a serious collision in Twickenham to come forward. “They are also asking for assistance from members of the public, in particular drivers who may have dashcam footage.” Anyone who witnessed these incidents or has information is asked to call police on 101 quoting the reference CAD 3417jan23 for the Twickenham crash, or 6370/23 Jan for the one in Holloway. | Sean Morrison | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/holloway-crash-pedestrian-dies-after-being-struck-by-car-in-north-london-a4047281.html | 2019-01-24 00:48:00+00:00 | 1,548,308,880 | 1,567,551,009 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
163,797 | eveningstandard--2019-02-09--Cadet south London rapper 28 dies in car crash on way to gig at Keele University | 2019-02-09T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Cadet: south London rapper, 28, dies in car crash on way to gig at Keele University | South London rapper Cadet died in a car crash on the way to a gig in Staffordshire in the early hours of this morning. The 28-year-old musician, whose real name is Blaine Cameron Johnson, died while he was a passenger in a taxi on the way to a performance, his family said today. He was on route to Keele University on Friday where he was due to perform. The rapper's family shared the news on his official Instagram account, which has since been made private. His management told Radio 1 Newsbeat that he was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed in Staffordshire. A post read: "We the family of Blaine Cameron Johnson known as Cadet (Underrated Legend) would like to share the sad news that during the early hours of 9th February 2019 he passed away as a passenger in a taxi, en route to a performance. "Right now we the family appreciate your patience and will share with you any information as and when we can. Thanks for your support in advance. Love The Johnson Family #cadetcadet #imbuff #underratedlegend #ripcadet." In a statement, Staffordshire Police said: "A man has died following a road traffic collision in Newcastle-under-Lyme. "At just before 1.30am this morning (Saturday 9 February) police were called to reports of a two-vehicle collision involving a silver Toyota Prius and a red Vauxhall Combo van on Main Road, Betley (A531). "Emergency services attended and a passenger of the Toyota, a 28-year-old man from London, sadly died at the scene. Specialist officers are supporting the man’s family. "The drivers of both vehicles, a 36-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent and a 22-year-old man from Crewe, were taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital with serious injuries. Three further passengers of the Toyota were treated at Leighton Hospital in Crewe." Award-winning artist Krept, cousin of the rapper, tweeted that he was "broken" following the news. He wrote: "My life will never be the same again. I love you and will forever miss you. I can’t believe it. I am heartbroken. Rest in peace cuz. You finally started getting the recognition you deserved. I’m so proud of you. My left lung. I’m devastated and broken right now.” Other fellow rappers paid tribute to the artist. Example wrote on Twitter: "Was chatting to you only last week about how excited you were for some festivals this summer. So much positive energy. "Smiling nonstop when I was with you, first time we met I felt as if I'd known you my whole life. Mad humble guy. RIP Cadet." DJ Semtex wrote: "Cant believe it... I was on stage with him last week. "Never seen a man so happy. Everything was working out for him. This was gonna be his year. We were plotting on the best time to do an interview on his next single. RIP Cadet." Mega So Solid wrote: "Woke up in shock this morning.... He brought life and substance to the UK music scene." Cadet, who was from south London and was tipped for success, toured the UK supporting Krept And Konan on their The Long Way Home Tour. He accumulated millions of views on YouTube and Spotify and was booked to play at this year's Wireless Festival. The festival announced on Saturday that it would be keeping his performance slot "as a time to reflect" on his memory. A spokesman said in a tweet: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and fans, of Cadet. Such sad news. "We’ll be keeping his Wireless performance as a time to reflect on the memory of Blaine." | Ella Wills | https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/rapper-cadet-dies-in-car-crash-on-way-to-gig-a4062101.html | 2019-02-09 11:00:00+00:00 | 1,549,728,000 | 1,567,549,082 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
163,995 | eveningstandard--2019-02-11--A13 crash Two fighting for life and three injured after car ends up in ditch in east London horror | 2019-02-11T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | A13 crash: Two fighting for life and three injured after car ends up in ditch in east London horror collision | Two people are fighting for life and three others were injured after a Vauxhall Corsa ended up in a ditch beside a motorway during a horror crash in east London. Police were called at around 9.59am on Sunday to reports of a red Vauxhall Corsa coming off the motorway and ending in a ditch on the A13 between Dagenham and Wennington. Paramedics scrambled to the scene and found two people in the car suffering from potentially life-threatening injuries. They were rushed to an east London hospital. Police await an update on their condition. Three other occupants in the car suffered minor injuries, Scotland Yard said. Police have now launched an appeal for anyone who travelled on the A13 around 10am on Sunday who has footage of or witnessed the crash to come forward. Officers from the Roads and Transport Policing Command are investigating and enquiries continue. Anyone with information is asked to call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Chadwell Heath on 0208 597 4784, Tweet @MetCC, or call 101 quoting CAD2499/10FEB. | Katy Clifton | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/a13-crash-two-fighting-for-life-and-three-injured-after-car-ends-up-in-ditch-in-east-london-horror-a4062921.html | 2019-02-11 07:10:32+00:00 | 1,549,887,032 | 1,567,548,892 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
163,996 | eveningstandard--2019-02-11--A40 crash Two dead as car ploughs into coach following police pursuit in west London | 2019-02-11T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | A40 crash: Two dead as car ploughs into coach following police pursuit in west London | Two people are dead after a car crashed into a coach following a police pursuit in west London. The Metropolitan Police said officers responded to reports of an aggravated burglary in Harrow, north-west London on Sunday night. A police pursuit began, with a police helicopter also called to assist at about 8.40pm. About 20 minutes later at 9pm, the vehicle being pursued moved on to the wrong side of the carriageway on the A40 and crashed into a coach near the junction of Kingsdown Avenue, Acton. A male and a female were pronounced dead at the scene, while a second man was taken to hospital for treatment. All three were occupants of the vehicle being pursued. It is not known how many people were on the coach but no other serious injuries were reported. Scotland Yard said police did not follow the vehicle when it drove on to the wrong side of the road. Road closures remain in place in the area, and London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade are on the scene. Scotland Yard said the Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had been informed of the incident. Last month, the IOPC said fatalities and serious injuries following pursuits were "thankfully rare" as it investigated four separate fatal incidents involving patrol cars across the country over the course of a week. PCSO Holly Burke was fatally injured by an alleged hit-and-run driver who struck her car while being chased by police in the West Midlands on January 22, while a 26-year-old refugee from Eritrea died after being hit by a police car responding to a 999 call in east London on the same day. Jessie Whitehead, 74, was riding a mobility scooter when she was hit by a marked squad car as it responded to an emergency in Bedworth, Warwickshire, and Paul Radcliffe, 18, was killed by a car which had failed to stop for police in Oadby, Leicestershire, on January 19. | Hatty Collier | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/a40-crash-two-dead-as-car-ploughs-into-coach-following-police-pursuit-in-west-london-a4062881.html | 2019-02-11 05:55:00+00:00 | 1,549,882,500 | 1,567,548,888 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
164,048 | eveningstandard--2019-02-11--Eltham crash Girl 11 dies days after being hit by car in south-east London | 2019-02-11T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Eltham crash: Girl, 11, dies days after being hit by car in south-east London | An 11-year-old girl has died days after she was hit by a car in south-east London. Emmie Huang died from her injuries on Friday after she was struck by a car on a busy road shortly before 5pm last Tuesday, police said. Emmie was rushed to hospital by air ambulance after the collision in Westmount Road, near the junction with Elibank Road, in Eltham. A Met Police spokeswoman said: “The driver of the car stopped at the scene. “He has not been arrested and continues to assist police with enquiries.” The force is continuing to appeal for witnesses. Anyone with information, dashcam or mobile phone footage is asked to call the Met's Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0208 285 1574 referencing CAD 5097/5 Feb. | Patrick Grafton-Green | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/eltham-crash-girl-11-dies-days-after-being-hit-by-car-in-southeast-london-a4062931.html | 2019-02-11 07:22:03+00:00 | 1,549,887,723 | 1,567,548,889 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
164,182 | eveningstandard--2019-02-12--A40 crash Pregnant teen and her new husband killed after car ploughed into coach following police p | 2019-02-12T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | A40 crash: Pregnant teen and her new husband killed after car ploughed into coach following police pursuit | The burglary suspects who died when their car smashed into a coach as they were chased by police were a pregnant teenager and her new husband, it emerged today. Newlyweds Patrick McDonagh, 19, and his heavily pregnant wife Shauna, 18, were tailed by at least nine police cars and a helicopter before the high-speed crash in west London. The smash, on the wrong side of the carriageway on the A40, came after an aggravated burglary in Pinner a short time earlier. The couple, who got married just 11 weeks ago and were due to have their first child in April, were pronounced dead at the scene at about 9pm on Sunday. Their unborn baby girl is not believed to have been saved. A third person in the hatchback car was taken to a major trauma centre. He remains in hospital and has since been arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary. The three were being chased by police who were responding to a raid on a house in Pinner minutes earlier in which the victims — a man in his 30s, a woman in her late 50s and a man in his late 60s — were confronted by four men. The residents were threatened with a “large hunting knife” during the raid before the suspects made off with cash and jewellery, said police. In the ensuing chase Mr and Mrs McDonagh’s car crashed in a ball of flames near East Acton. Witnesses said it had been heading towards central London before crashing through a metal barrier onto the opposite westbound carriageway near the Kingsdown Avenue junction, about 11 miles from the scene of the raid. The car, a silver Renault Megane, travelled on the wrong side of the dual carriageway for some time before smashing into the coach. Police abandoned the chase when the car crossed onto the opposite carriageway, judging it too dangerous to continue the pursuit. Today, relatives of the couple said they had been “madly in love” and looking forward to the birth of their child. A cousin told the Standard: “They were having their first baby, a little girl, in April and they were over the moon. “They were a very close couple, always together, seemed very happy, madly in love with each other. They were both very close to their families. Their families will never get over their deaths. They’re completely heartbroken.” The family said they did not believe that the couple were involved in the burglary. Mr McDonagh’s sister wrote on Facebook after his death: “My beautiful baby bro and his lovely wife, their whole lives ahead of them and my little niece due in April … why is life so cruel?” The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation into the crash. | Robin De Peyer, Isobel Frodsham | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/a40-crash-pregnant-teen-and-her-new-husband-killed-after-car-exploded-in-crash-with-coach-following-a4064371.html | 2019-02-12 11:08:00+00:00 | 1,549,987,680 | 1,567,548,764 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
164,567 | eveningstandard--2019-02-14--A40 crash Patrick and Shauna McDonagh who died in car crash while fleeing police aposwere not pre | 2019-02-14T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | A40 crash: Patrick and Shauna McDonagh who died in car crash while fleeing police 'were not present at burglary', IOPC reveal | The young newlyweds who died after their car crashed into a coach after a police pursuit were not present at the time of an aggravated burglary that prompted the officers’ response, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) revealed. Patrick McDonagh, 19, and his pregnant wife, Shauna McDonagh, 18, died on Sunday following the crash and were suspected of carrying out a robbery. A son previously told the Standard his family were attacked in a “nightmare” knifepoint raid at their home, minutes before the teenage couple died. The ordeal had sparked a hunt for suspected burglars, which led to the death of the pair as they drove the wrong way up the A40 dual carriageway in west London. On Monday, the IOPC said: "It is understood that police were pursuing the car, a Renault Scenic, for about 10 minutes but terminated the pursuit prior to the crash. "A National Police Air Service helicopter was monitoring the progress of the Renault when it crashed. "It has now been confirmed, as part of a separate police investigation, that the occupants of the Renault were not present at the time of an aggravated burglary reported to have taken place in Harrow. "The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation will examine the information the police had and the rationale for the pursuit." It also emerged tonight that pregnant Ms McDonagh was due to have her baby on Valentine's Day. Her family said the couple were "very much looking forward to the birth of their daughter". A family statement said: "Patrick and Shauna were a young couple who had recently got married and were very much in love. "Patrick was a devoted husband to Shauna and they were very much looking forward to the birth of their daughter Sienna Marie who was due to be born on Valentine's Day." IOPC regional director Jonathan Green said: "My thoughts are with the families and friends of Patrick and Shauna, those injured and all those affected by this incident. "It is important that we now establish all of the circumstances surrounding this collision. "We have therefore launched an independent investigation into the events leading to the collision and immediately deployed our investigators to attend the scene and the post incident procedure." Relatives of the couple had said the teens were “madly in love” and looking forward to the birth of their child. A cousin told the Standard: “They were having their first baby, a little girl, in April and they were over the moon. “They were a very close couple, always together, seemed very happy, madly in love with each other. They were both very close to their families. Their families will never get over their deaths. They’re completely heartbroken.” | Olivia Tobin | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/couple-who-died-in-coach-crash-were-not-at-burglary-iopc-say-a4067376.html | 2019-02-14 17:30:00+00:00 | 1,550,183,400 | 1,567,548,508 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
164,889 | eveningstandard--2019-02-15--Sutton collision Man fighting for life after crash between motorbike and car | 2019-02-15T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Sutton collision: Man fighting for life after crash between motorbike and car | A man in his 20s is fighting for his life after a collision between his motorbike and a car. He was taken to hospital with multiple injuries after the incident in Sutton and police say he is in a life threatening condition. It is believed the collision between the Suzuki motorbike and black Mitsubishi car happened at around 6.20pm on Thursday evening. The driver of the car was assessed by London Ambulance Staff at the scene. Mo other injuries have been reported, no other vehicles were involved and no arrests have been made. Scotland Yard is now appealing for witnesses and dash cam footage following the crash in St Dunston’s Hill, near to the Lumley Road junction in Cheam. Anyone with information or dashcam footage is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 02085435157, quoting CAD reference 6142/14Feb. | Jacob Jarvis | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/sutton-collision-man-fighting-for-life-after-crash-between-motorbike-and-car-a4067556.html | 2019-02-15 01:27:00+00:00 | 1,550,212,020 | 1,567,548,391 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
164,973 | eveningstandard--2019-02-16--Police search for couple missing after their car was found empty following crash | 2019-02-16T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Police search for couple missing after their car was found empty following crash | Police are searching for a couple who are missing after their car was found empty following a crash. Donna Smith, 27, and her partner Matthew Hughes, 25, were reported missing by relatives and were last seen getting into their car at their home in West Drayton at around 5.30pm. Police received reports that their blue Vauxhall had been involved in a crash with a parked car in the Ruislip area on Saturday, although they were not in the car when officers arrived. Scotland Yard said: “Officers are growing increasingly concerned for their welfare and are appealing for anyone who knows of their whereabouts to get in contact with police.” Mr Hughes is described as a white man with dark brown hair. He is 5ft 11ins of skinny build, he is clean shaven and has an Ava Mae tattoo on his forearm. He was last seen wearing a grey jumper and jeans. Ms Smith is described as a white female, of slim build. She is 5ft 7ins tall with light brown mid-shoulder length hair and was last seen wearing a black coat and jeans. Anyone with information is asked to call police in the West Area Command Unit via 101 quoting reference 6048/15 Feb. | Katy Clifton | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/police-search-for-couple-missing-after-their-car-was-found-empty-after-crash-a4068556.html | 2019-02-16 08:29:51+00:00 | 1,550,323,791 | 1,567,548,301 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
165,923 | eveningstandard--2019-02-23--Eltham crash Man and woman in 70s killed after van in police chase crashes into car in south-east L | 2019-02-23T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Eltham crash: Man and woman in 70s killed after van in police chase crashes into car in south-east London | A man and woman in their 70s have been killed after the car they were in was hit by a van which was being chased by police in south-east London. Police said officers were pursuing the Ford Transit van after it was spotted being "driven erratically at speed". It collided with a Citroen C3 on Footscray Road, Eltham, at just after midnight on Saturday. Paramedics raced to the scene but both the man and woman in the car were pronounced dead. Neighbour Hussein Dervish, 65, said: "I was in the back of my house when I heard just a loud bang. "I went outside and saw the car and the van. I said to the police officer: 'I hope they (the elderly couple) are okay?' But the policeman said they weren't." The driver of the van was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst over the alcohol limit, driving while unfit through drugs and death by dangerous driving, Scotland Yard said. Council staff were busy on Saturday morning putting down sand on the road, which has a 30mph speed limit. Tyre marks could be seen across the carriageway and on a grass bank, with damage to a wooden post. Mahmut Hasan, 57, said his Honda Jazz was damaged in the collision. "It is a write-off. The whole of the side is damaged," he said. "At the end of the day it doesn't matter because it's just metal and rubber, and two people have sadly lost their lives." The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. | Patrick Grafton-Green | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/eltham-crash-man-and-woman-in-70s-killed-after-van-in-police-chase-crashed-into-car-a4074571.html | 2019-02-23 07:42:00+00:00 | 1,550,925,720 | 1,567,547,554 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
166,227 | eveningstandard--2019-02-25--Two bodies found after cargo plane with three on board crashes in Houston bay | 2019-02-25T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Two bodies found after cargo plane with three on board crashes in Houston bay | Two bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a cargo plane that nosedived into a bay in Texas on Saturday. A search is ongoing for a third victim who was on board the Amazon Prime Air plane. All three people aboard the Boeing 767 cargo jetliner operated by Atlas Air Worldwide died in the crash as it approached Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Atlas and Boeing Co confirmed in statements on Sunday. Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne told a news conference that a search was also ongoing for the plane's black boxes. The sheriff’s office released a video showing fragments of the aircraft and cargo littering mudflats after the tide went out in the bay, exposing more of the crash site. US National Transportation Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt said the agency obtained about five seconds of security video from a local jail that showed the crash. "The aircraft is in the video as it's descending in a steep descent, a steep nose down attitude," Sumwault told the press briefing, adding that there was no distress call. Asked by a reporter if the incident was "anything more than a plane crash," Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Perrye Turner said, "that's what we have right now." The plane crashed at the north end of Trinity Bay near the small city of Anahuac, about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of the airport around 12.40 pm local time after taking off from Miami. "This is a sad time for all of us," Bill Flynn, Atlas Air's chief executive officer, said in a statement. "Our team continues to work closely with the NTSB, the FAA and local authorities on the ground in Houston." Atlas Air Worldwide has been operating Boeing 767 freighters on behalf of Amazon following a 2016 deal. Boeing said in a statement that it had sent a team to provide technical assistance to the NTSB as it conducted its investigation. | Bonnie Christian | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/two-bodies-found-after-cargo-plane-crashes-in-houston-bay-a4075486.html | 2019-02-25 09:57:29+00:00 | 1,551,106,649 | 1,567,547,367 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
167,977 | eveningstandard--2019-03-15--Wolverhampton crash Baby aged 23 months and child 10 killed in hit-and-run car smash | 2019-03-15T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Wolverhampton crash: Baby, aged 23 months, and child, 10, killed in hit-and-run car smash | A 23-month-old baby and a 10-year-old child have died in a hit-and-run car crash in the west Midlands. An Audi A3 struck a BMW carrying the two children and their mother in Birmingham New Road, Wolverhampton. The children were pronounced dead at the scene. The woman sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital, where she remained on Friday. The driver of the Audi left the scene. A 31-year-old man from a third car, a Bentley, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He remained in custody on Friday. The crash happened at about 9pm on Thursday. Det Sgt Paul Hughes, from West Midlands Police's serious collision investigation unit, said: “This is an extremely tragic set of circumstances which has left a family totally devastated. Staff from our dedicated family liaison unit are now supporting them. “I would appeal directly to the driver of the Audi to make contact with us. You may not be fully aware of the full tragic circumstances but you now need to speak to us. “I would also ask the public who have any information or recall seeing a blue Audi S3 and a white Bentley Continental convertible travelling along the Birmingham New Road to make contact. “The investigation is in its early stages and I would also ask the public to think about the family at this tragic time and not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the collision.” Anyone with information is urged to contact the force on its Live Chat system at west-midlands.police.uk between 8am and midnight. Alternatively, call 101 any time or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Quote reference number 2580 of March 14. | James Morris | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/wolverhampton-crash-baby-23-months-and-child-10-killed-in-hitandrun-car-smash-a4092486.html | 2019-03-15 09:30:00+00:00 | 1,552,656,600 | 1,567,546,091 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
172,969 | eveningstandard--2019-04-24--Enfield crash pensioner 89 dies after being hit by car in north London | 2019-04-24T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Enfield crash: pensioner, 89, dies after being hit by car in north London | An 89-year-old man has died after being hit by a car in north London. Police were called by the London Ambulance Service shortly after 3.15pm on Wednesday to Drapers Road, Enfield, following reports of a road traffic collision. Paramedics battled to save the pensioner but he died at the scene, Scotland Yard said in a statement. The driver of the car stopped following the collision. He has not been arrested. Pictures showed emergency services at the scene this afternoon. The Met Police are working to inform his next of kin. Road closures are in place in the area. A spokeswoman for the force said: "Police were called by LAS at 15:17hrs on Wednesday, 24 April to Drapers Road, Enfield, following reports of a road traffic collision. "A car is believed to have collided with an 89-year-old man. "Despite the efforts of paramedics, the man died at the scene. "Police are working to inform his next of kin. "The driver of the car stopped at the scene; he has not been arrested. | Ella Wills | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/enfield-crash-pensioner-89-dies-after-being-hit-by-car-in-north-london-a4125466.html | 2019-04-24 15:52:16+00:00 | 1,556,135,536 | 1,567,541,885 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
177,441 | eveningstandard--2019-06-20--Romford crash Young woman 22 fights for life after being struck by car on busy A2 at Gallows Corn | 2019-06-20T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Romford crash: Young woman, 22, fights for life after being struck by car on busy A2 at Gallows Corner | A young woman has been left fighting for her life after being struck by a car on the A12 in east London. The pedestrian, 22, was rushed to hospital following the crash at Gallows Corner in Romford on Wednesday night. She remains in hospital in a critical condition. Her next of kin are aware. Police and paramedics were scrambled to the busy road at about 8.50pm. The driver of the car stopped at the scene and was not arrested. He said: "Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are working to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident. "I am asking for anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has dash cam footage, to make contact with us as soon as possible." Anyone with information asked to contact the SCIU on 0208 597 4874. Alternatively tweet @MetCC or call 101 ref CAD 7861/19. | Sean Morrison | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/romford-crash-young-woman-22-fights-for-life-after-being-struck-by-car-on-busy-a2-at-gallows-corner-a4172446.html | 2019-06-20 20:02:00+00:00 | 1,561,075,320 | 1,567,538,538 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
177,954 | eveningstandard--2019-06-25--Twickenham crash Car smashes into railings on busy high street after police chase | 2019-06-25T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Twickenham crash: Car smashes into railings on busy high street after police chase | Onlookers were stunned after a police chase ended in a dramatic crash on a busy high street in south-west London. A silver Citroen Picasso smashed into railings after failing to stop for police on Heath Road, Twickenham. Police were pursuing the driver, who was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, on Monday evening when they crashed into a set of railings. One witness told the Standard: “I just saw the aftermath. “The police were taking statements from people when I arrived, possibly the drivers of the black car which had been hit. “There didn't look like any serious injuries.” A Met Police spokeswoman said: “At around 18:15hrs on Monday, 24 June a suspect vehicle was in a collision on Heath Road junction with Laurel Avenue, Twickenham. “Shortly before police had commenced an authorised pursuit of the vehicle, a silver Citroen Picasso when the driver had failed to stop for police. “Specially trained officers carried out a successful tactical manoeuvre to bring the vehicle to a safe stop. “London Ambulance Service was called as a precaution however there were no reported injuries. “The driver of the vehicle was arrested for shoplifting and failing to stop. | Megan White | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/twickenham-crash-car-smashes-into-railings-on-busy-high-street-after-police-chase-a4175171.html | 2019-06-25 11:03:39+00:00 | 1,561,475,019 | 1,567,538,147 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
179,067 | eveningstandard--2019-07-03--Dagenham crash Cyclist fights for life in hospital after collision with car in east London | 2019-07-03T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Dagenham crash: Cyclist fights for life in hospital after collision with car in east London | A cyclist has been left fighting for his life after a crash with a car in east London. Police and paramedics were scrambled to the scene in Longbridge Road, at the junction with Lodge Avenue, in Dagenham. The man, in his 50s, was rushed to hospital following the collision on Tuesday afternoon. He remained their overnight in a critical condition. Officers were called to reports that a cyclist had been in collision with a car. No arrests have been made and the road remained closed into the night. Anyone who saw the incident was asked to make contact with police via 101, quoting CAD reference 5352/02July. | Sean Morrison | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/dagenham-crash-cyclist-fighting-for-life-in-hospital-after-collision-with-car-in-east-london-a4180921.html | 2019-07-03 00:10:00+00:00 | 1,562,127,000 | 1,567,537,021 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
179,875 | eveningstandard--2019-07-20--Cyclist fighting for life in hospital after crashing into parked car in east London | 2019-07-20T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Cyclist fighting for life in hospital after crashing into parked car in east London | A cyclist is fighting for life in hospital after crashing into a parked car in east London. The 21-year-old man is in a life-threatening condition after suffering “serious facial and neck injuries”, police said. Scotland Yard said the cyclist crashed into the empty car on Saturday morning, at about 12.20am, on Kingsland Road, Hackney. In a statement, the force said: “The cyclist, a 21 year old male, was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. He remains in an east London hospital in a life threatening condition. “His next of kin has been informed. “The Serious Collision Investigation Unit are investigating the circumstances leading up to the collision. “They are appealing for any witnesses or passing motorists with dash-cam footage to come forward.” Anyone with information is asked to call Chadwell Heath traffic garage on 020 8597 4874 or Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111. | Olivia Tobin | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/cyclist-fighting-for-life-in-hospital-after-crashing-into-parked-car-in-east-london-a4194681.html | 2019-07-20 18:03:00+00:00 | 1,563,660,180 | 1,567,536,297 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
181,523 | eveningstandard--2019-08-04--Charing Cross crash Three injured after car mounts pavement outside busy London station | 2019-08-04T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Charing Cross crash: Three injured after car mounts pavement outside busy London station | Three people have been injured after a car mounted the pavement and smashed into them outside a busy central London station. The pedestrians were struck by the vehicle outside Charing Cross train station shortly after 11pm on Saturday. The Met Police said two men have been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving. A spokesman for the force confirmed the incident was not terrorist related. Pictures from the scene show a number of police officers and cordon in place around the car as crowds gathered at the scene in Villiers Street. A Met Police spokesman added: “Two males have been arrested after a car was involved in a collision with three pedestrians on Villiers Street at 11.10am on Saturday. “None of the injuries are life threatening. Enquiries continue.” | Patrick Grafton-Green | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/charing-cross-station-three-injured-after-car-mounts-pavement-outside-busy-london-station-a4204966.html | 2019-08-04 08:42:00+00:00 | 1,564,922,520 | 1,567,534,877 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
182,261 | eveningstandard--2019-08-13--Kensington crash Woman rushed to hospital after being struck by police car in west London | 2019-08-13T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Kensington crash: Woman rushed to hospital after being struck by police car in west London | A woman has been rushed to hospital after being struck by a police car in west London. The marked car hit the pedestrian on Warwick Road, near the junction with Kensington High Street, at about 9.55pm on Tuesday. She was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. Her condition is not yet known, police said. Scotland Yard said the Directorate of Professionals Standards had been informed of the incident. | Sean Morrison | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/kensington-crash-woman-rushed-to-hospital-after-being-struck-by-police-car-in-west-london-a4212656.html | 2019-08-13 22:25:00+00:00 | 1,565,749,500 | 1,567,534,265 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
182,679 | eveningstandard--2019-08-22--Chislehurst crash Man 25 fighting for life after sports car collision in south-east London | 2019-08-22T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Chislehurst crash: Man, 25, fighting for life after sports car collision in south-east London | A 25-year-old man is fighting for life after a horror smash involving two sports cars in south-east London. The crash, involving a Jaguar F-Type and an Audi A5, happened in Chislehurst High Street on Wedneday night. Images show the wrecks of two cars after the incident, with one on its side and another appearing to have had its roof cut off. A number of other vehicles were caught up in the collision, with large dents marking the side of one. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman told the Standard officers were called to the scene at around 10pm on Thursday. The 25-year-old man was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, while a woman of the same age was taken as a precaution after suffering minor injuries. The spokeswoman said: "Police were called on Wednesday, August 21 at around 10pm to High Street, Chislehurst to reports of a collision between two vehicles. "The emergency services attended and a 25-year-old man was found seriously injured. "He was taken to a south London hospital in a critical condition. A 25-year-old woman with minor injuries was also taken to hospital as a precaution. "The driver of the other car spoke to officers." Enquiries into the crash are ongoing and there have been no arrests at this time. | Jacob Jarvis | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/chislehurst-crash-man-25-fighting-for-life-after-sports-car-collision-in-south-east-london-a4218986.html | 2019-08-22 08:54:00+00:00 | 1,566,478,440 | 1,567,533,698 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
183,470 | eveningstandard--2019-09-02--Juan Manuel Correa to spend at least another 24 hours in intensive care after crash that killed Anth | 2019-09-02T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Juan Manuel Correa to spend at least another 24 hours in intensive care after crash that killed Anthoine Hubert | Juan Manuel Correa will spend at least another 24 hours in intensive care following surgery on injuries sustained in the Formula 2 crash which accounted for the death of Anthoine Hubert. Hubert died on Saturday at the Belgian Grand Prix weekend when hit by Correa, who suffered multiple fractures to his legs and a minor spinal injury in the high-speed accident. Frenchman Hubert was hit at 170mph at the Raidillon swerves and was declared dead at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. On Monday morning, Correa’s Sauber Junior Team released a statement over his condition in the wake of the incident. The statement said of the Ecuadorian-American driver: “After a lengthy surgery to repair fractures to both his legs, JM Correa has started his recovery process. He will be in intensive care for at least 24 hours. “His family is thankful to all the people who are sending caring messages. When his conditions will be more stable, JM will be transferred to the USA to follow his recovery treatment for the next few months. "JM is overwhelmed with sadness and his prayers are with Anthoine Hubert’s family.” The FIA has begun an investigation into Hubert’s death but insisted there was no timeframe on when it might potentially reach a conclusion. The subsequent F2 race was cancelled while it was decided the F1 race would go ahead as planned. A minute’s silence was held ahead of Sunday's F1 grand prix after which Ferrari’s race winner Charles Leclerc dedicated the win to his friend. Of the investigation, F1 race director Michael Masi said: “There is an investigation, and it will go from there. The FIA with our technical department, our safety department, and all of the various departments in the FIA commenced an investigation immediately. “I don’t think we will put any time on it. Will will go through the process of conducting a full and complete investigation, as the FIA does with all serious incidents. It will be all aspects of the incident.” | MATT MAJENDIE | https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/juan-manuel-correa-to-spend-at-least-another-24-hours-in-intensive-care-after-crash-that-killed-a4226656.html | 2019-09-02 08:01:00+00:00 | 1,567,425,660 | 1,569,331,629 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
185,604 | eveningstandard--2019-09-29--Woman fighting for life and three children injured after car crashes into church in Leeds | 2019-09-29T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Woman fighting for life and three children injured after car crashes into church in Leeds | A woman is fighting for her life and a baby and two children were left injured after a car smashed into a church in Leeds. West Yorkshire Police said officers were called to Regent Street in Leeds at around midday on Sunday after a silver Peugeot left the road and crashed into the building. The building was reported to be a UCKG Help Centre. A 26-year-old female passenger in the vehicle has been taken to hospital in a critical condition, while the driver and other passengers - including two adults and a baby - suffered minor injuries. A spokesman said a blue Audi had been involved in the collision and that the driver of that car, a 27-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of driving whilst over the prescribed limit. Two children on the pavement when the crash happened also suffered minor injuries, the force said. A spokesman added: "The road is still closed, and could be for some time whilst police carry out their investigation. "Officers are appealing to the public for witnesses to the collision itself or if anyone saw the vehicles prior to the collision." | Katy Clifton | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/woman-fighting-for-life-and-three-children-injured-after-car-crashes-into-church-in-leeds-a4249541.html | 2019-09-29 15:37:00+00:00 | 1,569,785,820 | 1,570,221,949 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
187,600 | eveningstandard--2019-10-31--Orpington crash: One dead and 15 injured after two buses and car collide in Sevenoaks Road, south-ea | 2019-10-31T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Orpington crash: One dead and 15 injured after two buses and car collide in Sevenoaks Road, south-east London | A man died and 15 people were rushed to hospital after two buses and a car crashed in south-east London. Firefighters pulled casualties from the single decker buses involved in the smash in Sevenoaks Road, Orpington, late on Thursday night. Dramatic images showed debris scattered across the street and a car and bus with their frontages severely damaged following the collision. A man, who police said was the driver of the car, was arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving. He remained in custody overnight Scotland Yard confirmed one man had died at the scene and London Ambulance Service (LAS) said 15 people had been injured in the crash at about 10pm. Three people were being treated for serious injuries on Friday morning, while the remaining 12 sustained minor injuries. London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Graham Ellis said: "Firefighters rescued several casualties from the buses and immediately undertook first aid." LAS said in statement: "We treated 15 patients and took them to hospital. Despite the best efforts of our medics, a person sadly died at the scene. The conditions of those injured in the crash was not immediately released by officials. Road closures were in place and drivers were told to find alternative routes. In statement, the Met Police said: "One person, no further details, was pronounced dead at the scene. "Enquiries are ongoing to trace next of kin." It continued: "A man, the driver of the car, has been arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving, he is currently in police custody." A spokeswoman for the force confirmed that the person who died in the crash was a man. | Sean Morrison | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/orpington-crash-one-dead-and-several-injured-in-collision-in-sevenoaks-road-southeast-london-a4275891.html | Thu, 31 Oct 2019 23:29:00 GMT | 1,572,578,940 | 1,572,647,410 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
191,831 | eveningstandard--2019-12-07--Dollis Hill crash: Man dies after car hits lamp post in north west London | 2019-12-07T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Dollis Hill crash: Man dies after car hits lamp post in north west London | A man has died after a car hit a lamp post in north west London. Police were called to Dollis Hill Lane today at 9.08am. Two people were recovered from the car and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene at 9.21am. The passenger was rushed to hospital and his condition has not been confirmed. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Police were called at 09:08hrs on Saturday, 7 December to reports of a car in collision with a lamp post on Dollis Hill Lane at the junction with Brook Road, NW2. “Officers, the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade attended. Two people were recovered from the vehicle. “The male driver was pronounced dead at the scene at 09:21hrs." Road closures have been put in place. | Jacob Jarvis | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/brent-car-crash-north-west-london-police-a4307596.html | Sat, 07 Dec 2019 13:22:00 GMT | 1,575,742,920 | 1,575,765,056 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
192,896 | eveningstandard--2019-12-14--Stratford crash: Three injured after car mounts pavement in east London | 2019-12-14T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Stratford crash: Three injured after car mounts pavement in east London | A woman and two men have been injured after a car mounted the pavement outside an east London shopping centre. The car crashed into the three pedestrians and a traffic light on Great Eastern Road outside Stratford Shopping Centre just before 9am on Saturday. The woman, aged in her 30s, was taken to hospital where she was treated for a head injury, police said. The two men, one aged in his 30s and the other in his 50s, had minor injuries. Police said the car stopped at the scene. No arrests have been made. A road closure was initially put in place at the scene and has since been taken down. New: Daily podcast from the Evening Standard Subscribe to The Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or your chosen podcast provider. New episodes every weekday from 4pm. | Bonnie Christian | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/three-injured-after-car-mounts-pavement-in-east-london-a4313591.html | Sat, 14 Dec 2019 15:10:00 GMT | 1,576,354,200 | 1,576,370,172 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
193,781 | eveningstandard--2019-12-22--Battersea crash: One dead and several injured after fireball collision between National Express coac | 2019-12-22T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Battersea crash: One dead and several injured after fireball collision between National Express coach and car | One person has died and more are injured after a crash between a National Express coach and a car in south west London. The vehicles were engulfed in flames after the smash which happened in Battersea in the early hours of Sunday. The driver of the car died at the scene and two others, including a bus passenger, were taken to hospital Footage circulating on social media of the scene shows both vehicles on fire on Queenstown Road close to Chelsea Bridge. Taken on Snapchat, police and ambulance crews can be seen trying to dampen the flames, which have engulfed both the coach and the car, and rescue people from inside. Witnesses can be heard saying the vehicles “exploded” after they crashed into each other. One occupant of the car was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other occupant was treated by paramedics. National Express confirmed one of their vehicles on the A3 service from Gatwick to London Victoria was involved in the crash. They said: "One passenger was taken to hospital and all other passengers were safely transferred to a replacement vehicle for onward travel. "Emergency services attended the scene and we will continue to provide every assistance with the ongoing investigation. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the occupant of the car, who sadly passed away." A Met Police spokesman said: "Police were called at approximately 4.30am on Sunday, December 22 to reports of a car in collision with a coach on Queenstown Road. "One occupant of the car – no further details – was pronounced dead at the scene. Another occupant of the car is being treated at the scene. "No reports of any other injuries at this time. Road closures remain in place." A London Ambulance Service spokesman that despite the “best efforts of our medics, one patient sadly died at the scene”. “We took a second patient to a major trauma centre as a priority. We treated two further patients for minor injuries: we took one of them to hospital and the other was discharged at the scene.” Emergency services were unable to give any further details of the driver. | Stephanie Cockroft | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/queenstown-road-battersea-crash-national-express-a4319756.html | Sun, 22 Dec 2019 10:33:00 GMT | 1,577,028,780 | 1,577,017,673 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
194,417 | eveningstandard--2019-12-28--Five killed as plane crashes into car park near Walmart in Louisiana | 2019-12-28T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Five killed as plane crashes into car park near Walmart in Louisiana | Five people were killed when a plane plummeted to the ground near a supermarket in Louisiana. Footage showed smoke rising from the scene of the crash, in a car park near a Walmart in Lafayette, with flames consuming the craft. The incident took place at 9.22am local time, while officers told the outlet six people were on board. A spokesman for the Lafayette Fire Department said that five people had died in the crash, the New York Times reports. Lafayette Police Lt. Scott Morgan told Fox: “We know it came down in a parking lot.” He added it had taken off from Lafayette Regional Airport. Reports have suggested multiple fatalities, with KPEL965 reporting five deaths. Acadian Ambulance services said its teams took two patients to hospital - though reports suggest one of these was not in the plane but hurt by the crash. The plane is reported to have hit a car as it smashed to the ground. Nearby resident Kevin Jackson told KLFY. "I noticed (the plane) was low and smoking like hell. It shook my trailer. "I knew something was bad. I went in my house, and all you heard was this massive explosion." Steven Ensminger Jr., the son of the offensive coordinator for the Louisiana State University football team, said his wife, Carley McCord, was on board the flight and died when it crashed. He said the plane was en route to the Peach Bowl playoff game in Atlanta between LSU and Oklahoma. "I just don't feel like this is real," Mr Ensminger Jr. told the AP in an Instagram message. "I'm praying it's not real." | Jacob Jarvis | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/louisiana-plane-crash-lafayette-pinhook-walmart-a4322446.html | Sat, 28 Dec 2019 16:28:00 GMT | 1,577,568,480 | 1,577,580,611 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
277,971 | jerusalempost--2019-12-09--Two killed, two injured in Negev car crash | 2019-12-09T00:00:00 | jerusalempost | Two killed, two injured in Negev car crash | By subscribing I accept the terms of use | By JERUSALEM POST STAFF | https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Two-killed-two-injured-in-Negev-car-crash-610403 | Mon, 09 Dec 2019 19:19:48 GMT | 1,575,937,188 | 1,575,939,262 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
278,431 | jerusalempost--2019-12-28--Seven injured in car crash between three vehicles in Jerusalem | 2019-12-28T00:00:00 | jerusalempost | Seven injured in car crash between three vehicles in Jerusalem | By subscribing I accept the terms of use | By JERUSALEM POST STAFF | https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Seven-injured-in-car-crash-between-three-vehicles-in-Jerusalem-612374 | Sat, 28 Dec 2019 17:34:59 GMT | 1,577,572,499 | 1,577,581,374 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
385,086 | npr--2019-04-18--Bus Carrying Tourists Crashes in Portugal At Least 29 Reported Dead | 2019-04-18T00:00:00 | npr | Bus Carrying Tourists Crashes in Portugal; At Least 29 Reported Dead | Bus Carrying Tourists Crashes in Portugal; At Least 29 Reported Dead A tour bus has crashed in Portugal, killing at least 29 people and injuring dozens, authorities said. The incident occurred Wednesday evening on the island of Madeira, a vacation destination known as the pearl of the Atlantic. The bus swerved off a winding street in the coastal town of Caniço and then tumbled down a hill. Many of the victims are German citizens, whose identities have not yet been made public. By Thursday morning, nine people who had been injured in the crash were discharged from a local hospital, according to Lusa News Agency, while 18 remained in care. A Portuguese man and woman are among the injured, Tomasia Alves, head of the Funchal hospital, told reporters on Thursday, according to The Associated Press. Heiko Maas, Germany's minister of foreign affairs, announced that he would fly to Madeira on Thursday with doctors, psychologists and consular officers. He planned to speak to people who had been affected by the crash. The office also had set up a hotline for families. Photographs from the scene show ambulances parked near the wrecked vehicle and rescue works helping wounded passengers on the lush hillside. Many of the victims were said to be between 40 and 50 years old. "It's with sadness and dismay that I think of our compatriots and all the other people who were affected by the terrible bus accident on Madeira," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement posted on Twitter by spokesman Steffen Seibert. Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa expressed his regrets to the families and said he conveyed his condolences to Merkel. Authorities have launched an investigation into the crash. Pedro Calado, the vice president of the island's regional government, told reporters that the bus was five years old and had passed inspections, according to AP. The company that owns the vehicle, Madeira Automobile Society, reportedly vowed its "deep commitment" to uncovering the "facts, causes and responsibilities" that led to the fatal bus ride. | Sasha Ingber | https://www.npr.org/2019/04/18/714582566/bus-carrying-tourists-crashes-in-portugal-at-least-29-reported-dead?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news | 2019-04-18 14:14:56+00:00 | 1,555,611,296 | 1,567,542,599 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
475,287 | rt--2019-04-28--4 people killed as giant crane crashes down on under-construction Google campus cars PHOTOS | 2019-04-28T00:00:00 | rt | 4 people killed as giant crane crashes down on under-construction Google campus, cars (PHOTOS) | Four people have died and four others have been injured after a crane collapsed onto a street in Seattle, slamming into a Google office building under construction and trapping people inside cars. The collapse took place on Mercer Street in downtown Seattle on Saturday afternoon. Four people were already dead when rescuers arrived at the scene, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins told a press conference. The death toll includes two crane operators and two people who died in separate cars after the crane wreckage crumpled their roofs. Three people were taken to hospital and one was treated at the scene. Overall, six cars were hit by flying debris, the fire chief said. A four-month-old girl is among the persons injured in the collision. The little girl, together with her 25-year-old mother, was taken to hospital in a stable condition. A 28-year-old man remains in a serious condition, KOMO News reported. Photos from the scene show part of the crane collapsed on the side of a sprawling Google office complex under construction. The construction of the four-building complex began in 2017 and was supposed to include towers as high as 15 stories. The other part of the crane fell onto the street, crashing down onto the cars parked nearby. "Half of it was flying down sideways on the building. The other half fell down on the street, crossing both lanes of traffic," the Seattle Times reported, citing a witness. Seattle Times journalist Evan Bush wrote on Twitter that some of the cars were "pancaked" while construction workers scrambled to help the survivors to crawl out of the mangled vehicles. A powerful gust of wind reportedly triggered the collapse, witnesses told the paper, while police did not elaborate on the cause of the incident. Traffic around the scene was shut down until Sunday, with Seattle Department of Transportation advising drivers to opt for alternative routes. Seattle has been a magnet for tech companies like Amazon, Google and many others who have built their offices there, turning the city into a giant construction ground. Seattle boasts around 60 construction cranes, more than any other city in the US. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! | RT | https://www.rt.com/usa/457736-cran-crashes-cars-seatlle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS | 2019-04-28 02:10:00+00:00 | 1,556,431,800 | 1,567,541,808 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
490,322 | slate--2019-09-02--Kevin Hart Injured in Car Crash | 2019-09-02T00:00:00 | slate | Kevin Hart Injured in Car Crash | Comedian Kevin Hart was hospitalized on Sunday after a car crash in Calabasas, California, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hart’s driver, Jared Black, 28, lost control of the car around 12:45 a.m. Sunday while making a left turn onto the Mulholland Highway from Cold Canyon Road, smashing through a fence and sending the vehicle rolling down an northern embankment. CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Greg Mills tweeted out video footage of the skid marks where the car left the road: Black and a third passenger, Rebecca Broxterman, were trapped under the collapsed roof of the car; Hart was able to get free and went to his nearby house to get help. According to the California Highway Patrol, Hart and Black were taken to separate hospitals; Broxterman was not as seriously injured and sought treatment on her own. Police say Black had not been drinking at the time of the accident. Hart bought the car, a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, as a 40th birthday present to himself earlier this summer: According to TMZ, Hart and Black both suffered “major back injuries”; the comedian’s team has not yet commented on the incident. Hart, who was most recently in the news for being briefly offered a chance to host the Oscars, will next appear in Jumanji: The Next Level, which is scheduled for a Dec. 13 release. Get Slate Culture in Your Inbox The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered three times a week. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. | Matthew Dessem | https://slate.com/culture/2019/09/kevin-hart-injured-car-crash-jared-black-mulholland-plymouth.html?via=rss | 2019-09-02 02:52:43+00:00 | 1,567,407,163 | 1,569,331,613 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
502,828 | sottnet--2019-06-28--2 dead 1 injured when plane crashes into North Carolina home | 2019-06-28T00:00:00 | sottnet | 2 dead, 1 injured when plane crashes into North Carolina home | The pilot and one person in the home died at the scene, according to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. A third person "with serious injuries" was rushed to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville.Those three individuals have not been identified, authorities said.The State Highway Patrol was securing the crash site until the arrival of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.The cause of the crash is not yet known. | null | https://www.sott.net/article/415783-2-dead-1-injured-when-plane-crashes-into-North-Carolina-home | 2019-06-28 16:32:37+00:00 | 1,561,753,957 | 1,567,537,795 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
534,764 | sputnik--2019-05-28--Two People Die as Bus Carrying Chinese Citizens Crashes in Russia - Reports | 2019-05-28T00:00:00 | sputnik | Two People Die as Bus Carrying Chinese Citizens Crashes in Russia - Reports | "A traffic accident involving a bus carrying Chinese citizens happened in Ussuriysk. Two people were killed, while several more people, no less than three, sustained different injuries," the source said. The emergency services also reported that the exact number of victims is still being determined. Ambulance crews are working at the site. The circumstances of the accident are being investigated. | null | https://sputniknews.com/russia/201905281075400681-bus-crash-russia/ | 2019-05-28 06:50:00+00:00 | 1,559,040,600 | 1,567,540,047 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
550,700 | sputnik--2019-11-24--Three People Killed After Train Crashes Into Car in Florida - Reports | 2019-11-24T00:00:00 | sputnik | Three People Killed After Train Crashes Into Car in Florida - Reports | According to Palm Beach County Sheriff spokeswoman Teri Barbera, as cited by CNN, the incident happened Saturday afternoon. The car proceeded to cross the tracks, rather than stopping, and the approaching train collided with it. Investigators believe all three people in the vehicle have been killed, but they have not been able to access the car as it was heavily damaged in the accident. Service has been disrupted due to a vehicle strike north of West Palm Beach. The Silver Star that left Miami yesterday the 22nd bound for New York is not affected. The Silver Star that left Miami this morning is the one that is currently stopped north of West Palm Beach. — Amtrak Alerts (@AmtrakAlerts) November 23, 2019 According to train service provider Amtrak, no train passengers or crew were injured or killed by the collision. The train faced an almost 4-hour delay and continued on its path afterwards. | null | https://sputniknews.com/us/201911241077387410-three-people-killed-after-train-crashed-into-car-in-florida---reports/ | Sun, 24 Nov 2019 10:07:05 +0300 | 1,574,608,025 | 1,574,644,549 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
567,250 | tass--2019-07-02--2 dead 5 injured in a massive car crash in Moscow | 2019-07-02T00:00:00 | tass | 2 dead, 5 injured in a massive car crash in Moscow | MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Two people died, five were injured in an accident involving five cars at Kutuzovsky Avenue in Moscow, a source in the law enforcement agencies told TASS. "Two people died at the crash site, five more were injured, and are being examined by ambulance services," the source said. Earlier, a source in the law enforcement agencies reported that five cars, including a taxi, crashed near Kutuzovsky Avenue building 33 in Moscow, seven people were injured. The injured, including a child, got stuck in the deformed cars. According to the source, the police officers are on the scene, investigating into the causes of the crash. | null | https://tass.com/emergencies/1066703 | 2019-07-02 12:49:47+00:00 | 1,562,086,187 | 1,567,537,186 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
669,031 | theepochtimes--2019-08-25--Couple Killed in Car Crash Right After Getting Married Reports Say | 2019-08-25T00:00:00 | theepochtimes | Couple Killed in Car Crash Right After Getting Married, Reports Say | Couple Killed in Car Crash Right After Getting Married, Reports Say A newlywed couple in Texas died in a car crash right after they were married in a wedding ceremony on Aug. 23, multiple sources have reported. Their vehicle collided with a pickup truck, killing the two, KFDM reported. Harley Morgan, 19, and Rhiannon Boudreaux, 20, were driving on a highway in Orange, Texas, when their vehicle hit a pickup truck towing a trailer and a tractor, police said. The accident took place just a few minutes after the two exchanged vows. The sister and mother of the groom witnessed the crash, according to the news outlet. “They had just gotten married,” Morgan’s mother, Kennia, told the station. “They haven’t even been married for five minutes.” “Those two babies,” Kennia Morgan said. “The only thing that they wanted was to get married and start their life. The two of them had so many dreams.” The two died at the scene of the crash. The man driving the truck was unharmed. Kennia attempted to save the two and tried to pull them out of the vehicle. “I watched my baby die,” she said. “I’m still wearing my son’s blood because I was trying my best to rip him and her out of the car.” The two were planning to get married around Christmas, but they apparently did not want to wait to make their wedding official. “I witnessed my own worst nightmare,” Kennia said. “That’s an image that will haunt me the rest of my life. I won’t forget it. It will never go away. I will see that truck hit my baby and kill my baby every night of my life, the rest of the time that I’m on earth.” The driver of the truck was not identified, and officials said he was cooperating with the investigation, KOLD reported. An investigation revealed there were no signs of wrongdoing. Drug and alcohol tests are pending, officials said. “Please go home and hug your loved ones tonight,” the grieving mother told the Beaumont Enterprise. “Do not go to bed angry.” Other details regarding this case have not been released at this time. Violent crime in the United States has fallen sharply over the past 25 years, according to both the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) (pdf). The rate of violent crimes fell by 49 percent between 1993 and 2017, according to the FBI’s UCR, which only reflects crimes reported to the police. The violent crime rate dropped by 74 percent between 1993 and 2017, according to the BJS’s NCVS, which takes into account both crimes that have been reported to the police and those that have not. The FBI recently released preliminary data for 2018. According to the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January to June 2018, violent crime rates in the United States dropped by 4.3 percent compared to the same six-month period in 2017. While the overall rate of violent crime has seen a steady downward drop since its peak in the 1990s, there have been several upticks that bucked the trend. Between 2014 and 2016, the murder rate increased by more than 20 percent, to 5.4 per 100,000 residents, from 4.4, according to an Epoch Times analysis of FBI data. The last two-year period that the rate soared so quickly was between 1966 and 1968.waylon jennings are you sure hank done it this way | Jack Phillips | https://www.theepochtimes.com/couple-killed-in-car-crash-right-after-getting-married-reports-say_3055027.html | 2019-08-25 15:26:36+00:00 | 1,566,761,196 | 1,567,533,464 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
669,200 | theepochtimes--2019-08-29--Jet Car Crash That Killed Jessi Combs Under Investigation | 2019-08-29T00:00:00 | theepochtimes | Jet Car Crash That Killed Jessi Combs Under Investigation | Co-host Jessi Combs speaks at the 'Overhaulin' discussion panel during the Discovery Networks/Velocity portion of the 2012 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California on Aug. 2, 2012. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) An investigation has been launched into the jet car crash that killed Jessi Combs, one of the most famous women racers in the world. Combs, 39, died in the Alvord Desert in Oregon while trying to break a land speed record. She was once clocked at 483 miles per hour; the record is 512.7 mph. Combs, who was driving a refashioned jet, indicated in an Instagram post made days before she died that she wanted to do 619 mph. Lieutenant Brian Needham of the Harney County Sheriff’s Office said that the office is investigating what happened. Dispatchers received a report on Aug. 27 that a jet car crashed while attempting to break a land speed record in the desert, leading to one death, he said in a statement. The crash also caused a jet fuel fire. Because of the remote area, no pictures or footage have emerged showing the scene before, during, or after the crash. Deputies with the office responded to the area, which is located about 90 miles south of Burn. Combs, from Long Beach, California, was pronounced dead at the scene. “The cause of the crash is unknown at this time and is currently being investigated,” Needham said. According to the office, the group was legally racing the jet car after having obtained the appropriate permits from the Bureau of Land Management. The bureau confirmed to The Epoch Times that the group had the proper permits. A spokeswoman said that the agency is not involved in the investigation. The desert is often used for racing and was the site of Kitty Smith’s race that set the record in 1976. She was driving a three-wheel machine. Combs had the record for a woman racing a four-wheel vehicle but wanted to top Smith’s record. According to her racing team, Combs hit 483 mph on Sept. 12, 2018, but was forced to stop. “Unfortunately a hydraulic bay door lock mechanism broke allowing the door to open. It was instantly torn away from the vehicle with parts entering the left hand engine inlet, causing the test session to come to an end,” the team said. Combs said at the time that she went “slightly faster” but “unfortunately a piece of debris was sucked into the turbine intake.” “There is minimal damage, though game over for now. Quite a bummer, but happy with the new achievements ? Looking forward to the next attempt of ludicrous speed,” she added. Needham, the police official, said that investigators were trying to obtain the laptop computers that were on board the jet car. “They’re waiting for the team to recover the [engine and systems] information stored on the inboard computers,” he told the New York Post. Needham said the cause of the fire wasn’t clear yet, whether it was Combs running into something, or the vehicle catching on fire. The vehicle she was driving, the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger, was a 56-foot-long reconfigured F-104 jet that had 52,000 horsepower. | Zachary Stieber | https://www.theepochtimes.com/jet-car-crash-that-killed-jessi-combs-under-investigation_3061367.html | 2019-08-29 17:17:36+00:00 | 1,567,113,456 | 1,567,543,598 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
669,271 | theepochtimes--2019-08-31--5 Dead When Cars Burst Into Flames After Florida Crash | 2019-08-31T00:00:00 | theepochtimes | 5 Dead When Cars Burst Into Flames After Florida Crash | 5 Dead When Cars Burst Into Flames After Florida Crash GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Five people are dead after a fiery crash in Florida. Gainesville Fire Rescue reports it responded to a two-car crash at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. One of the vehicles caught fire and the flames spread to the second vehicle. Firefighters worked to remove the cars’ occupants while others put out the fire. Five occupants died at the scene while a sixth was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The identities of the victims weren’t immediately released. Florida Highway Patrol is investigation the cause of the crash. | The Associated Press | https://www.theepochtimes.com/5-dead-when-cars-burst-into-flames-after-florida-crash_3063887.html | 2019-08-31 20:49:08+00:00 | 1,567,298,948 | 1,569,416,895 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
711,499 | theguardianuk--2019-10-08--Eight injured as stolen lorry crashes into cars in Germany | 2019-10-08T00:00:00 | theguardianuk | Eight injured as stolen lorry crashes into cars in Germany | German authorities are investigating a man who drove a stolen lorry into a line of cars in Limburg in the western state of Hesse, injuring eight people. The 32-year-old had pulled the driver of the vehicle from his cabin at a red light before using the lorry to plough into eight cars waiting at a light near the town’s central railway station at about 5.20pm (1620 BST) on Monday. The man, a Syrian national named as Omar AI by the national broadcaster ARD, was arrested at the scene. Germany has been on alert following several jihadi attacks in recent years claimed by Islamic State. The most deadly was committed in 2016 by a 23-year-old Tunisian, who killed 12 people when he stole a truck and ploughed it through a Berlin Christmas market. A number of German media outlets, citing security sources, reported that authorities believed Monday’s incident to have a terrorist background. However, a spokesperson for the general public prosecutor in Frankfurt said they could not confirm a terrorist motive and were still investigating the case. According to the news agency dpa, the suspect has lived in Germany since 2015 and was known to the police for a number of minor criminal offences including possession of drugs and theft. However, he had no known links to Islamist extremist circles. The Hesse state interior minister Peter Beuth urged people not to jump to conclusions. “Although the events recall the horrible attacks in Nice and Berlin, the motive of the detained man remains unclear,” he said. Marius Hahn, the mayor of Limburg, said he was shocked by the incident. “My thoughts are with the injured victims of the accident and their families,” he said. | Philip Oltermann in Berlin | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/08/eight-hurt-as-stolen-truck-crashes-into-cars-in-germany | Tue, 08 Oct 2019 09:47:49 GMT | 1,570,542,469 | 1,570,545,073 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
713,065 | theguardianuk--2019-10-31--Three Britons killed in South Africa car crash | 2019-10-31T00:00:00 | theguardianuk | Three Britons killed in South Africa car crash | Three Britons have been killed and another injured in a car crash in South Africa. Miranda Harris, 66, and married couple Chris Naylor, 58, and Susanna Naylor, 54, died when their car came off Swarkskop Bridge near Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, on Monday. Harris’s husband Peter, 67, survived the crash with injuries, alongside the driver of the car. He is in a stable condition in a Port Elizabeth hospital. It is thought that the car went off the bridge after it collided with another vehicle on the N2 motorway in Bluewater Bay, on South Africa’s southern coast. The two couples were in the country with Christian charity A Rocha, founded by Miranda and Peter Harris in the early 1980s. Chris Naylor, executive director of A Rocha International, co-founded A Rocha Lebanon in 1996 with his wife. Both had worked as teachers in the Middle East. In recent years, Susanna Naylor was head of science at Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford. Rev Dave Bookless, director of theology at A Rocha, said: “The deaths of Chris, Miranda and Susanna leave a huge and irreplaceable hole in our lives and our organisation. “Our prayers are for Peter’s full recovery, along with the driver of the vehicle they were travelling in, and also for the Harris and Naylor families, as well as the hundreds, if not thousands, who consider them as extended family. “Now is a time for grief, and sharing our treasured memories of some godly people.” The Foreign Office said in a statement: “We are supporting the families of two British couples following a car accident in Port Elizabeth in which three people died and one was left seriously injured. Our staff are in contact with the South African authorities.” | Press Association | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/31/three-britons-killed-in-south-africa-car-crash | Thu, 31 Oct 2019 16:35:59 GMT | 1,572,554,159 | 1,572,544,205 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
738,895 | theindependent--2019-01-05--Florida crash Five children heading to Disney World killed in fiery multiple car pile up | 2019-01-05T00:00:00 | theindependent | Florida crash: Five children heading to Disney World killed in fiery multiple car pile up | Seven people, including five children, have died in a fiery multi-vehicle collision near Gainesville in Florida. Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13; Briena Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelan, nine, were travelling to Disney World with their church group when they were caught up in a collision involving two 18-wheelers. The tragedy happened on Interstate 75 close to the city of Alachua, some 130 miles north of Orlando. According to the highway patrol, a truck being driven by 59-year-old Steve Holland from West Palm Beach was travelling north in the far-right lane when it suddenly veered left, colliding with a car driven by Robyn Rattray, 41, from Gainesville. Both the truck and car spun out of control and through the centre divider, where Holland’s truck ploughed into the southbound church van, driven by Amy Joffiron, 49, causing the vehicle to flip several times and eject some of the nine children on board. The victims died after diesel was spilt across the road during the collision, triggering a massive blaze. Holland and Douglas Bolkema, 49, from Albuquerque, New Mexico were also killed. The four surviving children, who were also ages 9 to 14, remain hospitalised. “It’s a heartbreaking event,” Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan told reporters near the crash scene in Alachua County, Florida. Eyewitness Vinnie DeVita said he narrowly escaped the crash but saw the saw the tragedy in the rearview mirror. “If I had stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedly, I would have been in that accident,” he told Orlando television station WKMG. “And then within probably 15 to 20 seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames.” Authorities said at least eight people were taken to hospital with injuries including a pregnant woman and her unborn child who was now in a stable condition. Although officials did not identify the Pentecostal church involved, Maxine Doughty, a member of the Avoyelles House of Mercy told The Gainesville Sun that her church was devastated. “It’s unbelievable. Everybody is in shock. We lost five of our children,” she said. “We had our Last Supper Sunday, and the pastor said to live our lives like each day is the last day.” The crash is the worst accident on that highway since January 2012, when 11 people died in a chain-reaction crash attributed to heavy fog and smoke on the road. That fatal collision prompted officials to install cameras, sensors and large electronic signs. | Toyin Owoseje | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/florida-crash-disney-world-five-children-killed-fire-truck-alachua-a8713096.html | 2019-01-05 22:29:44+00:00 | 1,546,745,384 | 1,567,553,804 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
740,753 | theindependent--2019-01-14--Iran plane crash At least 15 killed after military cargo flight goes down | 2019-01-14T00:00:00 | theindependent | Iran plane crash: At least 15 killed after military cargo flight goes down | At least 15 people have been killed after a military cargo plane crashed in Iran. The army said a flight engineer survived and was taken to hospital, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. A fire engulfed the Boeing 707 immediately after it skidded off a runway and crashed into a wall separating the airfield from a residential neighbourhood in the town of Safadasht, reports said. State-run media showed the burnt-out tail of the plane surrounded by charred homes. The plane was heading for Payam International airport, about 25 miles west of Tehran, when it made an emergency landing at Fath airport nearby. “A Boeing cargo 707 plane carrying meat from Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan had an emergency landing at Fath airport today ... the flight engineer has been dispatched to the hospital,” the army said. “It exited the runway during the landing and caught fire after hitting the wall at the end of the runway.” Authorities have yet to explain the reason for the crew’s decision to land there, though they said the crew had declared an emergency before landing. Fars said the plane crash-landed after “mistaking the airport with another airfield because of the bad weather”. Seven bodies from the crash have been recovered, Iranian media reported. Iran’s air force said that the fate of the crew, including their possible “martyrdom”, is under investigation. Iranians often use the word “martyrdom” for those who die in war or national service, suggesting the aircraft may have belonged to the air force. The air force does operate Boeing 707s. | Samuel Osborne | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-plane-crash-latest-tehran-boeing-707-deaths-homes-a8726401.html | 2019-01-14 07:05:00+00:00 | 1,547,467,500 | 1,567,552,526 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
773,529 | theindependent--2019-10-12--Boy, 14, dies after crashing suspected stolen car during police chase | 2019-10-12T00:00:00 | theindependent | Boy, 14, dies after crashing suspected stolen car during police chase | A 14-year-old boy has died after he crashed a suspected stolen car during a police pursuit. Police attempted to stop the Fiat 500 in Wigan, Greater Manchester, at about 1.25pm on Friday, before it collided with two cars. The boy was taken to hospital from the scene in Ashton Road, Golborne, and was pronounced dead in the early hours of Saturday. Two other boys, aged 14 and 15, who were travelling in the Fiat, were also taken to hospital. The 14-year-old suffered minor injuries and has since been discharged but the 15-year-old remains in hospital, his condition described as critical but stable. The incident has been routinely referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Sergeant Jon McColl, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "First and foremost, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of the boy who passed away this morning. "The serious collision investigation unit is continuing with inquiries so that the full circumstances surrounding the collision can be established. "Given the brief pursuit that developed prior to the collision, we have referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct which is in line with normal policy." | Kim Pilling | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/boy-dies-golborne-car-crash-police-chase-warrington-wigan-fiat-500-a9153686.html | Sat, 12 Oct 2019 21:37:00 GMT | 1,570,930,620 | 1,570,971,481 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
778,584 | theindependent--2019-12-08--Wednesbury crash: Two killed after cars collide in West Midlands | 2019-12-08T00:00:00 | theindependent | Wednesbury crash: Two killed after cars collide in West Midlands | Two men have been killed and three people seriously injured in a car crash in the West Midlands market town of Wednesbury. Police launched an investigation after being called to the collision between a Jeep Cherokee and a VW Golf at 10.30pm on Friday. The two men, aged 21 and 37, were pronounced dead at the scene near the Patent Shaft roundabout on the A41 Black Country New Road. The three surviving victims were taken to hospital for treatment. The road has since been reopened. “We’re currently working to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision and whether any other vehicles were involve,” said Sergeant Alan Hands from West Midlands Police. “I’d ask that anyone who has information or witnessed what happened, in particular any motorists who were in the area and have dash cam footage to come forward and contact the investigation team.” The victims’ families have been informed of their deaths and are being supported by trained officers. On Thursday night, an 18-year-old woman died after a car crashed into a tree in Hamble, Hampshire. Abbie O’Rourke, from Netley Abbey, was a passenger in the silver Toyota Aygo. Two other passengers and the driver were taken to hospital after suffering injuries in the collision in School Lane at 9pm. Hampshire Police launched an investigation and have appealed for witnesses who saw the car in the Hamble area before the crash. | Peter Stubley | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/car-crash-death-wednesbury-west-midlands-police-a41-a9237446.html | Sun, 08 Dec 2019 01:10:05 GMT | 1,575,785,405 | 1,575,808,265 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
780,541 | theindependent--2019-12-22--London bus crash: Woman dead and three injured after car collides with National Express coach | 2019-12-22T00:00:00 | theindependent | London bus crash: Woman dead and three injured after car collides with National Express coach | A 26-year-old woman has been killed and three others injured after a head-on crash between a National Express coach and a small car in southwest London. The vehicles were engulfed in flames after they collided in the early hours of Sunday morning on Queenstown Road, in Battersea. The rear-seat passenger of the grey Volkswagen Polo car died at the scene and the female driver is in a critical condition, said the Metropolitan Police, which is investigating the incident. In footage circulating on social media, police and ambulance crews can be seen trying to dampen the flames and rescue people from inside. Witnesses can be heard saying the vehicles “exploded” after crashing into each other. Images show the car to have been a Zipcar rental vehicle, which can be hired by the hour. One passenger on the A3 service from Gatwick to London Victoria was taken to hospital, while all other passengers were safely transferred to a replacement vehicle, a National Express spokesman said. “Emergency services attended the scene and we will continue to provide every assistance with the ongoing investigation,” they said. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the occupant of the car, who sadly passed away.” A London Ambulance Service spokesman said that despite the “best efforts of our medics, one patient sadly died at the scene”. “We took a second patient to a major trauma centre as a priority. We treated two further patients for minor injuries: we took one of them to hospital and the other was discharged at the scene.” The Metropolitan Police is appealing for witnesses to aid its investigation. Road closures remain in place at the time of writing. | Andy Gregory | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-bus-crash-national-express-head-on-chelsea-a9256931.html | Sun, 22 Dec 2019 12:56:00 GMT | 1,577,037,360 | 1,577,060,972 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
786,349 | theirishtimes--2019-04-18--Man killed in car crash in Co Tipperary | 2019-04-18T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Man killed in car crash in Co Tipperary | A man was killed on Wednesday night in Co Tipperary when the car he was driving collided with another vehicle. The accident happened on the N24 between Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir at approximately 11am. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was brought to South Tipperary General Hospital where a full post mortem is due to take place. The driver of the other car was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The road remains closed to facilitate an examination of the area by the Garda forensic collision investigators. Traffic diversions are in place. It brings to 51 the number of people killed on Irish roads in 2019. By comparison 45 had been killed by the same stage last year. Anyone with information is asked to contact Clonmel Garda Station on 052 6177640 | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/man-killed-in-car-crash-in-co-tipperary-1.3864477 | 2019-04-18 07:02:24+00:00 | 1,555,585,344 | 1,567,542,575 | disaster, accident and emergency incident | emergency incident |
28,750 | bbc--2019-07-05--US labour market booms in June | 2019-07-05T00:00:00 | bbc | US labour market booms in June | The US labour market boomed in June, creating many more jobs than expected, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It showed that 224,000 jobs were created in June, many more than the 160,000 that economists had forecast. The figures, a rebound from poor jobs data in May, eased concerns the economy was heading for a recession. The professional and business services sector was the biggest contributor to employment, adding 51,000. Large numbers of jobs were also created in healthcare, transportation and warehousing. Despite the strong job creation in June, wage growth was relatively modest at 0.2%, keeping the annual rate at 3.1%. The jobs data is closely watched by economists who analyse how it might affect interest rate decisions at the US Federal Reserve. Some are betting that the Fed might lower interest rates following its next meeting which starts on 30 July. Last month the Fed indicated that interest rates might head lower due to subdued inflation and the effects of the trade war between the US and China. "These are good numbers, but a rate cut in July is still all but inevitable," said Luke Bartholomew, investment strategist at Aberdeen Standard Investments. "Employment growth remains a bright spot amid a fairly mixed bag of US data and yet markets have come to expect a cut now so will fall out of bed if they don't get one." Andrew Hunter, senior US economist, at Capital Economics also forecasts a rate cut, although not until September. "Employment growth is still trending gradually lower but, with the stock market setting new records and trade talks back on (for now at least), the data support our view that Fed officials are more likely to wait until September before loosening policy," he said. The US has posted some poor manufacturing data recently, prompting concerns that the economy was heading for a downturn. But Doug Duncan, chief economist at Fannie Mae, said the numbers suggest "that what has been seen in the manufacturing sector doesn't appear to indicate we may be heading into a recession... the warning signs people saw in manufacturing might not be so strong". | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48884739 | 2019-07-05 13:48:07+00:00 | 1,562,348,887 | 1,567,536,761 | labour | labour market |
17,127 | aljazeera--2019-11-08--UK labour market: Are cracks starting to appear? | 2019-11-08T00:00:00 | aljazeera | UK labour market: Are cracks starting to appear? | Demands of employers in the United Kingdom for staff grew in October at the slowest rate in almost eight years, a survey showed on Friday, underlining suspicions at the Bank of England (BoE) that the labour market may be losing its strength. A monthly index of job vacancies from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and global accountancy KPMG fell to 51.7 from 52.6 in September, its lowest level since January 2012. BoE rate cuts to be considered if UK political turmoil continues On Thursday, two of the BoE's nine interest-rate setters unexpectedly voted to cut interest rates, citing signs that the labour market - the bright spot of the UK's economy since the Brexit vote - may now be on the turn. Friday's REC report - which is monitored by the BoE - showed permanent job placements fell for the eighth month running and at a faster rate than in September. This chimed with official data that showed job creation waning ahead of the aborted October Brexit deadline. James Stewart, a vice chair at KPMG UK, said uncertainty around Brexit and a national election scheduled for December 12 had dampened companies' hiring plans. "It's not just businesses that are being cautious, however, and over October, we've seen job seekers become increasingly nervous about making a career change," said Stewart. The survey showed starting salaries for permanent staff rose at a solid pace in October, albeit more slowly than in September. In a new set of forecasts for the economy published on Thursday, the BoE said it thought pay growth in the UK - which recently hit a more than 10-year high - was likely to cool off a little in the coming year. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/uk-labour-market-cracks-starting-191108170409874.html | Fri, 08 Nov 2019 18:34:14 GMT | 1,573,256,054 | 1,573,258,952 | labour | employment legislation |
89,866 | channel4uk--2019-11-14--FactCheck: Conservatives attack Labour immigration policy – before they know what it is | 2019-11-14T00:00:00 | channel4uk | FactCheck: Conservatives attack Labour immigration policy – before they know what it is | The Conservatives are warning that immigration would soar under Labour. The party said that net migration (immigration minus emigration) could rise from its current annual rate of about 220,000 to 840,000 people a year. This is based on the idea that Labour want to extent the same rights to free movement that European Union citizens have to immigrants from the rest of the world. FactCheck asked the Conservatives to show us how they reached this “840,000 figure”. They have not yet replied. All the press release says is that the numbers are based on “official figures and the Government’s own methodology”. So the Conservatives’ calculations are impossible to check, but there is a more urgent problem: extending free movement to the rest of the world is not Labour party policy. It is true that a group called Labour Campaign for Free Movement managed to get a motion passed at the party’s conference in September calling for a Labour government to “maintain and extend free movement rights”. Campaigners from the group have told FactCheck that their ultimate aim is to extend the same rights EU migrant works enjoy to people from outside the EU. But the phrase passed by conference “maintain and extend” is ambiguous. It could be taken to call for extending the rights already granted to EU citizens in Britain, rather than giving the same rights to the rest of the world. The Labour party has never officially adopted the position that the phrase “extend free movement rights” means opening Britain’s borders to people from outside the EU, and party sources have been quoted today as saying that this interpretation is wrong. It is fair to say that Labour appears to be split on the issue of free movement, with various senior figures sending out mixed messages today. Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott tweeted: “The Labour Party is committed to maintaining and extending Freedom of Movement rights. But the Tories will remove those rights from the EU 3 Million. We will maintain them. “The Tories break up families by barring spouse of British citizens, via an income requirement. Labour will scrap it, and extend Freedom of Movement rights to all those legally entitled to be here, including our own citizens among others.” That sounds like Ms Abbott is in favour of retaining and extending freedom of movement rights for EU citizens and their families, rather than for people outside the EU. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said in an interview with the Guardian that he was against the conference motion becoming Labour policy, adding: “It’s wrong in my view to have any greater free movement of labour unless you get stricter labour market regulation.” Laura Pidcock, the shadow secretary of state for employment rights, refused to be drawn on the issue in a string of broadcast interviews today. In any event, Labour haven’t put out their manifesto for the next general election yet, and there is no guarantee that a motion passed by conference will be included in it. The contents of the manifesto will be signed off in a “clause V” meeting, attended by members of Labour’s shadow cabinet and national executive committee, as well as trade union representatives, due to be held on Saturday. Until then, we simply don’t know what Labour’s official policy on free movement is. The Conservative line here is based on the idea that Labour plan to extend freedom of movement rights to non-EU citizens. Some activists do back this position – and won a conference motion on it. But it is not Labour party policy. We won’t find out what Labour’s real immigration policy is until the party publishes its manifesto, following a big policy meeting on Saturday. Until we know what Labour actually plan to do, any figures the Conservatives put out on immigration are pure speculation. | Patrick Worrall | https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-conservatives-attack-labour-immigration-policy-before-they-know-what-it-is | Thu, 14 Nov 2019 19:20:42 +0000 | 1,573,777,242 | 1,573,777,723 | labour | employment legislation |
119,547 | conservativehome--2019-11-18--Childcare policy should support all parents with children – not just those who work in the labour ma | 2019-11-18T00:00:00 | conservativehome | Childcare policy should support all parents with children – not just those who work in the labour market | It is good that the Conservatives are mulling childcare policy, which is a subset of families policy, on which the Party has had little to say or do since before Theresa May’s leadership. That was back in the days when David Cameron was Prime Minister with a small majority, and wanted to improve life chances for children and parents. It is not so good to read that they are considering providing more of it “free” – 15 hours of free childcare a week for parents of younger children, as a report would have it. For, after all, nothing that government provides comes “free”: ultimately, taxpayers must pay the bill, unless politicians are prepared to mortgage the future on printing or borrowing. So when Tories hear the word “manifesto”, “pledge” and “free”, they should reach for the delete button. Especially since it is this kind of careless talk that costs progress, as the recent history of childcare policy in Britain will confirm. The sum of it is that we have the worst of all worlds. In other words, a system that pleases neither those who want more support for relatively informal care (that’s to say, childcare provided by parents, grandparents, other relatives, friends and members of other family networks); not those who back more provision for comparatively formal care (the “high quality, accessible, affordable childcare” of which we read so often). The costs of childcare in Britain may or may not be among the very highest in the world (the figures are disputed), but reports that find us among the worst-off countries for family-friendly policies seem to be well founded. The fundamental reason for these dismal outcomes takes us back to where we started. Politicians – and particularly Conservative ones – have ducked discussing what childcare policy, and the families policy of which it is necessarily a part, is really for, especially when it comes to money. Do we want to encourage parents to work in the labour market? Or support the choices which they choose to make, including caring for those children at home? Or, as our history and culture might suggest (the RSPCA was established earlier than our main children’s charities), are we disclined to believe that the costs of raising children should be supported at all? Our own answer is that there is nothing much wrong with the traditional doctrine of what was until fairly recently the Inland Revenue doctrine: namely, that “the taxable capacity of those with children to maintain [is] lower than that of the childless taxpayer”, and that there is therefore a solid case for family allowances of some kind. There are two main practicable ways in which this principle might be recognised. The first is to build on the present system of child benefit, which has been capped for higher earners. This is because child benefit isn’t really a benefit at all: it’s a transferred tax allowance, paid to “purse rather than wallet”. The second is to revive the order which child benefit replaced – namely, those child tax allowances; and let what should properly be called the social security system support the family costs of those who don’t pay tax. Most of those on the right would set the latter at a low level, many of those on the left at higher one. But the principle behind such a settlement would be clear. Since child benefit is paid to all parents with children, regardless of whether or not they work in the labour market, it would make sense for any system of revived tax allowances to be transferable. This would presumably have the side-effect of supporting marriage in the tax system, but that would not be the aim of the policy. Either way, such a system would be clear, simple – and, admittedly, expensive, because it would aim to support all parents rather than some. But by putting money into the hands of parents, in effect, it would help to drive the demand for childcare of all kinds, formal and informal: that money could be used to pay other family members and friends; those formal high-quality settings, such as day nurseries; those less formal ones, such as childminders, and so on. Or it could simply be spent by the parents themselves. We apologise if such a system is too straightforward for politicians to get their heads round. But this choice-based ideal is where any Conservative policy worth the name should be seeking to travel to. The alternative, short of abandoning support for children in the tax and benefit system altogether, is to carry on down the present road of supporting some parents rather than all – with all the distortions that this implies, as chronicled elsewhere by our columnist Ryan Bourne and others. Obviously, there is more to families policy than childcare – or at least the demand-side business of what to do with the tax and benefit system. There is parental leave. There is regulation, and the degree to which it distorts the childcare market. There is flexible working – and more. But since Team Johnson is looking at the demand side, it is worth the rest of us taking a squint too. | Paul Goodman | https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2019/11/childcare-policy-should-support-all-parents-with-children-not-just-those-who-work-in-the-labour-market.html | Mon, 18 Nov 2019 04:30:53 +0000 | 1,574,069,453 | 1,574,106,946 | labour | employment legislation |
119,547 | conservativehome--2019-11-18--Childcare policy should support all parents with children – not just those who work in the labour ma | 2019-11-18T00:00:00 | conservativehome | Childcare policy should support all parents with children – not just those who work in the labour market | It is good that the Conservatives are mulling childcare policy, which is a subset of families policy, on which the Party has had little to say or do since before Theresa May’s leadership. That was back in the days when David Cameron was Prime Minister with a small majority, and wanted to improve life chances for children and parents. It is not so good to read that they are considering providing more of it “free” – 15 hours of free childcare a week for parents of younger children, as a report would have it. For, after all, nothing that government provides comes “free”: ultimately, taxpayers must pay the bill, unless politicians are prepared to mortgage the future on printing or borrowing. So when Tories hear the word “manifesto”, “pledge” and “free”, they should reach for the delete button. Especially since it is this kind of careless talk that costs progress, as the recent history of childcare policy in Britain will confirm. The sum of it is that we have the worst of all worlds. In other words, a system that pleases neither those who want more support for relatively informal care (that’s to say, childcare provided by parents, grandparents, other relatives, friends and members of other family networks); not those who back more provision for comparatively formal care (the “high quality, accessible, affordable childcare” of which we read so often). The costs of childcare in Britain may or may not be among the very highest in the world (the figures are disputed), but reports that find us among the worst-off countries for family-friendly policies seem to be well founded. The fundamental reason for these dismal outcomes takes us back to where we started. Politicians – and particularly Conservative ones – have ducked discussing what childcare policy, and the families policy of which it is necessarily a part, is really for, especially when it comes to money. Do we want to encourage parents to work in the labour market? Or support the choices which they choose to make, including caring for those children at home? Or, as our history and culture might suggest (the RSPCA was established earlier than our main children’s charities), are we disclined to believe that the costs of raising children should be supported at all? Our own answer is that there is nothing much wrong with the traditional doctrine of what was until fairly recently the Inland Revenue doctrine: namely, that “the taxable capacity of those with children to maintain [is] lower than that of the childless taxpayer”, and that there is therefore a solid case for family allowances of some kind. There are two main practicable ways in which this principle might be recognised. The first is to build on the present system of child benefit, which has been capped for higher earners. This is because child benefit isn’t really a benefit at all: it’s a transferred tax allowance, paid to “purse rather than wallet”. The second is to revive the order which child benefit replaced – namely, those child tax allowances; and let what should properly be called the social security system support the family costs of those who don’t pay tax. Most of those on the right would set the latter at a low level, many of those on the left at higher one. But the principle behind such a settlement would be clear. Since child benefit is paid to all parents with children, regardless of whether or not they work in the labour market, it would make sense for any system of revived tax allowances to be transferable. This would presumably have the side-effect of supporting marriage in the tax system, but that would not be the aim of the policy. Either way, such a system would be clear, simple – and, admittedly, expensive, because it would aim to support all parents rather than some. But by putting money into the hands of parents, in effect, it would help to drive the demand for childcare of all kinds, formal and informal: that money could be used to pay other family members and friends; those formal high-quality settings, such as day nurseries; those less formal ones, such as childminders, and so on. Or it could simply be spent by the parents themselves. We apologise if such a system is too straightforward for politicians to get their heads round. But this choice-based ideal is where any Conservative policy worth the name should be seeking to travel to. The alternative, short of abandoning support for children in the tax and benefit system altogether, is to carry on down the present road of supporting some parents rather than all – with all the distortions that this implies, as chronicled elsewhere by our columnist Ryan Bourne and others. Obviously, there is more to families policy than childcare – or at least the demand-side business of what to do with the tax and benefit system. There is parental leave. There is regulation, and the degree to which it distorts the childcare market. There is flexible working – and more. But since Team Johnson is looking at the demand side, it is worth the rest of us taking a squint too. | Paul Goodman | https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2019/11/childcare-policy-should-support-all-parents-with-children-not-just-those-who-work-in-the-labour-market.html | Mon, 18 Nov 2019 04:30:53 +0000 | 1,574,069,453 | 1,574,106,946 | labour | labour market |
89,866 | channel4uk--2019-11-14--FactCheck: Conservatives attack Labour immigration policy – before they know what it is | 2019-11-14T00:00:00 | channel4uk | FactCheck: Conservatives attack Labour immigration policy – before they know what it is | The Conservatives are warning that immigration would soar under Labour. The party said that net migration (immigration minus emigration) could rise from its current annual rate of about 220,000 to 840,000 people a year. This is based on the idea that Labour want to extent the same rights to free movement that European Union citizens have to immigrants from the rest of the world. FactCheck asked the Conservatives to show us how they reached this “840,000 figure”. They have not yet replied. All the press release says is that the numbers are based on “official figures and the Government’s own methodology”. So the Conservatives’ calculations are impossible to check, but there is a more urgent problem: extending free movement to the rest of the world is not Labour party policy. It is true that a group called Labour Campaign for Free Movement managed to get a motion passed at the party’s conference in September calling for a Labour government to “maintain and extend free movement rights”. Campaigners from the group have told FactCheck that their ultimate aim is to extend the same rights EU migrant works enjoy to people from outside the EU. But the phrase passed by conference “maintain and extend” is ambiguous. It could be taken to call for extending the rights already granted to EU citizens in Britain, rather than giving the same rights to the rest of the world. The Labour party has never officially adopted the position that the phrase “extend free movement rights” means opening Britain’s borders to people from outside the EU, and party sources have been quoted today as saying that this interpretation is wrong. It is fair to say that Labour appears to be split on the issue of free movement, with various senior figures sending out mixed messages today. Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott tweeted: “The Labour Party is committed to maintaining and extending Freedom of Movement rights. But the Tories will remove those rights from the EU 3 Million. We will maintain them. “The Tories break up families by barring spouse of British citizens, via an income requirement. Labour will scrap it, and extend Freedom of Movement rights to all those legally entitled to be here, including our own citizens among others.” That sounds like Ms Abbott is in favour of retaining and extending freedom of movement rights for EU citizens and their families, rather than for people outside the EU. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said in an interview with the Guardian that he was against the conference motion becoming Labour policy, adding: “It’s wrong in my view to have any greater free movement of labour unless you get stricter labour market regulation.” Laura Pidcock, the shadow secretary of state for employment rights, refused to be drawn on the issue in a string of broadcast interviews today. In any event, Labour haven’t put out their manifesto for the next general election yet, and there is no guarantee that a motion passed by conference will be included in it. The contents of the manifesto will be signed off in a “clause V” meeting, attended by members of Labour’s shadow cabinet and national executive committee, as well as trade union representatives, due to be held on Saturday. Until then, we simply don’t know what Labour’s official policy on free movement is. The Conservative line here is based on the idea that Labour plan to extend freedom of movement rights to non-EU citizens. Some activists do back this position – and won a conference motion on it. But it is not Labour party policy. We won’t find out what Labour’s real immigration policy is until the party publishes its manifesto, following a big policy meeting on Saturday. Until we know what Labour actually plan to do, any figures the Conservatives put out on immigration are pure speculation. | Patrick Worrall | https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-conservatives-attack-labour-immigration-policy-before-they-know-what-it-is | Thu, 14 Nov 2019 19:20:42 +0000 | 1,573,777,242 | 1,573,777,723 | labour | labour market |
45,154 | bbcuk--2019-11-16--General election 2019: Labour figures hold crunch manifesto meeting | 2019-11-16T00:00:00 | bbcuk | General election 2019: Labour figures hold crunch manifesto meeting | Senior Labour Party figures are meeting to finalise the party's manifesto for next month's general election. The party has already announced a number of policies, including a part-nationalisation of BT and extra spending on infrastructure. But it still has to decide whether to include some policies from its party conference, including on free movement. The party is also likely to discuss a policy to help women affected by a change in the state retirement age. The BBC's Iain Watson said the party would consider pledging additional support for women affected when the government in 2011 sped up plans to raise the age at which women could claim the state pension from 60 to 66. • McCluskey on Labour, Brexit and the election • So where do main parties stand on immigration? Arriving at the meeting, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the manifesto would be "a document that will be transformative to the lives of people all over this country". Party figures will debate whether to include a commitment to "maintain and extend" free movement rights for migrants, as demanded by delegates at September's party conference. The party's 2017 manifesto stated that free movement - giving EU citizens the right to work and seek employment in the UK and UK citizens the same right in other EU countries - would end with Brexit. A small number of protestors gathered outside the meeting, chanting in support of free movement. The Liberal Democrats earlier called on Labour to make a "cast-iron commitment" to preserve free movement rights in its manifesto. • POLICY GUIDE: Who should I vote for? • POLLS: How are the parties doing? • A TO Z: Our tool to explain election words • REGISTER: What you need to do to vote The party's home affairs spokeswoman Christine Jardine said failing to do so would be a "betrayal of future generations". The Lib Dems are pledging a "fair, effective" immigration system if it is elected - with plans to resettle 10,000 unaccompanied refugee children a year. However, some within Labour are concerned that a more open policy on immigration could alienate voters in Leave-voting areas. Len McCluskey - the leader of the Unite, the biggest Labour-supporting union - has called for new employment policies to address concerns about freedom of movement. On Thursday, he denied a newspaper report that he had told Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to take a tough line on free movement of workers. But he said Labour would "protect all workers" through labour market regulations. "It won't stop the free movement of labour. It will effectively make certain that greedy bosses, agency companies, are not abusing working people," he said. Nearly four million women born in the 1950s were affected when the increase in the state retirement age was speeded up earlier this decade. Many said they weren't given enough time to plan for their retirement. Campaign groups have been arguing for "bridging pensions" to cover the years from 60 to the new state pension age of 66. In Labour's last manifesto, the party made a commitment to help the most vulnerable. But I'm told there will be discussions today on moving towards more substantial help for the women who have been affected. On Friday, Mr Corbyn confirmed an existing pledge to abolish university tuition fees will be included in the party's manifesto for the 12 December poll. He also said bringing Royal Mail, rail and water utilities under public ownership "are clearly going to be in our manifesto next week". Other parties have also begun announcing policies ahead of the official launch of their manifestos later in the campaign. On Saturday, both the Lib Dems and the Conservatives made rival pledges on tree planting. The Conservatives also announced £500m of funding over the next five years to help support developing countries in protecting oceans. The Conservatives and Labour are set to field candidates in every constituency in Britain, except Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle's seat in Chorley in Lancashire. The Brexit Party has put forward 275 candidates, having stood aside in all the seats won by the Tories in 2017. Figures from PA suggest the party has also opted not to contest handfuls of other seats being defended by other parties, particularly in Scotland. The so-called "Clause Five" party meeting offers an opportunity for senior figures to sign off on the party's manifesto. It is attended by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, including the shadow cabinet and trade union representatives. Party staffers present a draft document, whose different policy areas are discussed in turn. A vote is taken at the end of the meeting on the whole document, rather than voting section-by-section. There are usually some small amendments. Party positions are unlikely to change - but will perhaps be clarified. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50441707 | Sat, 16 Nov 2019 11:01:54 GMT | 1,573,920,114 | 1,573,907,029 | labour | employment legislation |
9,466 | aljazeera--2019-02-07--Qatar remains committed to labour reforms after Amnesty report | 2019-02-07T00:00:00 | aljazeera | Qatar remains 'committed' to labour reforms after Amnesty report | Doha, Qatar - The government of Qatar has vowed to treat labour reforms as "a journey and not an end in itself" in response to an Amnesty International report that warned the country it was "running out of time" to stamp out labour abuse. "From the outset, we have said that we understood labour reform would be a journey and not an end in itself," said a statement released by the Qatari government on Wednesday. Amnesty, in its report published earlier this week, said migrant workers continued to be "vulnerable to serious abuses including forced labour and restrictions on freedom of movement". "Time is running out if the Qatari authorities want to deliver a legacy we can all cheer, namely a labour system that ends the abuse and misery inflicted upon so many migrant workers every day," said Amnesty's Stephen Cockburn. Qatar and its labour laws have been under the spotlight ever since it was named the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And while Amnesty acknowledged Qatar had undertaken a reform process, it added that work still needed to be done. Qatar, a gas-rich peninsula in the Gulf, has said that it was committed to labour reforms, adding that "lasting changes" take time. "Far from seeing time as running out, the Government of the State of Qatar understands further change is needed and we remain committed to developing these changes as quickly as possible, while ensuring they are effective and appropriate for our labour market conditions," the statement further said. "Practical, efficient and lasting change takes time and that is what we have committed to." The statement also added that the government "penalised or banned" almost 12,000 companies in the country for violating its labour laws. Last year, Qatar amended its residency law to allow most migrant workers to leave the country without an exit visa, a move that was termed a "huge step" by the International Organization for Labour (ILO). According to the head of the ILO Project Office in Qatar, Houtan Homayounpour, great progress has been made with regards to labour reforms in the country but the work is far from finished. "There are remaining milestones to be achieved, such as the removal of the exit visa for domestic workers, a non-discriminatory permanent minimum wage, the removal of the NOC requirement, to name a few," Homayounpour told Al Jazeera. "These are in line with the agreed priorities with the government as a work plan for 2019." Although the Amnesty report focuses on conditions of the nearly two million migrant workers in Qatar, not just the 30,000 on direct World Cup projects, Amnesty said FIFA had an "ongoing responsibility" to prevent abuse. In response, football's governing body welcomed Qatari labour reforms in recent months and its continued work with "stakeholders". In late 2017, a number of contractors working for Qatar 2022 launched an initiative to partially reimburse workers, assigned to some World Cup projects, recruitment fee they had been unlawfully charged in the country of origin. Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary-general of the World Cup 2022 organising committee, said it was the organisation's belief that "this World Cup can be a catalyst for change, both in Qatar and in other parts of the world". "Unethical recruitment is a global issue and an area many countries struggle to manage. All too often, the very people who have left their home to provide for their families are the ones exploited," said al-Thawadi. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/qatar-remains-committed-labour-reforms-amnesty-report-190207091424598.html | 2019-02-07 09:51:44+00:00 | 1,549,551,104 | 1,567,549,344 | labour | employment legislation |
8,469 | aljazeera--2019-01-20--Hungarians continue protest over harsh labour law | 2019-01-20T00:00:00 | aljazeera | Hungarians continue protest over harsh labour law | There has been another day of nationwide protests in Hungary. Opposition parties and civil society groups are challenging the government's recent labour law, which allows companies to demand up to 400 hours of overtime from workers. It has sparked weeks of demonstrations against nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/hungarians-continue-protest-harsh-labour-law-190120065019535.html | 2019-01-20 06:50:19+00:00 | 1,547,985,019 | 1,567,551,658 | labour | employment legislation |
8,469 | aljazeera--2019-01-20--Hungarians continue protest over harsh labour law | 2019-01-20T00:00:00 | aljazeera | Hungarians continue protest over harsh labour law | There has been another day of nationwide protests in Hungary. Opposition parties and civil society groups are challenging the government's recent labour law, which allows companies to demand up to 400 hours of overtime from workers. It has sparked weeks of demonstrations against nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/hungarians-continue-protest-harsh-labour-law-190120065019535.html | 2019-01-20 06:50:19+00:00 | 1,547,985,019 | 1,567,551,658 | labour | employment |
8,749 | aljazeera--2019-01-24--US labour unions protest government shutdown | 2019-01-24T00:00:00 | aljazeera | US labour unions protest government shutdown | Unions representing federal workers have demonstrated at Congress over the impact of the longest government shutdown in US history. It was their first major action on Capitol Hill since the partial shutdown began. Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi looks at the role of organised labour in the ongoing crisis. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/labour-unions-protest-government-shutdown-190124162217282.html | 2019-01-24 16:22:17+00:00 | 1,548,364,937 | 1,567,551,066 | labour | labour relations |
12,596 | aljazeera--2019-05-01--Fighting for our rights Thousands rally on Labour Day in Seoul | 2019-05-01T00:00:00 | aljazeera | 'Fighting for our rights': Thousands rally on Labour Day in Seoul | Thousands of South Korean workers have marked Labor Day with a rally in central Seoul, urging the government to adopt major international regulations on promoting labour rights. Organisers told Al Jazeera that around 27,000 people turned up at Seoul Plaza while another 57,000 demonstrated in 13 cities across the country on Wednesday. Commemorating International Workers' Day simultaneously, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KTCU), an umbrella labour union and organisers of the rally, said it was urgent for the country to ratify key conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Wearing headbands and raising their fists, the protesters in Seoul rallied in streets near City Hall, marching under banners denouncing deteriorating working conditions and demanding equal treatment and pay for non-regular workers. "The history of unconstitutional labour law, which is unfair to the workers, should stop as soon as possible. We will fight until we achieve the absolute basic labour rights," KTCU chairman Kim Myung Hwan told Al Jazeera. The KTCU also called for the job security of irregular workers, a 10,000 won ($8.57) minimum hourly wage, reform of family-owned conglomerates and the expansion of the social safety net. South Korea became a member of the ILO in 1991. It has since ratified more than two dozen ILO conventions, including four of the eight core ones: two on discrimination and two others on child labour. Liberal President Moon Jae-in, who won office in May 2017, pushed a labour-friendly agenda that promised to expand workers’ rights, reduce the country’s notoriously long working hours and address the problems of inequality by elevating minimum wages. "I've worked as a cleaner in a subway station for five years. President Moon promised to make all irregular workers become regular but he hasn't done that yet," said Jun Sang Mun, 55. "So I've come out today to remind him of that promise." President Moon's labour-friendly agenda also included reining in the excesses of chaebols, or huge family-owned conglomerates that dominate South Korea’s economy and are often accused of corruption and monopolistic behaviour. However, many feel that not enough has been done, and the protesters called for the government to take firmer steps towards chaebol reform. Jung Yeon Kuk, 61, came from Gyung Gi Do to Seoul for the rally. As a carpenter who is not a regular worker, he complained he would not get holiday pay or a paid weekend because of the current labour law. "I've worked as a construction carpenter for more than 20 years," he said. "Other regular construction managers don’t work on Sundays but get paid. I don't. And that's not fair. There are more than 20,000 irregular construction workers in Gyung Gi Do where I am from who are treated unfairly like me." In a statement released on Wednesday, the president said he wanted "to create a country where labour is proudly held up". "I want to build a nation where people can realise their dreams through labour, where people can contribute to global development through labour and where people can be respected through labour," said President Moon. South Korean labour circles have long demanded that the government ratify the remaining ILO core conventions, which include those on the abolition of forced labour, the right to organise and collective bargaining. Critics say a decaying job market and bad economy, which unexpectedly shrank 0.3 percent during the last quarter due to sluggish investment, has softened the government’s approach on labour rights and corporate reform. "I've worked on the production line for 10 years," said 50-year-old Ko Mun Kyung. "Luckily, I'm a regular worker but I'm here for the other workers who deserve the same payment and same treatment that I get. That is the meaning of labour day all over the world. I want to share the spirit of the day with all of my co-workers. "It is shameful that South Korea is still far from ratifying the ILO core convention. What a shame. I wish the current government do more to make an agreement between the employers." South Korean workers are known for their vibrant protest culture, which contributed to the popular uprising that drove the country’s transition from an anti-communist military dictatorship to a Western-style democracy in the late 1980s. "What makes all these people come here while sacrificing their holiday?" asked 49-year-old Cho Me Yeon. "That is what the government and policymakers should think about today while watching us shouting and marching for labour rights in the country." | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/thousands-march-labour-day-seoul-demanding-equal-treatment-190501064751223.html | 2019-05-01 08:20:07+00:00 | 1,556,713,207 | 1,567,541,535 | labour | employment legislation |
12,596 | aljazeera--2019-05-01--Fighting for our rights Thousands rally on Labour Day in Seoul | 2019-05-01T00:00:00 | aljazeera | 'Fighting for our rights': Thousands rally on Labour Day in Seoul | Thousands of South Korean workers have marked Labor Day with a rally in central Seoul, urging the government to adopt major international regulations on promoting labour rights. Organisers told Al Jazeera that around 27,000 people turned up at Seoul Plaza while another 57,000 demonstrated in 13 cities across the country on Wednesday. Commemorating International Workers' Day simultaneously, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KTCU), an umbrella labour union and organisers of the rally, said it was urgent for the country to ratify key conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Wearing headbands and raising their fists, the protesters in Seoul rallied in streets near City Hall, marching under banners denouncing deteriorating working conditions and demanding equal treatment and pay for non-regular workers. "The history of unconstitutional labour law, which is unfair to the workers, should stop as soon as possible. We will fight until we achieve the absolute basic labour rights," KTCU chairman Kim Myung Hwan told Al Jazeera. The KTCU also called for the job security of irregular workers, a 10,000 won ($8.57) minimum hourly wage, reform of family-owned conglomerates and the expansion of the social safety net. South Korea became a member of the ILO in 1991. It has since ratified more than two dozen ILO conventions, including four of the eight core ones: two on discrimination and two others on child labour. Liberal President Moon Jae-in, who won office in May 2017, pushed a labour-friendly agenda that promised to expand workers’ rights, reduce the country’s notoriously long working hours and address the problems of inequality by elevating minimum wages. "I've worked as a cleaner in a subway station for five years. President Moon promised to make all irregular workers become regular but he hasn't done that yet," said Jun Sang Mun, 55. "So I've come out today to remind him of that promise." President Moon's labour-friendly agenda also included reining in the excesses of chaebols, or huge family-owned conglomerates that dominate South Korea’s economy and are often accused of corruption and monopolistic behaviour. However, many feel that not enough has been done, and the protesters called for the government to take firmer steps towards chaebol reform. Jung Yeon Kuk, 61, came from Gyung Gi Do to Seoul for the rally. As a carpenter who is not a regular worker, he complained he would not get holiday pay or a paid weekend because of the current labour law. "I've worked as a construction carpenter for more than 20 years," he said. "Other regular construction managers don’t work on Sundays but get paid. I don't. And that's not fair. There are more than 20,000 irregular construction workers in Gyung Gi Do where I am from who are treated unfairly like me." In a statement released on Wednesday, the president said he wanted "to create a country where labour is proudly held up". "I want to build a nation where people can realise their dreams through labour, where people can contribute to global development through labour and where people can be respected through labour," said President Moon. South Korean labour circles have long demanded that the government ratify the remaining ILO core conventions, which include those on the abolition of forced labour, the right to organise and collective bargaining. Critics say a decaying job market and bad economy, which unexpectedly shrank 0.3 percent during the last quarter due to sluggish investment, has softened the government’s approach on labour rights and corporate reform. "I've worked on the production line for 10 years," said 50-year-old Ko Mun Kyung. "Luckily, I'm a regular worker but I'm here for the other workers who deserve the same payment and same treatment that I get. That is the meaning of labour day all over the world. I want to share the spirit of the day with all of my co-workers. "It is shameful that South Korea is still far from ratifying the ILO core convention. What a shame. I wish the current government do more to make an agreement between the employers." South Korean workers are known for their vibrant protest culture, which contributed to the popular uprising that drove the country’s transition from an anti-communist military dictatorship to a Western-style democracy in the late 1980s. "What makes all these people come here while sacrificing their holiday?" asked 49-year-old Cho Me Yeon. "That is what the government and policymakers should think about today while watching us shouting and marching for labour rights in the country." | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/thousands-march-labour-day-seoul-demanding-equal-treatment-190501064751223.html | 2019-05-01 08:20:07+00:00 | 1,556,713,207 | 1,567,541,535 | labour | labour relations |
12,596 | aljazeera--2019-05-01--Fighting for our rights Thousands rally on Labour Day in Seoul | 2019-05-01T00:00:00 | aljazeera | 'Fighting for our rights': Thousands rally on Labour Day in Seoul | Thousands of South Korean workers have marked Labor Day with a rally in central Seoul, urging the government to adopt major international regulations on promoting labour rights. Organisers told Al Jazeera that around 27,000 people turned up at Seoul Plaza while another 57,000 demonstrated in 13 cities across the country on Wednesday. Commemorating International Workers' Day simultaneously, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KTCU), an umbrella labour union and organisers of the rally, said it was urgent for the country to ratify key conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Wearing headbands and raising their fists, the protesters in Seoul rallied in streets near City Hall, marching under banners denouncing deteriorating working conditions and demanding equal treatment and pay for non-regular workers. "The history of unconstitutional labour law, which is unfair to the workers, should stop as soon as possible. We will fight until we achieve the absolute basic labour rights," KTCU chairman Kim Myung Hwan told Al Jazeera. The KTCU also called for the job security of irregular workers, a 10,000 won ($8.57) minimum hourly wage, reform of family-owned conglomerates and the expansion of the social safety net. South Korea became a member of the ILO in 1991. It has since ratified more than two dozen ILO conventions, including four of the eight core ones: two on discrimination and two others on child labour. Liberal President Moon Jae-in, who won office in May 2017, pushed a labour-friendly agenda that promised to expand workers’ rights, reduce the country’s notoriously long working hours and address the problems of inequality by elevating minimum wages. "I've worked as a cleaner in a subway station for five years. President Moon promised to make all irregular workers become regular but he hasn't done that yet," said Jun Sang Mun, 55. "So I've come out today to remind him of that promise." President Moon's labour-friendly agenda also included reining in the excesses of chaebols, or huge family-owned conglomerates that dominate South Korea’s economy and are often accused of corruption and monopolistic behaviour. However, many feel that not enough has been done, and the protesters called for the government to take firmer steps towards chaebol reform. Jung Yeon Kuk, 61, came from Gyung Gi Do to Seoul for the rally. As a carpenter who is not a regular worker, he complained he would not get holiday pay or a paid weekend because of the current labour law. "I've worked as a construction carpenter for more than 20 years," he said. "Other regular construction managers don’t work on Sundays but get paid. I don't. And that's not fair. There are more than 20,000 irregular construction workers in Gyung Gi Do where I am from who are treated unfairly like me." In a statement released on Wednesday, the president said he wanted "to create a country where labour is proudly held up". "I want to build a nation where people can realise their dreams through labour, where people can contribute to global development through labour and where people can be respected through labour," said President Moon. South Korean labour circles have long demanded that the government ratify the remaining ILO core conventions, which include those on the abolition of forced labour, the right to organise and collective bargaining. Critics say a decaying job market and bad economy, which unexpectedly shrank 0.3 percent during the last quarter due to sluggish investment, has softened the government’s approach on labour rights and corporate reform. "I've worked on the production line for 10 years," said 50-year-old Ko Mun Kyung. "Luckily, I'm a regular worker but I'm here for the other workers who deserve the same payment and same treatment that I get. That is the meaning of labour day all over the world. I want to share the spirit of the day with all of my co-workers. "It is shameful that South Korea is still far from ratifying the ILO core convention. What a shame. I wish the current government do more to make an agreement between the employers." South Korean workers are known for their vibrant protest culture, which contributed to the popular uprising that drove the country’s transition from an anti-communist military dictatorship to a Western-style democracy in the late 1980s. "What makes all these people come here while sacrificing their holiday?" asked 49-year-old Cho Me Yeon. "That is what the government and policymakers should think about today while watching us shouting and marching for labour rights in the country." | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/thousands-march-labour-day-seoul-demanding-equal-treatment-190501064751223.html | 2019-05-01 08:20:07+00:00 | 1,556,713,207 | 1,567,541,535 | labour | employment |
12,613 | aljazeera--2019-05-01--May 1 Labour Day What is International Workers Day | 2019-05-01T00:00:00 | aljazeera | May 1 Labour Day: What is International Workers' Day? | Each year on May 1, people across the globe take to the streets to commemorate International Workers' Day, or May Day. In dozens of countries, May Day is an official holiday, and for labour rights campaigners it is particularly important. The day commemorates past labour struggles against a host of workers' rights violations, including lengthy workdays and weeks, poor conditions and child labour. In the late-19th century, socialists, communists and trade unionists chose May 1 to become International Workers' Day. The date was symbolic, commemorating the Haymarket affair, which took place in Chicago, in the United States, in 1886. For years, the US working class - often forced to work up to 16 hours a day in unsafe conditions - had been fighting for an eight-hour workday. Then, in October 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada decided that May 1, 1886, would mark the first day that an eight-hour workday would go into effect. When that day arrived, between 300,000 and 500,000 US workers went on strike in cities and towns across the country, according to various historians' estimates. Chicago, which was the nucleus of the struggle, saw an estimated 40,000 people protest and strike. Until May 3, the strike was well-coordinated and largely nonviolent. But as the end of the workday approached, striking workers in Chicago attempted to confront strikebreakers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. Large police contingents were protecting the strikebreakers, and officers opened fire on the striking workers, killing at least two. As the police attempted to disperse the protesters on May 4 in Chicago's Haymarket Square, a bomb was thrown at them, killing seven officers and at least four civilians. Police subsequently rounded up and arrested eight anarchists, all of whom were convicted of conspiracy. A court sentenced seven to death and one to 15 years imprisonment. Four were hanged, one committed suicide rather than face the gallows and two had their sentences commuted to life in prison. Those who died are regarded by many on the left, including both socialists and anarchists, as the "Haymarket Martyrs". In 1889, the Second International, the international organisation for workers and socialists, declared that May 1 would from then on be International Workers' Day. The Haymarket affair galvanised the broader labour movement. In the US, however, the eight-hour workday wasn't recognised until it was turned into law in 1916, after years of strikes, protests and actions in favour of it. After the eight-hour day was initiated in the US in 1916, it was endorsed by the Communist International, an international coalition of socialist and communist parties, and by communist and socialist parties in various countries. In that same year, as World War I continued, partial strikes and clashes with police in the US and several European countries were fuelled by massive anti-war sentiment as much as they were driven by the struggle for labour rights. In 1917, as the US declared its involvement in the war, socialists and other leftists demonstrated against the bloodshed. Marxist leaders across the globe - among them Rosa Luxemburg and Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, who is most widely known as Lenin - considered the war to be an example of capitalist, imperialist countries pitting members of an international working class against one another. They argued that workers should unite and wage a revolutionary war against the ruling classes in their own countries. Four days after the revolution that toppled Tsarist rule in Russia, the eight-hour workday was introduced by official decree. International Workers' Day is marked with celebrations, protests, strikes and commemorations around the world. While the size and intensity of commemorations have ebbed and flowed over the years, several International Workers' Day commemorations stand out. In the US in 1971, as the war in Vietnam continued under the presidency of Richard Nixon, protests in Washington, spanned several days and included civil disobedience against the war. Nixon sent in an estimated 10,000 troops and mass arrests were made, prompting accusations of civil rights violations. Police and security forces arrested more than 12,000 people, although most were eventually released without charges. More recently, in 2006, a series of US-wide immigration reform marches continued on May 1, when organisers called for a strike they named a "day without immigrants". Protests had already drawn the participation of between 350,000 and 500,000 people in cities across the US. In 2016, large May Day protests and marches were held in countries across the world. In the Turkish city of Istanbul, protesters clashed with police while trying to reach the city's iconic Taksim Square. At least one protester was killed and dozens arrested. READ MORE: May Day - US workers' struggle, then and now In Moscow, tens of thousands of Russians marched in a pro-Kremlin rally to commemorate the holiday, while left-wing groups held separate events in several Russian cities. In Taipei, Taiwan's capital, labour unions took to the streets with a march to call on the government to reduce working hours and increase wages. Thousands of people in the German cities of Berlin and Hamburg participated in public demonstrations. Protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany (also known as AfD) party were held in several German cities. Following France's nationwide "yellow vest" protests that began in November last year, about 7,400 policemen are expected to be deployed in Paris. Observers say most of those joining the ranks of the "yellow vest" movement are workers on lower middle incomes who say they barely scrape by and get scant public services in exchange for some of the highest tax bills in Europe. Although planned protests to commemorate May Day take place every year in France, clashes between protesters and riot police may take place as they have become regular occurrences following the latest wave of demonstrations. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has warned that up to 2,000 "radical activists" may try to "sow violence and disorder" and may join up with "radicalised" protesters from the "yellow vest" movement. Castaner said there was also a risk that "radical elements" could try to infiltrate trade union marches in other cities, even though the unions themselves were committed to avoiding any violence. In neighbouring Germany, the German Trade Union Confederation has called for traditonal May Day demonstrations in favour of a European-wide minimum wage. Police have said a total of 5,500 officers will be deployed in Berlin including 2,000 in Friedrichshain, and have called on demonstrators to remain peaceful. Thousands of trade union members will also march through Asia, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Cambodia and Myanmar. In Sri Lanka, major political parties called off traditional May Day rallies due to security concerns following the Easter bombings that killed 253 people and were claimed by members linked to ISIL. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/day-international-workers-day-170429074724991.html | 2019-05-01 09:48:28+00:00 | 1,556,718,508 | 1,567,541,535 | labour | labour relations |
12,613 | aljazeera--2019-05-01--May 1 Labour Day What is International Workers Day | 2019-05-01T00:00:00 | aljazeera | May 1 Labour Day: What is International Workers' Day? | Each year on May 1, people across the globe take to the streets to commemorate International Workers' Day, or May Day. In dozens of countries, May Day is an official holiday, and for labour rights campaigners it is particularly important. The day commemorates past labour struggles against a host of workers' rights violations, including lengthy workdays and weeks, poor conditions and child labour. In the late-19th century, socialists, communists and trade unionists chose May 1 to become International Workers' Day. The date was symbolic, commemorating the Haymarket affair, which took place in Chicago, in the United States, in 1886. For years, the US working class - often forced to work up to 16 hours a day in unsafe conditions - had been fighting for an eight-hour workday. Then, in October 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada decided that May 1, 1886, would mark the first day that an eight-hour workday would go into effect. When that day arrived, between 300,000 and 500,000 US workers went on strike in cities and towns across the country, according to various historians' estimates. Chicago, which was the nucleus of the struggle, saw an estimated 40,000 people protest and strike. Until May 3, the strike was well-coordinated and largely nonviolent. But as the end of the workday approached, striking workers in Chicago attempted to confront strikebreakers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. Large police contingents were protecting the strikebreakers, and officers opened fire on the striking workers, killing at least two. As the police attempted to disperse the protesters on May 4 in Chicago's Haymarket Square, a bomb was thrown at them, killing seven officers and at least four civilians. Police subsequently rounded up and arrested eight anarchists, all of whom were convicted of conspiracy. A court sentenced seven to death and one to 15 years imprisonment. Four were hanged, one committed suicide rather than face the gallows and two had their sentences commuted to life in prison. Those who died are regarded by many on the left, including both socialists and anarchists, as the "Haymarket Martyrs". In 1889, the Second International, the international organisation for workers and socialists, declared that May 1 would from then on be International Workers' Day. The Haymarket affair galvanised the broader labour movement. In the US, however, the eight-hour workday wasn't recognised until it was turned into law in 1916, after years of strikes, protests and actions in favour of it. After the eight-hour day was initiated in the US in 1916, it was endorsed by the Communist International, an international coalition of socialist and communist parties, and by communist and socialist parties in various countries. In that same year, as World War I continued, partial strikes and clashes with police in the US and several European countries were fuelled by massive anti-war sentiment as much as they were driven by the struggle for labour rights. In 1917, as the US declared its involvement in the war, socialists and other leftists demonstrated against the bloodshed. Marxist leaders across the globe - among them Rosa Luxemburg and Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, who is most widely known as Lenin - considered the war to be an example of capitalist, imperialist countries pitting members of an international working class against one another. They argued that workers should unite and wage a revolutionary war against the ruling classes in their own countries. Four days after the revolution that toppled Tsarist rule in Russia, the eight-hour workday was introduced by official decree. International Workers' Day is marked with celebrations, protests, strikes and commemorations around the world. While the size and intensity of commemorations have ebbed and flowed over the years, several International Workers' Day commemorations stand out. In the US in 1971, as the war in Vietnam continued under the presidency of Richard Nixon, protests in Washington, spanned several days and included civil disobedience against the war. Nixon sent in an estimated 10,000 troops and mass arrests were made, prompting accusations of civil rights violations. Police and security forces arrested more than 12,000 people, although most were eventually released without charges. More recently, in 2006, a series of US-wide immigration reform marches continued on May 1, when organisers called for a strike they named a "day without immigrants". Protests had already drawn the participation of between 350,000 and 500,000 people in cities across the US. In 2016, large May Day protests and marches were held in countries across the world. In the Turkish city of Istanbul, protesters clashed with police while trying to reach the city's iconic Taksim Square. At least one protester was killed and dozens arrested. READ MORE: May Day - US workers' struggle, then and now In Moscow, tens of thousands of Russians marched in a pro-Kremlin rally to commemorate the holiday, while left-wing groups held separate events in several Russian cities. In Taipei, Taiwan's capital, labour unions took to the streets with a march to call on the government to reduce working hours and increase wages. Thousands of people in the German cities of Berlin and Hamburg participated in public demonstrations. Protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany (also known as AfD) party were held in several German cities. Following France's nationwide "yellow vest" protests that began in November last year, about 7,400 policemen are expected to be deployed in Paris. Observers say most of those joining the ranks of the "yellow vest" movement are workers on lower middle incomes who say they barely scrape by and get scant public services in exchange for some of the highest tax bills in Europe. Although planned protests to commemorate May Day take place every year in France, clashes between protesters and riot police may take place as they have become regular occurrences following the latest wave of demonstrations. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has warned that up to 2,000 "radical activists" may try to "sow violence and disorder" and may join up with "radicalised" protesters from the "yellow vest" movement. Castaner said there was also a risk that "radical elements" could try to infiltrate trade union marches in other cities, even though the unions themselves were committed to avoiding any violence. In neighbouring Germany, the German Trade Union Confederation has called for traditonal May Day demonstrations in favour of a European-wide minimum wage. Police have said a total of 5,500 officers will be deployed in Berlin including 2,000 in Friedrichshain, and have called on demonstrators to remain peaceful. Thousands of trade union members will also march through Asia, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Cambodia and Myanmar. In Sri Lanka, major political parties called off traditional May Day rallies due to security concerns following the Easter bombings that killed 253 people and were claimed by members linked to ISIL. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/day-international-workers-day-170429074724991.html | 2019-05-01 09:48:28+00:00 | 1,556,718,508 | 1,567,541,535 | labour | employment legislation |
18,624 | aljazeera--2019-12-17--US tech giants sued over DRC cobalt mine child labour deaths | 2019-12-17T00:00:00 | aljazeera | US tech giants sued over DRC cobalt mine child labour deaths | Five of the world's largest tech companies have been accused in a landmark lawsuit of being complicit in the deaths of children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who were forced to mine cobalt, a metal used to make telephones and computers. The legal complaint on behalf of 14 families from the DRC was filed on Sunday by International Rights Advocates, a United States-based human rights non-profit, against Tesla Inc, Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc, Dell Technologies Inc. and Microsoft Corp. • DR Congo: Several hacked to death in suspected rebel attacks • Is DR Congo on the brink? The complaint said families claim that the companies were part of a system of forced labour that led to the serious injuries or deaths of the children. This marked the first time that tech-industry companies have jointly faced legal action over the source of their cobalt. Images in the court documents, filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, showed children with disfigured or missing limbs. Six of the 14 children in the case were killed in tunnel collapses, and the others suffered life-altering injuries, including paralysis, the complaint said. "These companies - the richest companies in the world, these fancy gadget-making companies - have allowed children to be maimed and killed to get their cheap cobalt," Terrence Collingsworth, a lawyer representing the families, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Cobalt is essential in making rechargeable lithium batteries used in millions of products sold by the tech industry. More than half of the world's cobalt is produced in the DRC. Global demand for the metal is expected to increase at seven percent to 13 percent annually over the next decade, according to a 2018 study by the European Commission. The lawsuit said the children, some as young as six years old, were forced by their families' extreme poverty to leave school and work in cobalt mines owned by the British and Swiss mining company Glencore, which has previously been accused of using child labour. Some children were paid as little as $1.50 per day for working six days a week, the complaint said. In response to a request for comment, Dell said in an email that it has "never knowingly sourced operations" using child labour and has launched an investigation into the allegations. A spokesperson for Glencore said: "Glencore notes the allegations contained in a U.S. lawsuit filed on 15th December 2019. "Glencore's production of cobalt in the DRC is a by-product of our industrial copper production. Glencore’s operations in the DRC do not purchase or process any artisanally mined ore. "Glencore does not tolerate any form of child, forced, or compulsory labour." Tesla, Apple, Google, Microsoft did not immediately respond for comment. The legal complaint argued that the companies all have the ability to overhaul their cobalt supply chains to ensure safer conditions. "I've never encountered or documented a more severe asymmetry in the allocation of income between the top of the supply chain and the bottom," said Siddharth Kara, a researcher on modern slavery who is an expert witness in the case. "It's that disconnect that makes this perhaps the worst injustice of slavery and child exploitation that I've seen in my two decades research," Kara said. More than 40 million people have been estimated to be captive in modern slavery, which includes forced labour and forced marriage, according to Walk Free and the International Labour Organization. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/tech-giants-sued-drc-cobalt-child-labour-deaths-191217172719468.html | Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:01:12 GMT | 1,576,623,672 | 1,576,628,488 | labour | labour relations |
18,624 | aljazeera--2019-12-17--US tech giants sued over DRC cobalt mine child labour deaths | 2019-12-17T00:00:00 | aljazeera | US tech giants sued over DRC cobalt mine child labour deaths | Five of the world's largest tech companies have been accused in a landmark lawsuit of being complicit in the deaths of children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who were forced to mine cobalt, a metal used to make telephones and computers. The legal complaint on behalf of 14 families from the DRC was filed on Sunday by International Rights Advocates, a United States-based human rights non-profit, against Tesla Inc, Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc, Dell Technologies Inc. and Microsoft Corp. • DR Congo: Several hacked to death in suspected rebel attacks • Is DR Congo on the brink? The complaint said families claim that the companies were part of a system of forced labour that led to the serious injuries or deaths of the children. This marked the first time that tech-industry companies have jointly faced legal action over the source of their cobalt. Images in the court documents, filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, showed children with disfigured or missing limbs. Six of the 14 children in the case were killed in tunnel collapses, and the others suffered life-altering injuries, including paralysis, the complaint said. "These companies - the richest companies in the world, these fancy gadget-making companies - have allowed children to be maimed and killed to get their cheap cobalt," Terrence Collingsworth, a lawyer representing the families, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Cobalt is essential in making rechargeable lithium batteries used in millions of products sold by the tech industry. More than half of the world's cobalt is produced in the DRC. Global demand for the metal is expected to increase at seven percent to 13 percent annually over the next decade, according to a 2018 study by the European Commission. The lawsuit said the children, some as young as six years old, were forced by their families' extreme poverty to leave school and work in cobalt mines owned by the British and Swiss mining company Glencore, which has previously been accused of using child labour. Some children were paid as little as $1.50 per day for working six days a week, the complaint said. In response to a request for comment, Dell said in an email that it has "never knowingly sourced operations" using child labour and has launched an investigation into the allegations. A spokesperson for Glencore said: "Glencore notes the allegations contained in a U.S. lawsuit filed on 15th December 2019. "Glencore's production of cobalt in the DRC is a by-product of our industrial copper production. Glencore’s operations in the DRC do not purchase or process any artisanally mined ore. "Glencore does not tolerate any form of child, forced, or compulsory labour." Tesla, Apple, Google, Microsoft did not immediately respond for comment. The legal complaint argued that the companies all have the ability to overhaul their cobalt supply chains to ensure safer conditions. "I've never encountered or documented a more severe asymmetry in the allocation of income between the top of the supply chain and the bottom," said Siddharth Kara, a researcher on modern slavery who is an expert witness in the case. "It's that disconnect that makes this perhaps the worst injustice of slavery and child exploitation that I've seen in my two decades research," Kara said. More than 40 million people have been estimated to be captive in modern slavery, which includes forced labour and forced marriage, according to Walk Free and the International Labour Organization. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/tech-giants-sued-drc-cobalt-child-labour-deaths-191217172719468.html | Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:01:12 GMT | 1,576,623,672 | 1,576,628,488 | labour | employment legislation |
18,624 | aljazeera--2019-12-17--US tech giants sued over DRC cobalt mine child labour deaths | 2019-12-17T00:00:00 | aljazeera | US tech giants sued over DRC cobalt mine child labour deaths | Five of the world's largest tech companies have been accused in a landmark lawsuit of being complicit in the deaths of children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who were forced to mine cobalt, a metal used to make telephones and computers. The legal complaint on behalf of 14 families from the DRC was filed on Sunday by International Rights Advocates, a United States-based human rights non-profit, against Tesla Inc, Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc, Dell Technologies Inc. and Microsoft Corp. • DR Congo: Several hacked to death in suspected rebel attacks • Is DR Congo on the brink? The complaint said families claim that the companies were part of a system of forced labour that led to the serious injuries or deaths of the children. This marked the first time that tech-industry companies have jointly faced legal action over the source of their cobalt. Images in the court documents, filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, showed children with disfigured or missing limbs. Six of the 14 children in the case were killed in tunnel collapses, and the others suffered life-altering injuries, including paralysis, the complaint said. "These companies - the richest companies in the world, these fancy gadget-making companies - have allowed children to be maimed and killed to get their cheap cobalt," Terrence Collingsworth, a lawyer representing the families, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Cobalt is essential in making rechargeable lithium batteries used in millions of products sold by the tech industry. More than half of the world's cobalt is produced in the DRC. Global demand for the metal is expected to increase at seven percent to 13 percent annually over the next decade, according to a 2018 study by the European Commission. The lawsuit said the children, some as young as six years old, were forced by their families' extreme poverty to leave school and work in cobalt mines owned by the British and Swiss mining company Glencore, which has previously been accused of using child labour. Some children were paid as little as $1.50 per day for working six days a week, the complaint said. In response to a request for comment, Dell said in an email that it has "never knowingly sourced operations" using child labour and has launched an investigation into the allegations. A spokesperson for Glencore said: "Glencore notes the allegations contained in a U.S. lawsuit filed on 15th December 2019. "Glencore's production of cobalt in the DRC is a by-product of our industrial copper production. Glencore’s operations in the DRC do not purchase or process any artisanally mined ore. "Glencore does not tolerate any form of child, forced, or compulsory labour." Tesla, Apple, Google, Microsoft did not immediately respond for comment. The legal complaint argued that the companies all have the ability to overhaul their cobalt supply chains to ensure safer conditions. "I've never encountered or documented a more severe asymmetry in the allocation of income between the top of the supply chain and the bottom," said Siddharth Kara, a researcher on modern slavery who is an expert witness in the case. "It's that disconnect that makes this perhaps the worst injustice of slavery and child exploitation that I've seen in my two decades research," Kara said. More than 40 million people have been estimated to be captive in modern slavery, which includes forced labour and forced marriage, according to Walk Free and the International Labour Organization. | null | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/tech-giants-sued-drc-cobalt-child-labour-deaths-191217172719468.html | Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:01:12 GMT | 1,576,623,672 | 1,576,628,488 | labour | labour market |
26,980 | bbc--2019-05-15--Choco Leibniz biscuit heiress sparks row over Nazi-era labour | 2019-05-15T00:00:00 | bbc | Choco Leibniz biscuit heiress sparks row over Nazi-era labour | A German biscuit heiress has sparked outrage by saying the company "did nothing wrong" in its use of forced labour during Nazi rule. Verena Bahlsen, 25, was responding to an earlier controversy when she made the comment about forced workers. Bahlsen, which makes Choco Leibniz, employed about 200 forced labourers between 1943 and 1945 - most of whom were women from Nazi-occupied Ukraine. Critics have accused Ms Bahlsen of being "oblivious to history". The company itself has since distanced itself from her comments. The controversy started last week, when Ms Bahlsen told delegates at a marketing conference: "I'm a capitalist. I own a quarter of Bahlsen, that's great. I want to buy a sailing yacht and stuff like that." Although German newspaper Handelsblatt reported that the audience clapped and laughed along with her, some social media users accused the heiress of being insensitive to the company's past exploitation of forced labourers by making light-hearted remarks about her wealth. Asked about the criticism in an interview with Bild newspaper, Ms Bahlsen replied: "That was before my time, and we paid the forced labourers exactly as much as German workers and we treated them well." She added that the company had nothing to feel guilty about. These comments only deepened the controversy. The Nazi Forced Labour Documentation Centre in Berlin tweeted that there was "a great knowledge gap for family members of the Bahlsen family". "The issue of Nazi forced labour is often still a blind spot in the collective memory," they added. Guy Stern, a 97-year-old scientist whose family were killed in the Holocaust, also criticised Ms Bahlsen - telling reporters that she was talking about forced labourers "from the high viewpoint of an heiress". The Social Democratic Party's general secretary Lars Klingbeil said: "Someone who inherits such great wealth, also inherits responsibility and should not be so arrogant." And historian and writer Felix Bohr argued in Der Spiegel magazine that although Ms Bahlsen couldn't change her company's past, "she must face up to its historical responsibility". He also criticised her "obliviousness to history". But Handelsblatt journalist Christoph Kapalschinski, who originally reported from the marketing conference, defended Ms Bahlsen and said her comments about being a capitalist had been "taken out of context". He adds that "anyone who knows Verena Bahlsen" would know that she likely downplayed the treatment of the company's forced labourers "because she does not know any better - not because she's a history revisionist". In a statement, Bahlsen said: "The company is aware of the great suffering and injustice that forced labourers as well as many other people had experienced, and recognises its historical and moral responsibility." | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48286383 | 2019-05-15 16:56:54+00:00 | 1,557,953,814 | 1,567,540,586 | labour | employment legislation |
30,769 | bbc--2019-09-11--California church leaders used homeless as forced labour | 2019-09-11T00:00:00 | bbc | California church leaders 'used homeless as forced labour' | The leaders of a California based-church have been accused of imprisoning homeless people, forcing them to beg all day and taking the money. Dozens of victims had their papers taken, their welfare benefits stolen and were punished if they spoke of "things of the world", officials say. Imperial Valley Ministries (IVM) operates about 30 affiliate church groups in the US and Mexico. A dozen of the group's leaders were arrested on Tuesday. The former pastor of Imperial Valley Ministries, Victor Gonzalez, was detained in San Diego. Eleven others were held in El Centro, California, and Brownsville, Texas. The defendants are facing charges of conspiracy, forced labour, document servitude and benefits fraud. The church, which represents its pastors as "missionaries to drug addicts", lured victims by promising them food and shelter and opportunities to get back on their feet at "no cost", federal officials say. "The indictment alleges an appalling abuse of power by church officials who preyed on vulnerable homeless people with promises of a warm bed and meals," the lead prosecutor, US Attorney Robert Brewer, said at a news conference after the arrests. "These victims were held captive, stripped of their humble financial means, their identification, their freedom and their dignity." A statement from the prosecutor added that "windows were nailed shut at some group home locations, leading a desperate 17-year-old victim to break a window, escape, and run to a neighbouring property to call police". Victims were allegedly locked in group homes, and forced to beg for nine hours a day, six days a week. According to prosecutors, victims were told "the only thing to be read is the holy bible" and "if any of the rules are broken there will be discipline". Punishments included the withholding of food, and if they asked to leave they were told their children would be taken away, it is alleged. Church leaders refused to allow a diabetic victim with low blood sugar to obtain medicine, said officials. She was able to escape. They were also banned from using the telephone, and told to avoid their family because "only God" loved them now, said officials. If they did manage to leave, church leaders continued to withhold their money, along with important documents such as immigration paperwork and food benefit cards. All of the victims have been identified and are now free, officials say. Support services have been made available to them. The case highlights the chronic problem of homelessness in California. President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered White House officials to launch an initiative to address the issue, though California leaders are sceptical. White House officials earlier this week toured districts of Los Angeles and blamed "liberal policies" for the city's high numbers of destitute people. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49667769 | 2019-09-11 16:21:17+00:00 | 1,568,233,277 | 1,569,330,416 | labour | employment legislation |
30,769 | bbc--2019-09-11--California church leaders used homeless as forced labour | 2019-09-11T00:00:00 | bbc | California church leaders 'used homeless as forced labour' | The leaders of a California based-church have been accused of imprisoning homeless people, forcing them to beg all day and taking the money. Dozens of victims had their papers taken, their welfare benefits stolen and were punished if they spoke of "things of the world", officials say. Imperial Valley Ministries (IVM) operates about 30 affiliate church groups in the US and Mexico. A dozen of the group's leaders were arrested on Tuesday. The former pastor of Imperial Valley Ministries, Victor Gonzalez, was detained in San Diego. Eleven others were held in El Centro, California, and Brownsville, Texas. The defendants are facing charges of conspiracy, forced labour, document servitude and benefits fraud. The church, which represents its pastors as "missionaries to drug addicts", lured victims by promising them food and shelter and opportunities to get back on their feet at "no cost", federal officials say. "The indictment alleges an appalling abuse of power by church officials who preyed on vulnerable homeless people with promises of a warm bed and meals," the lead prosecutor, US Attorney Robert Brewer, said at a news conference after the arrests. "These victims were held captive, stripped of their humble financial means, their identification, their freedom and their dignity." A statement from the prosecutor added that "windows were nailed shut at some group home locations, leading a desperate 17-year-old victim to break a window, escape, and run to a neighbouring property to call police". Victims were allegedly locked in group homes, and forced to beg for nine hours a day, six days a week. According to prosecutors, victims were told "the only thing to be read is the holy bible" and "if any of the rules are broken there will be discipline". Punishments included the withholding of food, and if they asked to leave they were told their children would be taken away, it is alleged. Church leaders refused to allow a diabetic victim with low blood sugar to obtain medicine, said officials. She was able to escape. They were also banned from using the telephone, and told to avoid their family because "only God" loved them now, said officials. If they did manage to leave, church leaders continued to withhold their money, along with important documents such as immigration paperwork and food benefit cards. All of the victims have been identified and are now free, officials say. Support services have been made available to them. The case highlights the chronic problem of homelessness in California. President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered White House officials to launch an initiative to address the issue, though California leaders are sceptical. White House officials earlier this week toured districts of Los Angeles and blamed "liberal policies" for the city's high numbers of destitute people. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49667769 | 2019-09-11 16:21:17+00:00 | 1,568,233,277 | 1,569,330,416 | labour | labour relations |
37,156 | bbcuk--2019-02-22--Flexible working Labour pledges new employee rights | 2019-02-22T00:00:00 | bbcuk | Flexible working: Labour pledges new employee rights | Labour would give workers the right to choose their working hours from their first day in a new job, the party's equalities spokeswoman is to say. Employers would be required to allow their employees to work flexibly from day one, Dawn Butler will tell the party's Women's Conference later. This would open up more roles to women who care for loved ones, helping to close the gender pay gap, she will say. Workers can currently request flexible working after 26 weeks in post. This can include features such as job-sharing, working from home, part-time, annualised or compressed hours or flexi-time. However, employers can reject requests provided they do so in "in a reasonable manner". Labour says that - if elected - it would create a "presumption in favour of flexible working", requiring employers to design the potential for people to work flexibly when creating roles. "This change to the law is essential to closing the gender pay gap and dismantling the structural barriers that hold women back from promotion and progression," Ms Butler will say. Highlighting government statistics on "sandwich carers" - those who care both for children and elderly or disabled relatives - Labour says women account for 68% of those providing 20 or more hours of free adult care per week. "Women do the vast majority of unpaid care, but this must not be a barrier to women in work," Ms Butler will tell the conference in Telford. "Under Labour's plans, no woman will be shut out of the workplace because they're a mum or they care for a parent or a disabled loved one, or both." The plans would place an onus on employers who wanted to reject applications to prove roles were unsuitable, in line with conditions set out in new statutory guidance. Under current laws, employers can reject applications for various reasons such as that they will lead to damaging extra costs, could affect quality and performance, or work cannot be reorganised among staff. The government took steps to promote flexible working when launching its drive to force large employers to publish their gender pay gaps. In October 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May called on employers to advertise all jobs as flexible from day one, unless there were "solid reasons" against doing so. A Flexible Working Task Force, chaired by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development and including policymakers, employer groups and unions, began work in March last year. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47337554 | 2019-02-22 22:43:18+00:00 | 1,550,893,398 | 1,567,547,696 | labour | employment legislation |
37,156 | bbcuk--2019-02-22--Flexible working Labour pledges new employee rights | 2019-02-22T00:00:00 | bbcuk | Flexible working: Labour pledges new employee rights | Labour would give workers the right to choose their working hours from their first day in a new job, the party's equalities spokeswoman is to say. Employers would be required to allow their employees to work flexibly from day one, Dawn Butler will tell the party's Women's Conference later. This would open up more roles to women who care for loved ones, helping to close the gender pay gap, she will say. Workers can currently request flexible working after 26 weeks in post. This can include features such as job-sharing, working from home, part-time, annualised or compressed hours or flexi-time. However, employers can reject requests provided they do so in "in a reasonable manner". Labour says that - if elected - it would create a "presumption in favour of flexible working", requiring employers to design the potential for people to work flexibly when creating roles. "This change to the law is essential to closing the gender pay gap and dismantling the structural barriers that hold women back from promotion and progression," Ms Butler will say. Highlighting government statistics on "sandwich carers" - those who care both for children and elderly or disabled relatives - Labour says women account for 68% of those providing 20 or more hours of free adult care per week. "Women do the vast majority of unpaid care, but this must not be a barrier to women in work," Ms Butler will tell the conference in Telford. "Under Labour's plans, no woman will be shut out of the workplace because they're a mum or they care for a parent or a disabled loved one, or both." The plans would place an onus on employers who wanted to reject applications to prove roles were unsuitable, in line with conditions set out in new statutory guidance. Under current laws, employers can reject applications for various reasons such as that they will lead to damaging extra costs, could affect quality and performance, or work cannot be reorganised among staff. The government took steps to promote flexible working when launching its drive to force large employers to publish their gender pay gaps. In October 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May called on employers to advertise all jobs as flexible from day one, unless there were "solid reasons" against doing so. A Flexible Working Task Force, chaired by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development and including policymakers, employer groups and unions, began work in March last year. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47337554 | 2019-02-22 22:43:18+00:00 | 1,550,893,398 | 1,567,547,696 | labour | employment |
40,670 | bbcuk--2019-06-17--MPs maternity rights Labours Stella Creasy speaks out | 2019-06-17T00:00:00 | bbcuk | MPs' maternity rights: Labour's Stella Creasy speaks out | Women are forced to choose between "being an MP and being a mum" because of Parliament's rules, a pregnant Labour MP has said. Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy said that Ipsa - the body which regulates MPs' pay - told her it does not recognise when members go on maternity leave. Consequently, no paid cover is available for work done outside the House of Commons. Writing in the Guardian, Ms Creasy also revealed she has had two miscarriages. She continued working "aching and bleeding" during her first miscarriage and led a public meeting the day after her second. "Now I'm pregnant once more and terrified - not just that it will go wrong again, but because I know that my resolve to keep my private and professional lives separate has become impossible," she said, explaining her reason for speaking out. Ms Creasy said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) turned down her approach for paid cover during maternity leave. "Humiliatingly, it is making me beg for extra staff funding - or give up any chance of spending time with my child to make sure my constituents don't miss out," she wrote. In January, MPs backed a year-long trial to allow MPs who were about to give birth or had recently become a parent to nominate another MP to vote on their behalf in the Commons. The debate over Parliament's rules was reignited when Labour's Tulip Siddiq delayed a Caesarean section to attend a vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal. Later that month, the Hampstead and Kilburn MP became the first to vote in the Commons by proxy. However, in her Guardian article, Ms Creasy said the lack of maternity cover meant her colleague "had to return to casework three days after a C-section". "For all the talk of being family friendly, Westminster is still struggling to offer deeds instead of words," she wrote. "And if we can't get this right for MPs, how can we get this right for parents elsewhere?" In 2017, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman called for MPs to be given six months' maternity leave. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48671092 | 2019-06-17 23:56:59+00:00 | 1,560,830,219 | 1,567,539,034 | labour | employment legislation |
40,670 | bbcuk--2019-06-17--MPs maternity rights Labours Stella Creasy speaks out | 2019-06-17T00:00:00 | bbcuk | MPs' maternity rights: Labour's Stella Creasy speaks out | Women are forced to choose between "being an MP and being a mum" because of Parliament's rules, a pregnant Labour MP has said. Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy said that Ipsa - the body which regulates MPs' pay - told her it does not recognise when members go on maternity leave. Consequently, no paid cover is available for work done outside the House of Commons. Writing in the Guardian, Ms Creasy also revealed she has had two miscarriages. She continued working "aching and bleeding" during her first miscarriage and led a public meeting the day after her second. "Now I'm pregnant once more and terrified - not just that it will go wrong again, but because I know that my resolve to keep my private and professional lives separate has become impossible," she said, explaining her reason for speaking out. Ms Creasy said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) turned down her approach for paid cover during maternity leave. "Humiliatingly, it is making me beg for extra staff funding - or give up any chance of spending time with my child to make sure my constituents don't miss out," she wrote. In January, MPs backed a year-long trial to allow MPs who were about to give birth or had recently become a parent to nominate another MP to vote on their behalf in the Commons. The debate over Parliament's rules was reignited when Labour's Tulip Siddiq delayed a Caesarean section to attend a vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal. Later that month, the Hampstead and Kilburn MP became the first to vote in the Commons by proxy. However, in her Guardian article, Ms Creasy said the lack of maternity cover meant her colleague "had to return to casework three days after a C-section". "For all the talk of being family friendly, Westminster is still struggling to offer deeds instead of words," she wrote. "And if we can't get this right for MPs, how can we get this right for parents elsewhere?" In 2017, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman called for MPs to be given six months' maternity leave. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48671092 | 2019-06-17 23:56:59+00:00 | 1,560,830,219 | 1,567,539,034 | labour | labour relations |
43,633 | bbcuk--2019-09-21--Labour conference Menopausal women should get flexible work hours | 2019-09-21T00:00:00 | bbcuk | Labour conference: Menopausal women 'should get flexible work hours' | Large employers would be forced to provide flexible hours to women experiencing the menopause under Labour plans to end stigma in the workplace. Shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler announced the "bold" policy as the party's conference starts in Brighton. Other proposals to be discussed include expanding GP training, transport and Labour's stance on Brexit. But the opening of the conference was overshadowed by a row over a bid to get rid of Tom Watson's deputy leader role. Under Ms Butler's plans, companies with more than 250 employees would also be required to train managers on the effects of the menopause so they can accommodate the needs of employees. She said: "Together we must end the stigma and ensure that no woman is put at a disadvantage, from menstruation to menopause." Three in five menopausal women between the ages of 45 and 55 say it has a negative impact on them at work, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Mandy Broadbent, from Bolton, Lancashire, an ambassador to the Eve Appeal charity, said employers should be doing all they could to help women at this stage in their life. The 56-year-old added: "It can be such a drastic change to a woman's life, no one is prepared for it and you can end up really losing your self confidence. "The more flexible employers can be, the more it will help women reach their potential." Labour's plans would also require large employers to ensure absence procedures are flexible and treat menopause like a long-term fluctuating health condition. Recommended adjustments include adequate ventilation to help alleviate hot flushes, ensuring access to cold water and flexible working hours if sleep is disturbed. Other Labour policies on women in the workplace to be announced include forcing large companies to publish action plans to close the gender pay gap, and to tackle harassment at work through the Equality Act. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49781137 | 2019-09-21 10:35:05+00:00 | 1,569,076,505 | 1,570,222,563 | labour | employment legislation |
45,236 | bbcuk--2019-11-19--General election 2019: Workers under Labour 'will take back control' | 2019-11-19T00:00:00 | bbcuk | General election 2019: Workers under Labour 'will take back control' | Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said workers and consumers would "take back control" under a new business model if Labour wins the election. In a speech in Westminster, he said company boards would include workers and elected members, giving them greater influence over pay structure. And public sector chief executives would not be allowed to earn more than 20 times someone on the living wage. That would mean a maximum salary of about £350,000. The plans were part of an overall vision to create a business model that was not based on the "unfettered pursuit of profit maximisation". But, responding to Mr McDonnell's speech, the British Chambers of Commerce said it would be "misguided to impose a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach". • Live: Latest from the election campaign trail The shadow chancellor said the relentless pursuit of shareholder value and "corporate greed" had been to the detriment of the workers who create that wealth. "Labour's reforms to how our large businesses and public utilities are governed, owned and regulated and how both workers and consumers are represented will genuinely enable them to take back control," he said. • Workers would become shareholders in their companies • Large companies that don't take adequate steps to tackle climate change would be delisted from the FTSE 100 • There would be no windfall tax on oil companies. This is essentially a one-off tax imposed on a company or industry by a government, usually imposed when an industry is perceived to have made excessive or undeserved profits • Plans to introduce an Excessive Pay Levy on companies over disparities in pay between senior executives and other employees • A requirement for companies to set out their policy for tackling the gender and ethnicity pay gap • An overhaul of the UK's system of regulation, including establishing its only regulatory bodies Mr McDonnell said Labour would "rewrite the rules" of the business model and "treat people fairly and with respect". In the past, he said, workers had "often been treated as virtual chattels". He also outlined plans to overhaul the business audit sector to make it more independent because, he said, it was too dominated by the "big four" audit companies. "Under Labour, the big four will not be allowed to operate like a cartel," he said. "At the heart, we believe that every business should be a partnership - between employees, customers, managers and shareholders - for the long-term success of the enterprise. "Many European countries have more robust systems to secure long-term decision-making than the UK. He adds that, if Labour gains power, it will rewrite the Companies Act "so that directors have a duty to promote the long-term interests of employees, customers, the environment and the wider public". Earlier, Mr McDonnell confirmed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Labour was retaining its policy to scrap student tuition fees as a start to overhauling the system of financing tertiary education, including student loans. The government "must realise that the system is falling apart", he said, adding: "Large amounts of that debt is not being paid off and the government is having to write it off." He added that there "is an approach that has to be taken that looks at existing debt". When pressed on whether Labour will cancel student debt, Mr McDonnell added: "What I'm saying is, it has to be addressed in some form by whoever is in government, because the system - exactly as we predicted - is not working." Responding, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "We can't trust Jeremy Corbyn with our economy and his plan for two more referendums (on Brexit and Scottish independence) would cause havoc next year. "Only the Conservatives will get Brexit done and keep our economy strong." The British Chambers of Commerce said in a statement: "It's one thing to support employee ownership, stronger corporate governance and a transition to a greener economy, which have had positive impacts on many firms. But it would be misguided to impose a rigid, one-size-fits all approach. "Getting our economy moving requires serious investment in skills, infrastructure and a reduction in business costs. But extensive government interference in ownership and governance could deter investors and damage confidence." It said the next government must work more closely with businesses, with success depending on "partnership, not diktat". Labour's plans to "rewrite the rules" for corporate Britain and refocus big employers on climate change and gender parity on their boards certainly reflect its belief in a more muscular state. But the plans are also quite a departure for British corporations used to dealing with social issues voluntarily, and on the basis of consensus. Threatening to delist companies from the stock exchange on the basis of an insufficient plan to address climate change is a stark new direction. But Labour has also rowed back on one of the most radical policies announced by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell last year. The Inclusive Ownership Fund still involves taking 1% year of the share value of listed UK companies and putting that into a pot to distribute to workers, up to 10% after a decade. But a number of refinements have now been made to the plan. Firstly, the shares and the profits distributed to UK workers would now only be based on UK profits alone, not on worldwide profits. Secondly, the amount of money distributed to the Exchequer over and above what goes to workers will be limited to 25%. That partially deals with some of the most acute concerns expressed by the private sector about the "£300bn expropriation" of shares. Dan Neidle, the City lawyer who calculated that figure, now says that limiting it to UK profits, roughly halves that number. In addition, the share of the funds that could go to the Exchequer is now limited to 25%, rather than 90% calculated for the original policy. All the Exchequer funding would go to apprenticeships in skills to help alleviate climate change. The net result is that Labour now calculate the policy as raising £2bn a year for workers and £700m a year for apprenticeships by 2024. While these are significant sums, in context they are equivalent to raising corporation tax by 0.5%. The CBI said Labour's shift showed it had "started to listen" but the effect "remained severe" for those companies affected. Labour itself denied it had reined in the policy but acknowledged it had "listened to concerns". | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50474345 | Tue, 19 Nov 2019 18:26:59 GMT | 1,574,206,019 | 1,574,209,546 | labour | employment legislation |
45,236 | bbcuk--2019-11-19--General election 2019: Workers under Labour 'will take back control' | 2019-11-19T00:00:00 | bbcuk | General election 2019: Workers under Labour 'will take back control' | Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said workers and consumers would "take back control" under a new business model if Labour wins the election. In a speech in Westminster, he said company boards would include workers and elected members, giving them greater influence over pay structure. And public sector chief executives would not be allowed to earn more than 20 times someone on the living wage. That would mean a maximum salary of about £350,000. The plans were part of an overall vision to create a business model that was not based on the "unfettered pursuit of profit maximisation". But, responding to Mr McDonnell's speech, the British Chambers of Commerce said it would be "misguided to impose a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach". • Live: Latest from the election campaign trail The shadow chancellor said the relentless pursuit of shareholder value and "corporate greed" had been to the detriment of the workers who create that wealth. "Labour's reforms to how our large businesses and public utilities are governed, owned and regulated and how both workers and consumers are represented will genuinely enable them to take back control," he said. • Workers would become shareholders in their companies • Large companies that don't take adequate steps to tackle climate change would be delisted from the FTSE 100 • There would be no windfall tax on oil companies. This is essentially a one-off tax imposed on a company or industry by a government, usually imposed when an industry is perceived to have made excessive or undeserved profits • Plans to introduce an Excessive Pay Levy on companies over disparities in pay between senior executives and other employees • A requirement for companies to set out their policy for tackling the gender and ethnicity pay gap • An overhaul of the UK's system of regulation, including establishing its only regulatory bodies Mr McDonnell said Labour would "rewrite the rules" of the business model and "treat people fairly and with respect". In the past, he said, workers had "often been treated as virtual chattels". He also outlined plans to overhaul the business audit sector to make it more independent because, he said, it was too dominated by the "big four" audit companies. "Under Labour, the big four will not be allowed to operate like a cartel," he said. "At the heart, we believe that every business should be a partnership - between employees, customers, managers and shareholders - for the long-term success of the enterprise. "Many European countries have more robust systems to secure long-term decision-making than the UK. He adds that, if Labour gains power, it will rewrite the Companies Act "so that directors have a duty to promote the long-term interests of employees, customers, the environment and the wider public". Earlier, Mr McDonnell confirmed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Labour was retaining its policy to scrap student tuition fees as a start to overhauling the system of financing tertiary education, including student loans. The government "must realise that the system is falling apart", he said, adding: "Large amounts of that debt is not being paid off and the government is having to write it off." He added that there "is an approach that has to be taken that looks at existing debt". When pressed on whether Labour will cancel student debt, Mr McDonnell added: "What I'm saying is, it has to be addressed in some form by whoever is in government, because the system - exactly as we predicted - is not working." Responding, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "We can't trust Jeremy Corbyn with our economy and his plan for two more referendums (on Brexit and Scottish independence) would cause havoc next year. "Only the Conservatives will get Brexit done and keep our economy strong." The British Chambers of Commerce said in a statement: "It's one thing to support employee ownership, stronger corporate governance and a transition to a greener economy, which have had positive impacts on many firms. But it would be misguided to impose a rigid, one-size-fits all approach. "Getting our economy moving requires serious investment in skills, infrastructure and a reduction in business costs. But extensive government interference in ownership and governance could deter investors and damage confidence." It said the next government must work more closely with businesses, with success depending on "partnership, not diktat". Labour's plans to "rewrite the rules" for corporate Britain and refocus big employers on climate change and gender parity on their boards certainly reflect its belief in a more muscular state. But the plans are also quite a departure for British corporations used to dealing with social issues voluntarily, and on the basis of consensus. Threatening to delist companies from the stock exchange on the basis of an insufficient plan to address climate change is a stark new direction. But Labour has also rowed back on one of the most radical policies announced by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell last year. The Inclusive Ownership Fund still involves taking 1% year of the share value of listed UK companies and putting that into a pot to distribute to workers, up to 10% after a decade. But a number of refinements have now been made to the plan. Firstly, the shares and the profits distributed to UK workers would now only be based on UK profits alone, not on worldwide profits. Secondly, the amount of money distributed to the Exchequer over and above what goes to workers will be limited to 25%. That partially deals with some of the most acute concerns expressed by the private sector about the "£300bn expropriation" of shares. Dan Neidle, the City lawyer who calculated that figure, now says that limiting it to UK profits, roughly halves that number. In addition, the share of the funds that could go to the Exchequer is now limited to 25%, rather than 90% calculated for the original policy. All the Exchequer funding would go to apprenticeships in skills to help alleviate climate change. The net result is that Labour now calculate the policy as raising £2bn a year for workers and £700m a year for apprenticeships by 2024. While these are significant sums, in context they are equivalent to raising corporation tax by 0.5%. The CBI said Labour's shift showed it had "started to listen" but the effect "remained severe" for those companies affected. Labour itself denied it had reined in the policy but acknowledged it had "listened to concerns". | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50474345 | Tue, 19 Nov 2019 18:26:59 GMT | 1,574,206,019 | 1,574,209,546 | labour | employment |
45,236 | bbcuk--2019-11-19--General election 2019: Workers under Labour 'will take back control' | 2019-11-19T00:00:00 | bbcuk | General election 2019: Workers under Labour 'will take back control' | Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said workers and consumers would "take back control" under a new business model if Labour wins the election. In a speech in Westminster, he said company boards would include workers and elected members, giving them greater influence over pay structure. And public sector chief executives would not be allowed to earn more than 20 times someone on the living wage. That would mean a maximum salary of about £350,000. The plans were part of an overall vision to create a business model that was not based on the "unfettered pursuit of profit maximisation". But, responding to Mr McDonnell's speech, the British Chambers of Commerce said it would be "misguided to impose a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach". • Live: Latest from the election campaign trail The shadow chancellor said the relentless pursuit of shareholder value and "corporate greed" had been to the detriment of the workers who create that wealth. "Labour's reforms to how our large businesses and public utilities are governed, owned and regulated and how both workers and consumers are represented will genuinely enable them to take back control," he said. • Workers would become shareholders in their companies • Large companies that don't take adequate steps to tackle climate change would be delisted from the FTSE 100 • There would be no windfall tax on oil companies. This is essentially a one-off tax imposed on a company or industry by a government, usually imposed when an industry is perceived to have made excessive or undeserved profits • Plans to introduce an Excessive Pay Levy on companies over disparities in pay between senior executives and other employees • A requirement for companies to set out their policy for tackling the gender and ethnicity pay gap • An overhaul of the UK's system of regulation, including establishing its only regulatory bodies Mr McDonnell said Labour would "rewrite the rules" of the business model and "treat people fairly and with respect". In the past, he said, workers had "often been treated as virtual chattels". He also outlined plans to overhaul the business audit sector to make it more independent because, he said, it was too dominated by the "big four" audit companies. "Under Labour, the big four will not be allowed to operate like a cartel," he said. "At the heart, we believe that every business should be a partnership - between employees, customers, managers and shareholders - for the long-term success of the enterprise. "Many European countries have more robust systems to secure long-term decision-making than the UK. He adds that, if Labour gains power, it will rewrite the Companies Act "so that directors have a duty to promote the long-term interests of employees, customers, the environment and the wider public". Earlier, Mr McDonnell confirmed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Labour was retaining its policy to scrap student tuition fees as a start to overhauling the system of financing tertiary education, including student loans. The government "must realise that the system is falling apart", he said, adding: "Large amounts of that debt is not being paid off and the government is having to write it off." He added that there "is an approach that has to be taken that looks at existing debt". When pressed on whether Labour will cancel student debt, Mr McDonnell added: "What I'm saying is, it has to be addressed in some form by whoever is in government, because the system - exactly as we predicted - is not working." Responding, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "We can't trust Jeremy Corbyn with our economy and his plan for two more referendums (on Brexit and Scottish independence) would cause havoc next year. "Only the Conservatives will get Brexit done and keep our economy strong." The British Chambers of Commerce said in a statement: "It's one thing to support employee ownership, stronger corporate governance and a transition to a greener economy, which have had positive impacts on many firms. But it would be misguided to impose a rigid, one-size-fits all approach. "Getting our economy moving requires serious investment in skills, infrastructure and a reduction in business costs. But extensive government interference in ownership and governance could deter investors and damage confidence." It said the next government must work more closely with businesses, with success depending on "partnership, not diktat". Labour's plans to "rewrite the rules" for corporate Britain and refocus big employers on climate change and gender parity on their boards certainly reflect its belief in a more muscular state. But the plans are also quite a departure for British corporations used to dealing with social issues voluntarily, and on the basis of consensus. Threatening to delist companies from the stock exchange on the basis of an insufficient plan to address climate change is a stark new direction. But Labour has also rowed back on one of the most radical policies announced by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell last year. The Inclusive Ownership Fund still involves taking 1% year of the share value of listed UK companies and putting that into a pot to distribute to workers, up to 10% after a decade. But a number of refinements have now been made to the plan. Firstly, the shares and the profits distributed to UK workers would now only be based on UK profits alone, not on worldwide profits. Secondly, the amount of money distributed to the Exchequer over and above what goes to workers will be limited to 25%. That partially deals with some of the most acute concerns expressed by the private sector about the "£300bn expropriation" of shares. Dan Neidle, the City lawyer who calculated that figure, now says that limiting it to UK profits, roughly halves that number. In addition, the share of the funds that could go to the Exchequer is now limited to 25%, rather than 90% calculated for the original policy. All the Exchequer funding would go to apprenticeships in skills to help alleviate climate change. The net result is that Labour now calculate the policy as raising £2bn a year for workers and £700m a year for apprenticeships by 2024. While these are significant sums, in context they are equivalent to raising corporation tax by 0.5%. The CBI said Labour's shift showed it had "started to listen" but the effect "remained severe" for those companies affected. Labour itself denied it had reined in the policy but acknowledged it had "listened to concerns". | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50474345 | Tue, 19 Nov 2019 18:26:59 GMT | 1,574,206,019 | 1,574,209,546 | labour | labour market |
1,081 | abcnews--2019-01-15--On Day 25 of government shutdown 800000 federal employees are without pay | 2019-01-15T00:00:00 | abcnews | On Day 25 of government shutdown, 800,000 federal employees are without pay | It's Day 25 of the longest-ever government shutdown – with no end in sight to the political standoff. Some 800,000 federal workers are ensnared in the shutdown showdown and many missed their first paycheck on Friday. On Monday, another one-third missed a paycheck, the American Federation of Workers estimated, and on Tuesday, the last batch of federal workers missed theirs – including, for the first time in history, members of the Coast Guard. Here's a look at how different parts of the country are being affected. Tuesday marked the first time members of the armed forces missed paychecks because of a government shutdown. Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Karl Schultz issued a stark warning over Twitter: "Today you will not be receiving your regularly scheduled paycheck. To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our Nation’s history that servicemembers in a U.S. Armed Force have not been paid during a lapse in appropriations," he said. In a message to the men and women of the Coast Guard, Schultz also announced some good news: USAA,a financial services company for members of the military and their family, will donate $15 million that will be distributed to the military and civilian workforce in need of assistance. The money will be distributed by the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and the American Red Cross. "Stay the course, stand the watch, and serve with pride. You are not, and will not, be forgotten," Schultz wrote. A federal judge on Tuesday denied requests from unions representing air traffic controllers and other employees required to work through the government shutdown that they either be paid or have the option to skip work while missing paychecks. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled to keep the status quo, saying that an order allowing employees considered essential to skip work would be "chaotic" in a best-case scenario and "catastrophic" at worst. Lawyers representing the National Air Traffic Controllers Association had sued the Trump administration to get their controllers, thousands of whom continue to work and just missed a paycheck, be paid while working during the shutdown in order for them to remain "laser-focused" on their job guiding more than 40,000 flights through the nation's airspace every day. Lawyers for the labor unions, including National Treasury Employees Union, argued withholding pay while forcing labor is unconstitutional and violated U.S. labor laws. Leon said only Congress can appropriate the funds to pay federal workers and would not force the Treasury Department to allocate funds to the furloughed employees. With President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders stalled over talks on a border wall, the president invited rank-and-file members of Congress to meet with him Tuesday over lunch at the White House. But no rank-and-file House Democrats took the president up on the offer. Trump's move was seen on Capitol Hill as an effort to split House Democrats and pressure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to make concessions in her standoff with the president over funding his proposed border wall. Democratic leaders warned members Trump could use them as props. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said House Republicans invited would be there. “Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend. The President looks forward to having a working lunch with House Republicans to solve the border crisis and reopen the government. It’s time for the Democrats to come to the table and make a deal,” Sanders said in a statement. Read more from ABC News' Jordyn Phelps and Benjamin Siegel. In an effort to keep U.S. airspace safe, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making a dramatic move and calling an additional 1,700 FAA aviation safety inspectors back to work this week. According to an FAA spokesperson, there were 500 safety inspectors working without pay as of last Friday. With the recall, the number of inspectors will be up to 2,200 by Friday Jan. 18. FAA aviation safety inspectors investigate and enforce safety regulations and standards, which includes inspecting aircraft and related equipment for airworthiness. After proactively conducting a risk assessment, the FAA determined that it was appropriate to recall inspectors and engineers after three weeks of the shutdown, a spokesperson told ABC News. Including the recalled engineers, the number FAA safety employees working without pay by this Friday will total 3,113. The Food and Drug Administration confirmed this week that hundreds of food inspectors will go back to work after the agency missed some routine inspections of high-risk facilities during the shutdown. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted that about 400 staff were coming back to work, mostly inspectors and support staff that will resume inspecting high-risk food production facilities and facilities that manufacture drugs and medical devices. Days ago, Gottlieb called the shutdown "one of the most significant operational challenges in FDA’s recent history.” Food banks around the country near military bases or in cities with a lot of federal government employees have been stepping up to help the furloughed or unpaid workers during the government shutdown. Over the weekend in Washington, a local food bank said 2,200 furloughed federal employees received produce and other items at pop-up locations. In Dallas, a local church is handing out gift cards to furloughed employees. In cities like Tampa, Chicago, Rochester, Minnesota and Ogden, Utah, food banks are setting up pantries or expanding hours so federal employees can pick up groceries or even pet food. Dozens of immigration courts remain shuttered across the country this week and tens of thousands of hearings were canceled because of the ongoing government shutdown, a situation that is likely to add hundreds of cases to an already crushing backlog, according to analysts. It's an ironic twist in Trump's desire to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by building a $5 billion wall and send people through established ports of entry. The number of asylum and other immigration-related cases facing U.S. judges has skyrocketed in the past two decades, creating a backlog of more than 800,000 active cases before the shutdown began, according to data compiled by Syracuse University, based on Justice Department records. Syracuse University estimated on Monday that nearly 43,000 immigration court hearings on a variety of matters, including evidence examination and basic scheduling, have been canceled. As many as 100,000 people could be impacted if the shutdown continues through the end of the month. Aaron Reichlin Melnick, a policy analyst with the American Immigration Council, said that he estimates for every day the shutdown continues, another 500 immigration court cases that would have been completed are compounding the backlog. Transportation Security Administration officials are closing more security lanes amid increased callouts from officers not being paid during the government shutdown. The absence rate at TSA on Monday was 7.6 percent, up from 3.2 percent on the same day last year, according to TSA spokesperson Michael Bilello. Major airports in cities such as Atlanta and Houston "are exercising their contingency plans to uphold aviation security standards." That means condensing TSA officers into fewer checkpoints and screening lanes to uphold security standards at the cost of longer lines. Queues at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport security extended more than an hour long on Monday morning, causing travelers to miss flights, according to ABC-affiliate WSB. Airport screeners, air traffic controllers and many FAA inspectors and engineers did not get paid this week despite going to work. ABC News' Jordyn Phelps, Elizabeth McLaughlin, Stephanie Ebbs, Quinn Owen, Jeffrey Cook and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report. | Cheyenne Haslett | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/day-walkup-recaps-tightly-top-things-stand-breaks/story?id=60376450 | 2019-01-15 22:42:09+00:00 | 1,547,610,129 | 1,567,552,364 | labour | employment |
614 | 21stcenturywire--2019-09-20--Surveillance State Blacklisting and the Secret Habit Employers Cant Seem to Kick | 2019-09-20T00:00:00 | 21stcenturywire | Surveillance State: Blacklisting and the Secret Habit Employers Can’t Seem to Kick | While we’ve seen other reports of this type of state agency behaviour before, this one is still particularly disturbing, as it reveals a state security apparatus which acts as a law unto itself, very clearly in the service of an unelected oligarchy. This article is part of a series we are publishing from the ‘State of Surveillance’ report written by BigBrotherWatch, the civil liberties organisation. Much of the mainstream media have completely ignored its findings. Regular readers of TruePublica know we have published many reports and articles over the last four years relating to state surveillance (database) as we regard it to be a crucial battleground of our civil liberty. Today, it is a very serious worry that our entire mechanism of democracy is being undermined by excessive and uncontrolled state surveillance. This disproportionate obsession by the government and its agencies inhibits the fundamental ability of democratic rights to be exercised and amply demonstrates the thin ground Britain’s democracy stands on. Phil Chamberlain is the Head of Department of Film & Journalism at the University of the West of England where he is responsible for more than a dozen undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as the Digital Cultures Research Centre. He teaches investigative journalism and his research interests cover surveillance, corporate discourses and court reporting. Phil has 20 years’ experience as a freelance journalist with working for newspapers, magazines and NGOs providing investigative news and feature stories. He co-authored Blacklisted: the secret battle between big business and union activists and is the author of Drones and Journalism: how the media is making use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Here is his report on state surveillance, employer blacklisting and the consequences of a state often out of control. In 1987, Conservative MP Ken Warren wrote to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attaching a list of 270 names of alleged members of the left-wing organisation Militant. He demanded the security services investigate to ensure that none of those on the list were placed in sensitive positions in the civil service. Warren’s McCarthyite intervention piqued the interest of a secret Whitehall committee called Subversion in Public Life (SPL). Made up of senior civil servants from different departments along with MI5 and Special Branch representatives, SPL analysed the supposedly subversive threat to the machinery of government. While Warren may have worried about 270 alleged Militant members, the committee noted that his list “added little to our present knowledge; indeed it contains a number of known inaccuracies.” A report from the committee the previous year had estimated there were 50,000 potential subversives in the country and identified 1,420 who worked in the civil service. The majority of these were members of left-wing organisations but far-right supporters were also listed along with members of anarchist groups and “black and Asian racial extremists”. The Department of Health and Social Security recorded the biggest number of subversives within its ranks with 360 (including six fascists). The perceived infiltration of civil service unions by these groups was a constant source of concern. Margaret Thatcher asked that the SPL also look into local government, education and the NHS which proved more problematic because of the devolved nature of those organisations. One solution was that education inspectors were asked to supply MI5 with details on teachers. The SPL was not merely a bureaucratic exercise but a blacklist. Departments were encouraged to not only record these individuals but ensure they were not put in sensitive roles or moved to posts where they could be isolated. There is no indication the individuals were ever informed about their status; indeed the chairman of the SPL warned of the intense embarrassment if its activities became public knowledge. In 1985, the same year the SPL began its work, it had been revealed that theBBC was running a secret political vetting operation with MI5. Meanwhile, the Economic League, again with close links to the security services, was at the height of its powers even if its veil of secrecy was slipping. It was paid by corporations to keep files on hundreds of thousands of people deemed subversives and to ensure they could not get employment. The SPL was apparently wound up in 1988 and the Cabinet Office has refused to comment further other than to say that it is an historical matter. But blacklisting is the employment habit the UK cannot seem to kick. Building firm boss Cullum McAlpine was keen not to let blacklisting resources go to waste. He paid £10,000 to the Economic League for several thousand personal files covering the construction sector and set up one of the league’s investigators and an admin assistant in a discrete office in the West Midlands. Until it was exposed in 2009, his organisation the Consulting Association was taking thousands of pounds in fees from the country’s biggest building firms to run a secret blacklisting operation. Engineer Dave Smith was one of the workers on the firm’s files and his experience is typical. What initiated his file was taking part in action to recover unpaid wages and becoming a safety representative – in other words, legitimate trade union activity. The file details what car he drove, his family members, as well as jobs he applied for. The result was immediate and catastrophic; work dried up and Dave was eventually forced to leave the industry. He never knew his file existed until the Information Commissioner raided the Consulting Association, seized some of its material and then made it available to the subjects. Dave’s story is repeated many times over but often with worse results. Marriages broke up under the strain of financial insecurity, people were forced to move abroad and their health was affected. It appears that one feature of such operations is their tendency to expand. Just as the SPL was asked to look into local government and schools, the Economic League had considered keeping lists of football hooligans and people with HIV. The Consulting Association was not limited to the construction sector but had files on people working in local politics, academia, journalism, the railways and the offshore oil industry. The latter sector had a notorious policy called ‘Not Required Back’ which was stamped on the files of many a trade union member who had spoken out. The Consulting Association also had files on several hundred environmental activists and here the overlap between the private sector and the state was most explicit. Along with anti-fascist activists, environmental activists were of particular interest to the security services. An officer in one of the police’s surveillance units even gave a presentation on its work targeting animal rights groups to the Association. The files, along with evidence from police whistleblower Peter Francis, have revealed that undercover police officers infiltrated trade unions, black justice campaigns and environmental groups among others. Francis was a member of the Special Branch’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) set up in 1968 and which only folded after being exposed in 2008. Some SDS officers had sexual relations with activists and even children in the course of intruding on and manipulating activists’ lives. After reviewing evidence from the files and other sources, the Blacklist Support Group complained to the Metropolitan Police in 2012 with six specific allegations about collusion between the state and the private sector. In 2018 the Metropolitan Police finally admitted, “Sections of the policing community throughout the UK had both overt and covert contact with external organisations, including the Economic League, for reasons stemming from crime reporting and the maintenance of public order and the prevention of terrorism.” This statement only acknowledged what had become incontestable. However, the Metropolitan Police rejected other complaints and specifically exonerated the Special Demonstration Squad from colluding with blacklisters. The police’s statement deployed a well-worn defence for blacklisting operations – that they are about crime or terrorism. The Cabinet Office files on the Subversion in Public Life committee explicitly separated out actions to counter terrorism from its remit and made no claim to tackle illegal behaviour. An analysis of the Consulting Association files shows that time and again, the first activity to trigger monitoring was an individual raising health and safety concerns. It was legitimate union activity that resulted in people being surveilled – criminal activity was mentioned in only a handful of the more than 3,000 files it held. It is worth noting that the activities of the SDS, the Consulting Association and the Economic League only ended after public exposure. There is little sense of a culture that sees such operations as wrong; only in getting caught. It took seven years for blacklisted construction workers to win a financial settlement and only one person was ever punished by the courts for their role in the scandal. The SDS’ activities are currently the subject of a judge-led inquiry which is into its third year but yet to even begin taking evidence. Without an effective inquiry that the people affected can trust, there is little chance of change or indeed justice. Meanwhile, the monitoring of workers, unionists and especially whistleblowers continues. In 2015, Sir Robert Francis QC produced “Freedom To Speak Up”, a report into whistleblowing in the NHS. Francis reported that many people spoke of fears that whistleblowing would have a detrimental effect on their career and that there was evidence of “vindictive treatment” of people who raised concerns. Dr Minh Alexander worked for 14 years as a consultant psychiatrist and had raised concerns over certain medical practices. She was made redundant in 2013 and reached a settlement with her employer. Alexander is one of many NHS staff who fear their careers have been ended because their decision to raise concerns has been recorded and shared. “The suppression of staff who speak up is a very old problem and will not go away until decision-makers truly accept that it is better to run a service in which staff and patients have a voice,” Alexander said. Similarly, Eileen Chubb was forced to quit her job as a care assistant after raising concerns about patient safety. She now runs Compassion in Care which campaigns for better care for the elderly. Official figures for 2017/18 showed that more than 350 whistleblowers in the NHS experienced repercussions after coming forward, including negative effects on their careers. Meanwhile, the Care Quality Commission, which helps regulate the sector, has been accused of revealing the details of dozens of whistleblowers to employers – a claim it denies. Far from an historic concern and one limited to particular trades, the monitoring and blacklisting of workers remains the dirty secret of UK labour relations. In one of the final acts of the Brown government, blacklisting was made illegal in 2010. As with pretty much every other state attempt to deal with the issue, it was a failure. Employment expert Professor Keith Ewing from King’s College London set out at length why the regulations are full of holes. A key flaw is that it is a civil rather than criminal offence with the onus on the victim to prove their case; and since the victim is often up against a corporation, the balance of power is firmly against them. Blacklisting is a stark reminder of that imbalance of power but also that there is often no line between state and private, corporate and civil. The undercover police officers manipulating female activists into relationships were often seeking to protect corporate interests rather than prevent criminal wrongdoing. Indeed, in some cases, it is alleged they acted as agent provocateurs to incite wrongdoing. There are three areas that desperately need improvement in order to tackle this scandal. Firstly, we need a properly funded public inquiry that can tease apart the links between the various people involved in blacklisting. Too much of the information has had to be pieced together by a few journalists, lawyers, MPs and many campaigners. Theresa May launched the judge-led Undercover Policing inquiry following revelations about the Special Demonstration Squad broken first by The Guardian. It has been little more than a disaster with no evidence heard in its first three years and participants boycotting the process because of a lack of trust. It is not expected to report until 2023. Secondly, organisations charged with protecting personal information need better resourcing. Without the Information Commissioner’s Office, the secret blacklist files would not have been made public. The ICO needs the toughest tools if it is going to take on the biggest state and corporate interests and their digital archives. Thirdly, we need to see the delivery of justice. It is worth pointing out that only one person was ever convicted for their part in the scandal. The company directors, human resources managers, police officers, civil servants and regulators who authorised, ignored or participated received no sanction. A survey by Building magazine found that 78% of human resources officials named as complicit in blacklisting were still employed four years after their role was revealed. There is a culture of acceptance that secret political surveillance and the sharing of information has always been with us and always will. Changing that culture will require a change in how power is distributed in society. It sounds too ambitious an objective. However, in 2009 a few dozen people affected by the blacklist gathered in a room by Parliament and decided that they wanted to do something about it. Seven years later they forced a multi-million-pound settlement from transnational construction firms. Where do we want to be in the next seven years? | 21wire | https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/09/20/surveillance-state-blacklisting-and-the-secret-habit-employers-cant-seem-to-kick/ | 2019-09-20 11:25:01+00:00 | 1,568,993,101 | 1,569,590,549 | labour | employment |
614 | 21stcenturywire--2019-09-20--Surveillance State Blacklisting and the Secret Habit Employers Cant Seem to Kick | 2019-09-20T00:00:00 | 21stcenturywire | Surveillance State: Blacklisting and the Secret Habit Employers Can’t Seem to Kick | While we’ve seen other reports of this type of state agency behaviour before, this one is still particularly disturbing, as it reveals a state security apparatus which acts as a law unto itself, very clearly in the service of an unelected oligarchy. This article is part of a series we are publishing from the ‘State of Surveillance’ report written by BigBrotherWatch, the civil liberties organisation. Much of the mainstream media have completely ignored its findings. Regular readers of TruePublica know we have published many reports and articles over the last four years relating to state surveillance (database) as we regard it to be a crucial battleground of our civil liberty. Today, it is a very serious worry that our entire mechanism of democracy is being undermined by excessive and uncontrolled state surveillance. This disproportionate obsession by the government and its agencies inhibits the fundamental ability of democratic rights to be exercised and amply demonstrates the thin ground Britain’s democracy stands on. Phil Chamberlain is the Head of Department of Film & Journalism at the University of the West of England where he is responsible for more than a dozen undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as the Digital Cultures Research Centre. He teaches investigative journalism and his research interests cover surveillance, corporate discourses and court reporting. Phil has 20 years’ experience as a freelance journalist with working for newspapers, magazines and NGOs providing investigative news and feature stories. He co-authored Blacklisted: the secret battle between big business and union activists and is the author of Drones and Journalism: how the media is making use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Here is his report on state surveillance, employer blacklisting and the consequences of a state often out of control. In 1987, Conservative MP Ken Warren wrote to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attaching a list of 270 names of alleged members of the left-wing organisation Militant. He demanded the security services investigate to ensure that none of those on the list were placed in sensitive positions in the civil service. Warren’s McCarthyite intervention piqued the interest of a secret Whitehall committee called Subversion in Public Life (SPL). Made up of senior civil servants from different departments along with MI5 and Special Branch representatives, SPL analysed the supposedly subversive threat to the machinery of government. While Warren may have worried about 270 alleged Militant members, the committee noted that his list “added little to our present knowledge; indeed it contains a number of known inaccuracies.” A report from the committee the previous year had estimated there were 50,000 potential subversives in the country and identified 1,420 who worked in the civil service. The majority of these were members of left-wing organisations but far-right supporters were also listed along with members of anarchist groups and “black and Asian racial extremists”. The Department of Health and Social Security recorded the biggest number of subversives within its ranks with 360 (including six fascists). The perceived infiltration of civil service unions by these groups was a constant source of concern. Margaret Thatcher asked that the SPL also look into local government, education and the NHS which proved more problematic because of the devolved nature of those organisations. One solution was that education inspectors were asked to supply MI5 with details on teachers. The SPL was not merely a bureaucratic exercise but a blacklist. Departments were encouraged to not only record these individuals but ensure they were not put in sensitive roles or moved to posts where they could be isolated. There is no indication the individuals were ever informed about their status; indeed the chairman of the SPL warned of the intense embarrassment if its activities became public knowledge. In 1985, the same year the SPL began its work, it had been revealed that theBBC was running a secret political vetting operation with MI5. Meanwhile, the Economic League, again with close links to the security services, was at the height of its powers even if its veil of secrecy was slipping. It was paid by corporations to keep files on hundreds of thousands of people deemed subversives and to ensure they could not get employment. The SPL was apparently wound up in 1988 and the Cabinet Office has refused to comment further other than to say that it is an historical matter. But blacklisting is the employment habit the UK cannot seem to kick. Building firm boss Cullum McAlpine was keen not to let blacklisting resources go to waste. He paid £10,000 to the Economic League for several thousand personal files covering the construction sector and set up one of the league’s investigators and an admin assistant in a discrete office in the West Midlands. Until it was exposed in 2009, his organisation the Consulting Association was taking thousands of pounds in fees from the country’s biggest building firms to run a secret blacklisting operation. Engineer Dave Smith was one of the workers on the firm’s files and his experience is typical. What initiated his file was taking part in action to recover unpaid wages and becoming a safety representative – in other words, legitimate trade union activity. The file details what car he drove, his family members, as well as jobs he applied for. The result was immediate and catastrophic; work dried up and Dave was eventually forced to leave the industry. He never knew his file existed until the Information Commissioner raided the Consulting Association, seized some of its material and then made it available to the subjects. Dave’s story is repeated many times over but often with worse results. Marriages broke up under the strain of financial insecurity, people were forced to move abroad and their health was affected. It appears that one feature of such operations is their tendency to expand. Just as the SPL was asked to look into local government and schools, the Economic League had considered keeping lists of football hooligans and people with HIV. The Consulting Association was not limited to the construction sector but had files on people working in local politics, academia, journalism, the railways and the offshore oil industry. The latter sector had a notorious policy called ‘Not Required Back’ which was stamped on the files of many a trade union member who had spoken out. The Consulting Association also had files on several hundred environmental activists and here the overlap between the private sector and the state was most explicit. Along with anti-fascist activists, environmental activists were of particular interest to the security services. An officer in one of the police’s surveillance units even gave a presentation on its work targeting animal rights groups to the Association. The files, along with evidence from police whistleblower Peter Francis, have revealed that undercover police officers infiltrated trade unions, black justice campaigns and environmental groups among others. Francis was a member of the Special Branch’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) set up in 1968 and which only folded after being exposed in 2008. Some SDS officers had sexual relations with activists and even children in the course of intruding on and manipulating activists’ lives. After reviewing evidence from the files and other sources, the Blacklist Support Group complained to the Metropolitan Police in 2012 with six specific allegations about collusion between the state and the private sector. In 2018 the Metropolitan Police finally admitted, “Sections of the policing community throughout the UK had both overt and covert contact with external organisations, including the Economic League, for reasons stemming from crime reporting and the maintenance of public order and the prevention of terrorism.” This statement only acknowledged what had become incontestable. However, the Metropolitan Police rejected other complaints and specifically exonerated the Special Demonstration Squad from colluding with blacklisters. The police’s statement deployed a well-worn defence for blacklisting operations – that they are about crime or terrorism. The Cabinet Office files on the Subversion in Public Life committee explicitly separated out actions to counter terrorism from its remit and made no claim to tackle illegal behaviour. An analysis of the Consulting Association files shows that time and again, the first activity to trigger monitoring was an individual raising health and safety concerns. It was legitimate union activity that resulted in people being surveilled – criminal activity was mentioned in only a handful of the more than 3,000 files it held. It is worth noting that the activities of the SDS, the Consulting Association and the Economic League only ended after public exposure. There is little sense of a culture that sees such operations as wrong; only in getting caught. It took seven years for blacklisted construction workers to win a financial settlement and only one person was ever punished by the courts for their role in the scandal. The SDS’ activities are currently the subject of a judge-led inquiry which is into its third year but yet to even begin taking evidence. Without an effective inquiry that the people affected can trust, there is little chance of change or indeed justice. Meanwhile, the monitoring of workers, unionists and especially whistleblowers continues. In 2015, Sir Robert Francis QC produced “Freedom To Speak Up”, a report into whistleblowing in the NHS. Francis reported that many people spoke of fears that whistleblowing would have a detrimental effect on their career and that there was evidence of “vindictive treatment” of people who raised concerns. Dr Minh Alexander worked for 14 years as a consultant psychiatrist and had raised concerns over certain medical practices. She was made redundant in 2013 and reached a settlement with her employer. Alexander is one of many NHS staff who fear their careers have been ended because their decision to raise concerns has been recorded and shared. “The suppression of staff who speak up is a very old problem and will not go away until decision-makers truly accept that it is better to run a service in which staff and patients have a voice,” Alexander said. Similarly, Eileen Chubb was forced to quit her job as a care assistant after raising concerns about patient safety. She now runs Compassion in Care which campaigns for better care for the elderly. Official figures for 2017/18 showed that more than 350 whistleblowers in the NHS experienced repercussions after coming forward, including negative effects on their careers. Meanwhile, the Care Quality Commission, which helps regulate the sector, has been accused of revealing the details of dozens of whistleblowers to employers – a claim it denies. Far from an historic concern and one limited to particular trades, the monitoring and blacklisting of workers remains the dirty secret of UK labour relations. In one of the final acts of the Brown government, blacklisting was made illegal in 2010. As with pretty much every other state attempt to deal with the issue, it was a failure. Employment expert Professor Keith Ewing from King’s College London set out at length why the regulations are full of holes. A key flaw is that it is a civil rather than criminal offence with the onus on the victim to prove their case; and since the victim is often up against a corporation, the balance of power is firmly against them. Blacklisting is a stark reminder of that imbalance of power but also that there is often no line between state and private, corporate and civil. The undercover police officers manipulating female activists into relationships were often seeking to protect corporate interests rather than prevent criminal wrongdoing. Indeed, in some cases, it is alleged they acted as agent provocateurs to incite wrongdoing. There are three areas that desperately need improvement in order to tackle this scandal. Firstly, we need a properly funded public inquiry that can tease apart the links between the various people involved in blacklisting. Too much of the information has had to be pieced together by a few journalists, lawyers, MPs and many campaigners. Theresa May launched the judge-led Undercover Policing inquiry following revelations about the Special Demonstration Squad broken first by The Guardian. It has been little more than a disaster with no evidence heard in its first three years and participants boycotting the process because of a lack of trust. It is not expected to report until 2023. Secondly, organisations charged with protecting personal information need better resourcing. Without the Information Commissioner’s Office, the secret blacklist files would not have been made public. The ICO needs the toughest tools if it is going to take on the biggest state and corporate interests and their digital archives. Thirdly, we need to see the delivery of justice. It is worth pointing out that only one person was ever convicted for their part in the scandal. The company directors, human resources managers, police officers, civil servants and regulators who authorised, ignored or participated received no sanction. A survey by Building magazine found that 78% of human resources officials named as complicit in blacklisting were still employed four years after their role was revealed. There is a culture of acceptance that secret political surveillance and the sharing of information has always been with us and always will. Changing that culture will require a change in how power is distributed in society. It sounds too ambitious an objective. However, in 2009 a few dozen people affected by the blacklist gathered in a room by Parliament and decided that they wanted to do something about it. Seven years later they forced a multi-million-pound settlement from transnational construction firms. Where do we want to be in the next seven years? | 21wire | https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/09/20/surveillance-state-blacklisting-and-the-secret-habit-employers-cant-seem-to-kick/ | 2019-09-20 11:25:01+00:00 | 1,568,993,101 | 1,569,590,549 | labour | labour market |
614 | 21stcenturywire--2019-09-20--Surveillance State Blacklisting and the Secret Habit Employers Cant Seem to Kick | 2019-09-20T00:00:00 | 21stcenturywire | Surveillance State: Blacklisting and the Secret Habit Employers Can’t Seem to Kick | While we’ve seen other reports of this type of state agency behaviour before, this one is still particularly disturbing, as it reveals a state security apparatus which acts as a law unto itself, very clearly in the service of an unelected oligarchy. This article is part of a series we are publishing from the ‘State of Surveillance’ report written by BigBrotherWatch, the civil liberties organisation. Much of the mainstream media have completely ignored its findings. Regular readers of TruePublica know we have published many reports and articles over the last four years relating to state surveillance (database) as we regard it to be a crucial battleground of our civil liberty. Today, it is a very serious worry that our entire mechanism of democracy is being undermined by excessive and uncontrolled state surveillance. This disproportionate obsession by the government and its agencies inhibits the fundamental ability of democratic rights to be exercised and amply demonstrates the thin ground Britain’s democracy stands on. Phil Chamberlain is the Head of Department of Film & Journalism at the University of the West of England where he is responsible for more than a dozen undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as the Digital Cultures Research Centre. He teaches investigative journalism and his research interests cover surveillance, corporate discourses and court reporting. Phil has 20 years’ experience as a freelance journalist with working for newspapers, magazines and NGOs providing investigative news and feature stories. He co-authored Blacklisted: the secret battle between big business and union activists and is the author of Drones and Journalism: how the media is making use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Here is his report on state surveillance, employer blacklisting and the consequences of a state often out of control. In 1987, Conservative MP Ken Warren wrote to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attaching a list of 270 names of alleged members of the left-wing organisation Militant. He demanded the security services investigate to ensure that none of those on the list were placed in sensitive positions in the civil service. Warren’s McCarthyite intervention piqued the interest of a secret Whitehall committee called Subversion in Public Life (SPL). Made up of senior civil servants from different departments along with MI5 and Special Branch representatives, SPL analysed the supposedly subversive threat to the machinery of government. While Warren may have worried about 270 alleged Militant members, the committee noted that his list “added little to our present knowledge; indeed it contains a number of known inaccuracies.” A report from the committee the previous year had estimated there were 50,000 potential subversives in the country and identified 1,420 who worked in the civil service. The majority of these were members of left-wing organisations but far-right supporters were also listed along with members of anarchist groups and “black and Asian racial extremists”. The Department of Health and Social Security recorded the biggest number of subversives within its ranks with 360 (including six fascists). The perceived infiltration of civil service unions by these groups was a constant source of concern. Margaret Thatcher asked that the SPL also look into local government, education and the NHS which proved more problematic because of the devolved nature of those organisations. One solution was that education inspectors were asked to supply MI5 with details on teachers. The SPL was not merely a bureaucratic exercise but a blacklist. Departments were encouraged to not only record these individuals but ensure they were not put in sensitive roles or moved to posts where they could be isolated. There is no indication the individuals were ever informed about their status; indeed the chairman of the SPL warned of the intense embarrassment if its activities became public knowledge. In 1985, the same year the SPL began its work, it had been revealed that theBBC was running a secret political vetting operation with MI5. Meanwhile, the Economic League, again with close links to the security services, was at the height of its powers even if its veil of secrecy was slipping. It was paid by corporations to keep files on hundreds of thousands of people deemed subversives and to ensure they could not get employment. The SPL was apparently wound up in 1988 and the Cabinet Office has refused to comment further other than to say that it is an historical matter. But blacklisting is the employment habit the UK cannot seem to kick. Building firm boss Cullum McAlpine was keen not to let blacklisting resources go to waste. He paid £10,000 to the Economic League for several thousand personal files covering the construction sector and set up one of the league’s investigators and an admin assistant in a discrete office in the West Midlands. Until it was exposed in 2009, his organisation the Consulting Association was taking thousands of pounds in fees from the country’s biggest building firms to run a secret blacklisting operation. Engineer Dave Smith was one of the workers on the firm’s files and his experience is typical. What initiated his file was taking part in action to recover unpaid wages and becoming a safety representative – in other words, legitimate trade union activity. The file details what car he drove, his family members, as well as jobs he applied for. The result was immediate and catastrophic; work dried up and Dave was eventually forced to leave the industry. He never knew his file existed until the Information Commissioner raided the Consulting Association, seized some of its material and then made it available to the subjects. Dave’s story is repeated many times over but often with worse results. Marriages broke up under the strain of financial insecurity, people were forced to move abroad and their health was affected. It appears that one feature of such operations is their tendency to expand. Just as the SPL was asked to look into local government and schools, the Economic League had considered keeping lists of football hooligans and people with HIV. The Consulting Association was not limited to the construction sector but had files on people working in local politics, academia, journalism, the railways and the offshore oil industry. The latter sector had a notorious policy called ‘Not Required Back’ which was stamped on the files of many a trade union member who had spoken out. The Consulting Association also had files on several hundred environmental activists and here the overlap between the private sector and the state was most explicit. Along with anti-fascist activists, environmental activists were of particular interest to the security services. An officer in one of the police’s surveillance units even gave a presentation on its work targeting animal rights groups to the Association. The files, along with evidence from police whistleblower Peter Francis, have revealed that undercover police officers infiltrated trade unions, black justice campaigns and environmental groups among others. Francis was a member of the Special Branch’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) set up in 1968 and which only folded after being exposed in 2008. Some SDS officers had sexual relations with activists and even children in the course of intruding on and manipulating activists’ lives. After reviewing evidence from the files and other sources, the Blacklist Support Group complained to the Metropolitan Police in 2012 with six specific allegations about collusion between the state and the private sector. In 2018 the Metropolitan Police finally admitted, “Sections of the policing community throughout the UK had both overt and covert contact with external organisations, including the Economic League, for reasons stemming from crime reporting and the maintenance of public order and the prevention of terrorism.” This statement only acknowledged what had become incontestable. However, the Metropolitan Police rejected other complaints and specifically exonerated the Special Demonstration Squad from colluding with blacklisters. The police’s statement deployed a well-worn defence for blacklisting operations – that they are about crime or terrorism. The Cabinet Office files on the Subversion in Public Life committee explicitly separated out actions to counter terrorism from its remit and made no claim to tackle illegal behaviour. An analysis of the Consulting Association files shows that time and again, the first activity to trigger monitoring was an individual raising health and safety concerns. It was legitimate union activity that resulted in people being surveilled – criminal activity was mentioned in only a handful of the more than 3,000 files it held. It is worth noting that the activities of the SDS, the Consulting Association and the Economic League only ended after public exposure. There is little sense of a culture that sees such operations as wrong; only in getting caught. It took seven years for blacklisted construction workers to win a financial settlement and only one person was ever punished by the courts for their role in the scandal. The SDS’ activities are currently the subject of a judge-led inquiry which is into its third year but yet to even begin taking evidence. Without an effective inquiry that the people affected can trust, there is little chance of change or indeed justice. Meanwhile, the monitoring of workers, unionists and especially whistleblowers continues. In 2015, Sir Robert Francis QC produced “Freedom To Speak Up”, a report into whistleblowing in the NHS. Francis reported that many people spoke of fears that whistleblowing would have a detrimental effect on their career and that there was evidence of “vindictive treatment” of people who raised concerns. Dr Minh Alexander worked for 14 years as a consultant psychiatrist and had raised concerns over certain medical practices. She was made redundant in 2013 and reached a settlement with her employer. Alexander is one of many NHS staff who fear their careers have been ended because their decision to raise concerns has been recorded and shared. “The suppression of staff who speak up is a very old problem and will not go away until decision-makers truly accept that it is better to run a service in which staff and patients have a voice,” Alexander said. Similarly, Eileen Chubb was forced to quit her job as a care assistant after raising concerns about patient safety. She now runs Compassion in Care which campaigns for better care for the elderly. Official figures for 2017/18 showed that more than 350 whistleblowers in the NHS experienced repercussions after coming forward, including negative effects on their careers. Meanwhile, the Care Quality Commission, which helps regulate the sector, has been accused of revealing the details of dozens of whistleblowers to employers – a claim it denies. Far from an historic concern and one limited to particular trades, the monitoring and blacklisting of workers remains the dirty secret of UK labour relations. In one of the final acts of the Brown government, blacklisting was made illegal in 2010. As with pretty much every other state attempt to deal with the issue, it was a failure. Employment expert Professor Keith Ewing from King’s College London set out at length why the regulations are full of holes. A key flaw is that it is a civil rather than criminal offence with the onus on the victim to prove their case; and since the victim is often up against a corporation, the balance of power is firmly against them. Blacklisting is a stark reminder of that imbalance of power but also that there is often no line between state and private, corporate and civil. The undercover police officers manipulating female activists into relationships were often seeking to protect corporate interests rather than prevent criminal wrongdoing. Indeed, in some cases, it is alleged they acted as agent provocateurs to incite wrongdoing. There are three areas that desperately need improvement in order to tackle this scandal. Firstly, we need a properly funded public inquiry that can tease apart the links between the various people involved in blacklisting. Too much of the information has had to be pieced together by a few journalists, lawyers, MPs and many campaigners. Theresa May launched the judge-led Undercover Policing inquiry following revelations about the Special Demonstration Squad broken first by The Guardian. It has been little more than a disaster with no evidence heard in its first three years and participants boycotting the process because of a lack of trust. It is not expected to report until 2023. Secondly, organisations charged with protecting personal information need better resourcing. Without the Information Commissioner’s Office, the secret blacklist files would not have been made public. The ICO needs the toughest tools if it is going to take on the biggest state and corporate interests and their digital archives. Thirdly, we need to see the delivery of justice. It is worth pointing out that only one person was ever convicted for their part in the scandal. The company directors, human resources managers, police officers, civil servants and regulators who authorised, ignored or participated received no sanction. A survey by Building magazine found that 78% of human resources officials named as complicit in blacklisting were still employed four years after their role was revealed. There is a culture of acceptance that secret political surveillance and the sharing of information has always been with us and always will. Changing that culture will require a change in how power is distributed in society. It sounds too ambitious an objective. However, in 2009 a few dozen people affected by the blacklist gathered in a room by Parliament and decided that they wanted to do something about it. Seven years later they forced a multi-million-pound settlement from transnational construction firms. Where do we want to be in the next seven years? | 21wire | https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/09/20/surveillance-state-blacklisting-and-the-secret-habit-employers-cant-seem-to-kick/ | 2019-09-20 11:25:01+00:00 | 1,568,993,101 | 1,569,590,549 | labour | labour relations |
1,081 | abcnews--2019-01-15--On Day 25 of government shutdown 800000 federal employees are without pay | 2019-01-15T00:00:00 | abcnews | On Day 25 of government shutdown, 800,000 federal employees are without pay | It's Day 25 of the longest-ever government shutdown – with no end in sight to the political standoff. Some 800,000 federal workers are ensnared in the shutdown showdown and many missed their first paycheck on Friday. On Monday, another one-third missed a paycheck, the American Federation of Workers estimated, and on Tuesday, the last batch of federal workers missed theirs – including, for the first time in history, members of the Coast Guard. Here's a look at how different parts of the country are being affected. Tuesday marked the first time members of the armed forces missed paychecks because of a government shutdown. Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Karl Schultz issued a stark warning over Twitter: "Today you will not be receiving your regularly scheduled paycheck. To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our Nation’s history that servicemembers in a U.S. Armed Force have not been paid during a lapse in appropriations," he said. In a message to the men and women of the Coast Guard, Schultz also announced some good news: USAA,a financial services company for members of the military and their family, will donate $15 million that will be distributed to the military and civilian workforce in need of assistance. The money will be distributed by the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and the American Red Cross. "Stay the course, stand the watch, and serve with pride. You are not, and will not, be forgotten," Schultz wrote. A federal judge on Tuesday denied requests from unions representing air traffic controllers and other employees required to work through the government shutdown that they either be paid or have the option to skip work while missing paychecks. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled to keep the status quo, saying that an order allowing employees considered essential to skip work would be "chaotic" in a best-case scenario and "catastrophic" at worst. Lawyers representing the National Air Traffic Controllers Association had sued the Trump administration to get their controllers, thousands of whom continue to work and just missed a paycheck, be paid while working during the shutdown in order for them to remain "laser-focused" on their job guiding more than 40,000 flights through the nation's airspace every day. Lawyers for the labor unions, including National Treasury Employees Union, argued withholding pay while forcing labor is unconstitutional and violated U.S. labor laws. Leon said only Congress can appropriate the funds to pay federal workers and would not force the Treasury Department to allocate funds to the furloughed employees. With President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders stalled over talks on a border wall, the president invited rank-and-file members of Congress to meet with him Tuesday over lunch at the White House. But no rank-and-file House Democrats took the president up on the offer. Trump's move was seen on Capitol Hill as an effort to split House Democrats and pressure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to make concessions in her standoff with the president over funding his proposed border wall. Democratic leaders warned members Trump could use them as props. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said House Republicans invited would be there. “Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend. The President looks forward to having a working lunch with House Republicans to solve the border crisis and reopen the government. It’s time for the Democrats to come to the table and make a deal,” Sanders said in a statement. Read more from ABC News' Jordyn Phelps and Benjamin Siegel. In an effort to keep U.S. airspace safe, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making a dramatic move and calling an additional 1,700 FAA aviation safety inspectors back to work this week. According to an FAA spokesperson, there were 500 safety inspectors working without pay as of last Friday. With the recall, the number of inspectors will be up to 2,200 by Friday Jan. 18. FAA aviation safety inspectors investigate and enforce safety regulations and standards, which includes inspecting aircraft and related equipment for airworthiness. After proactively conducting a risk assessment, the FAA determined that it was appropriate to recall inspectors and engineers after three weeks of the shutdown, a spokesperson told ABC News. Including the recalled engineers, the number FAA safety employees working without pay by this Friday will total 3,113. The Food and Drug Administration confirmed this week that hundreds of food inspectors will go back to work after the agency missed some routine inspections of high-risk facilities during the shutdown. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted that about 400 staff were coming back to work, mostly inspectors and support staff that will resume inspecting high-risk food production facilities and facilities that manufacture drugs and medical devices. Days ago, Gottlieb called the shutdown "one of the most significant operational challenges in FDA’s recent history.” Food banks around the country near military bases or in cities with a lot of federal government employees have been stepping up to help the furloughed or unpaid workers during the government shutdown. Over the weekend in Washington, a local food bank said 2,200 furloughed federal employees received produce and other items at pop-up locations. In Dallas, a local church is handing out gift cards to furloughed employees. In cities like Tampa, Chicago, Rochester, Minnesota and Ogden, Utah, food banks are setting up pantries or expanding hours so federal employees can pick up groceries or even pet food. Dozens of immigration courts remain shuttered across the country this week and tens of thousands of hearings were canceled because of the ongoing government shutdown, a situation that is likely to add hundreds of cases to an already crushing backlog, according to analysts. It's an ironic twist in Trump's desire to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by building a $5 billion wall and send people through established ports of entry. The number of asylum and other immigration-related cases facing U.S. judges has skyrocketed in the past two decades, creating a backlog of more than 800,000 active cases before the shutdown began, according to data compiled by Syracuse University, based on Justice Department records. Syracuse University estimated on Monday that nearly 43,000 immigration court hearings on a variety of matters, including evidence examination and basic scheduling, have been canceled. As many as 100,000 people could be impacted if the shutdown continues through the end of the month. Aaron Reichlin Melnick, a policy analyst with the American Immigration Council, said that he estimates for every day the shutdown continues, another 500 immigration court cases that would have been completed are compounding the backlog. Transportation Security Administration officials are closing more security lanes amid increased callouts from officers not being paid during the government shutdown. The absence rate at TSA on Monday was 7.6 percent, up from 3.2 percent on the same day last year, according to TSA spokesperson Michael Bilello. Major airports in cities such as Atlanta and Houston "are exercising their contingency plans to uphold aviation security standards." That means condensing TSA officers into fewer checkpoints and screening lanes to uphold security standards at the cost of longer lines. Queues at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport security extended more than an hour long on Monday morning, causing travelers to miss flights, according to ABC-affiliate WSB. Airport screeners, air traffic controllers and many FAA inspectors and engineers did not get paid this week despite going to work. ABC News' Jordyn Phelps, Elizabeth McLaughlin, Stephanie Ebbs, Quinn Owen, Jeffrey Cook and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report. | Cheyenne Haslett | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/day-walkup-recaps-tightly-top-things-stand-breaks/story?id=60376450 | 2019-01-15 22:42:09+00:00 | 1,547,610,129 | 1,567,552,364 | labour | labour relations |
1,143 | abcnews--2019-01-17--Shutdown hits US diplomats overseas even as State Department calls employees back | 2019-01-17T00:00:00 | abcnews | Shutdown hits US diplomats overseas, even as State Department calls employees back | The State Department announced Thursday it was calling back nearly all staff next week and paying them for a two-week period, but a growing number of U.S. diplomats are frustrated by the partial government shutdown and the damage it’s inflicting on their jobs and America’s standing abroad. While they’ll be paid for this pay period, several diplomats are calling on the administration to fully reopen the government, as they struggle to interact with counterparts abroad and pay their own bills. Employees have been either furloughed and sent home or are working with no pay and limited in what kind of work they can conduct. “Morale is pretty rock bottom,” said a Foreign Service officer based in Europe, “And this is among a really dedicated, really patriotic bunch of people who are unfortunately getting these messages that what they’re doing is not important or that they’re not valuable enough to have somebody figure out how to get them paid.” Amid an eight-country tour of the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to assure his department’s rank and file serving at missions overseas and working to support his trip while not being paid because of the government shutdown. “We’re doing our best to make sure it doesn’t impact our diplomacy,” Pompeo said of the shutdown while in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. “Morale is good,” he added, and said, staff “understand that there are squabbles in Washington, but their mission remains, their duties continue, and they’re executing them.” While the plan to pay staffers has changed for the next two weeks, the uncertainty of what could come after that -- if the shutdown continues for that long -- has unnerved diplomats and their foreign counterparts. “It is an embarrassment to the country. I have had multiple [foreign counterpart] contacts asking how does this happen in the U.S.,” said another Foreign Service officer. Approximately 23 percent of U.S. employees overseas and 40 percent in the U.S. have been furloughed, according to a State Department spokesperson. But because of the shutdown, employees have been limited in their ability to meet with foreign counterparts or provide assistance to U.S. companies working in their host country. They’ve been forced to cancel or decline invitations to events or meetings. “You don’t sort of put diplomacy on hold, and I think that we’re going to look back at this period with a lot of regret for sort of missed opportunities,” said the diplomat based in Europe. That’s because the department is forced to prioritize “the protection of the United States’ critical national security interests and the safety of U.S. citizens abroad” over other functions, according to the spokesperson, who is among those still working but without pay. Even with the new pot of funding for salaries, department activity will be limited to this scope, with limits on employee travel and engagement. That pay will also only run for the next two weeks before the department will have to consult with Congress on moving additional funds to cover salaries. In addition, employees will not yet be paid for the first month of the shutdown -- until fiscal year 2019 appropriations are approved and back pay can kick in. While the department could have taken this step to pay employees as soon as the shutdown started, it didn’t largely because no one anticipated the shutdown to last this long. "It has become clear as the lapse has continued to historic lengths that we need our full team to address the myriad critical issues requiring U.S. leadership around the globe and to fulfill our commitments to the American people," a State Department spokesperson told ABC News. "We are also deeply concerned about growing financial hardship and uncertainty affecting Department employees whose salaries and well-being are affected by the unprecedented length of the lapse." Even amid the shutdown, staff had to support Pompeo’s week-long Middle East tour while not being paid -- a trip that required more staff than usual to work for his wife Susan, who traveled with him and had her own schedule of meetings and activities. The secretary said his wife was on "an important mission ... trying to help the State Department be better" by touring embassy facilities and living conditions and making recommendations for improvements. Consular operations like visa and passport services have remained open because they are supported by the fees folks pay for them, but some could be at risk of closing or scaling back hours if they do not have sufficient fees. Certain operations within the agency have also remained open because of residual funds, including Diplomatic Security, Overseas Buildings Operations, and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. But with fewer employees in the office, staff have had to pick up more work. Conversations have been turned to what tasks should be prioritized, instead of getting that greater amount of work done with less staff, one official in Washington said, adding, “People are starting to snap at each other in meetings.” Diplomats sometimes spend a year in language training ahead of a new posting, but those classes have also halted -- even though diplomats will ship out to post at the same time. That means they will be less prepared when their position starts later this year. While some federal employees in the U.S. have turned to side gigs, those based at U.S. missions abroad are not allowed to do so. The shutdown could also start to pose a security risk, some have warned. “We have tens, if not thousands of USG [U.S. government] employees with security clearances not getting a paycheck. Can only imagine that the Russians, Chinese and others are licking their lips at the prospect of there being a lot of people in need of cash,” said one U.S. diplomat based in Eastern Europe. “USG employees are so incredibly dedicated and patriotic, and here our own government is putting them in a precarious situation,” they added. Department employees are expected to receive back pay after the shutdown ends. One U.S. diplomat quipped that even quitting would be difficult because the shutdown means that there is no one working to fund moving families home -- something guaranteed to all diplomats. | Conor Finnegan | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/shutdown-hits-us-diplomats-overseas-state-department-calls/story?id=60403477 | 2019-01-17 20:12:37+00:00 | 1,547,773,957 | 1,567,552,026 | labour | employment |
1,143 | abcnews--2019-01-17--Shutdown hits US diplomats overseas even as State Department calls employees back | 2019-01-17T00:00:00 | abcnews | Shutdown hits US diplomats overseas, even as State Department calls employees back | The State Department announced Thursday it was calling back nearly all staff next week and paying them for a two-week period, but a growing number of U.S. diplomats are frustrated by the partial government shutdown and the damage it’s inflicting on their jobs and America’s standing abroad. While they’ll be paid for this pay period, several diplomats are calling on the administration to fully reopen the government, as they struggle to interact with counterparts abroad and pay their own bills. Employees have been either furloughed and sent home or are working with no pay and limited in what kind of work they can conduct. “Morale is pretty rock bottom,” said a Foreign Service officer based in Europe, “And this is among a really dedicated, really patriotic bunch of people who are unfortunately getting these messages that what they’re doing is not important or that they’re not valuable enough to have somebody figure out how to get them paid.” Amid an eight-country tour of the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to assure his department’s rank and file serving at missions overseas and working to support his trip while not being paid because of the government shutdown. “We’re doing our best to make sure it doesn’t impact our diplomacy,” Pompeo said of the shutdown while in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. “Morale is good,” he added, and said, staff “understand that there are squabbles in Washington, but their mission remains, their duties continue, and they’re executing them.” While the plan to pay staffers has changed for the next two weeks, the uncertainty of what could come after that -- if the shutdown continues for that long -- has unnerved diplomats and their foreign counterparts. “It is an embarrassment to the country. I have had multiple [foreign counterpart] contacts asking how does this happen in the U.S.,” said another Foreign Service officer. Approximately 23 percent of U.S. employees overseas and 40 percent in the U.S. have been furloughed, according to a State Department spokesperson. But because of the shutdown, employees have been limited in their ability to meet with foreign counterparts or provide assistance to U.S. companies working in their host country. They’ve been forced to cancel or decline invitations to events or meetings. “You don’t sort of put diplomacy on hold, and I think that we’re going to look back at this period with a lot of regret for sort of missed opportunities,” said the diplomat based in Europe. That’s because the department is forced to prioritize “the protection of the United States’ critical national security interests and the safety of U.S. citizens abroad” over other functions, according to the spokesperson, who is among those still working but without pay. Even with the new pot of funding for salaries, department activity will be limited to this scope, with limits on employee travel and engagement. That pay will also only run for the next two weeks before the department will have to consult with Congress on moving additional funds to cover salaries. In addition, employees will not yet be paid for the first month of the shutdown -- until fiscal year 2019 appropriations are approved and back pay can kick in. While the department could have taken this step to pay employees as soon as the shutdown started, it didn’t largely because no one anticipated the shutdown to last this long. "It has become clear as the lapse has continued to historic lengths that we need our full team to address the myriad critical issues requiring U.S. leadership around the globe and to fulfill our commitments to the American people," a State Department spokesperson told ABC News. "We are also deeply concerned about growing financial hardship and uncertainty affecting Department employees whose salaries and well-being are affected by the unprecedented length of the lapse." Even amid the shutdown, staff had to support Pompeo’s week-long Middle East tour while not being paid -- a trip that required more staff than usual to work for his wife Susan, who traveled with him and had her own schedule of meetings and activities. The secretary said his wife was on "an important mission ... trying to help the State Department be better" by touring embassy facilities and living conditions and making recommendations for improvements. Consular operations like visa and passport services have remained open because they are supported by the fees folks pay for them, but some could be at risk of closing or scaling back hours if they do not have sufficient fees. Certain operations within the agency have also remained open because of residual funds, including Diplomatic Security, Overseas Buildings Operations, and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. But with fewer employees in the office, staff have had to pick up more work. Conversations have been turned to what tasks should be prioritized, instead of getting that greater amount of work done with less staff, one official in Washington said, adding, “People are starting to snap at each other in meetings.” Diplomats sometimes spend a year in language training ahead of a new posting, but those classes have also halted -- even though diplomats will ship out to post at the same time. That means they will be less prepared when their position starts later this year. While some federal employees in the U.S. have turned to side gigs, those based at U.S. missions abroad are not allowed to do so. The shutdown could also start to pose a security risk, some have warned. “We have tens, if not thousands of USG [U.S. government] employees with security clearances not getting a paycheck. Can only imagine that the Russians, Chinese and others are licking their lips at the prospect of there being a lot of people in need of cash,” said one U.S. diplomat based in Eastern Europe. “USG employees are so incredibly dedicated and patriotic, and here our own government is putting them in a precarious situation,” they added. Department employees are expected to receive back pay after the shutdown ends. One U.S. diplomat quipped that even quitting would be difficult because the shutdown means that there is no one working to fund moving families home -- something guaranteed to all diplomats. | Conor Finnegan | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/shutdown-hits-us-diplomats-overseas-state-department-calls/story?id=60403477 | 2019-01-17 20:12:37+00:00 | 1,547,773,957 | 1,567,552,026 | labour | labour relations |
1,144 | abcnews--2019-01-17--Tens of thousands more federal employees called back to work during shutdown | 2019-01-17T00:00:00 | abcnews | Tens of thousands more federal employees called back to work during shutdown | As the longest-ever government shutdown reached Day 27 Thursday, the number of federal employees working without pay stood at 450,000 -- and that number could top half a million in the coming days, as the Trump administration continues to recall tens of thousands of workers after almost four weeks of shuttered doors at vital agencies. The negative impact on the U.S. economy, which the White House now says will be double its original projections, is already affecting places like Colorado, where craft breweries are awaiting government approval on beers, and businesses such as private contracting firms, some of which are now without work because they were on projects with government agencies. Unlike furloughed federal workers, private contractors aren't guaranteed any back-pay. The effect on contractors, Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett said Tuesday, was one reason the White House upped its new estimate of the shutdown's cost. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a bill requiring back-pay for furloughed federal workers and those called in during the shutdown. There are no high-level talks between the president and Congressional leadership planned for Thursday, but during public events, both Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have traded barbs. The impasse over the president's demand for billions to fund his proposed border wall, which Democrats reject, continues. Here's a look at the effects. 800,000 federal workers are going without pay during the shutdown. Some 450,000 are now required to report to work, and tens of thousands more will be returning after recent announcements from the Trump administration. At the IRS, 36,000 employees were asked to return to deal with tax season, About 1,700 FAA aviation safety inspectors were told to return after the agency ran preliminary safety tests and about 2,500 employees at the Agriculture Department will briefly return to process farm loans. Why don't they strike? Federal employees are prohibited from doing so and can get fired if they don’t show up. What’s more, many federal employees like their jobs and think the work they do is important. But they can call in sick, which appears to be the tactic by many TSA workers. Agency officials there told ABC News they think the sickouts aren’t because of illness or politics, but dealing with financial hardship. Trump promotes border wall and blasts Pelosi in speech at the Pentagon Speaking at the Pentagon Thursday, in a speech that was billed to be about missile defense strategy, the president also pushed his border wall and blasted Congressional Democrats. “The federal government remains shut down because Congressional Democrats refuse to approve border security," Trump said. "We're going to have border security." Trump specifically went after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and accused her of refusing to let Democrats negotiate. “While many Democrats in the House and Senate would like to make a deal, Speaker Pelosi will not let them negotiate. The party has been hijacked by the open borders fringe within the party, the radical left, becoming the radical Democrats,” he said. But Democrats have generally remained united behind Pelosi in their refusal to negotiate the president’s border security demands until the government is reopened -- despite permission from Pelosi for her rank-and-file members to have direct discussions with the White House. During a closed-door meeting with Democratic leadership Monday night, Pelosi even jokingly encouraged the encounter, according to an aide in the room. “They can see what we’ve been dealing with. And they’ll want to make a citizen’s arrest,” Pelosi joked, according to the aide. On Tuesday, the president invited a group of rank-and-file Republican and Democrat members to the White House for lunch, but no Democrats attended. Then, Wednesday, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers from the House Problem Solvers Caucus sat down with the president at the White House. The seven Democrats who attended the meeting released a statement ahead of the meeting that they accepted the president’s invitation in order to relay their message that the government must be reopened as a precondition for further in-earnest conversations. Read more related White House coverage from ABC News' Rachel Scott and Jordyn Phelps. Pelosi says Trump's wall is "imaginary" but her "bills are real" Groundhog Day came a few weeks early on Capitol Hill, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi again urged Trump to end the partial government shutdown, a day after she threw a wrench into an invitation to the president to deliver the State of the Union on Jan. 29. “This is directly related to our security,” Pelosi said in a press conference on the 27th day of the lapse in appropriations. “Trump's wall is imaginary but my bills are real.” “The date of the State of the Union is not a sacred day. That's not constitutionally required. It's not any president’s birthday,” Pelosi said. “It is a date that we agree to. It could have been the week later and it could be the week later it's government is open.” Asked whether she is trying to deny the president of a platform to make the case for his wall by urging Trump to delay the address until after government is reopened, Pelosi focused on workers who have been denied paychecks. “Let's get a date when government is open. Let's pay the employees,” Pelosi continued. “He thinks it is okay not to pay people who do work. I don't. My caucus doesn't either.” Pelosi said she has not received a response to her letter to the president, and said she’d “cross that bridge when we come to it” if Trump insists on sticking to Jan. 29. “We haven't heard. Very silent more than 24 hours. Have you heard? We haven't heard,” Pelosi said. On Wednesday, in a closed-press event at the White House, the president signed the "Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019," requiring "the compensation of government employees for wages lost, work performed, or leave used during a lapse in appropriations that begins on or after December 22, 2018." The bill also allows "excepted employees" to use leave during the shutdown. TSA chief: Financial hardships from shutdown prompting absences at major airports The head of the Transportation Security Administration acknowledged to his staff on Wednesday that frontline officers are increasingly calling out of work due to financial hardship caused by the government shutdown, spokesperson Michael Bilello told ABC News. The agency, tasked with securing the nation's aviation system, reported an unscheduled absence rate of 6.1 percent of the workforce for Tuesday, up from 3.7 percent on the same day last year. Call-outs peaked on Sunday at 7.7 percent compared to 3.2 percent the same day last year. | Cheyenne Haslett | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tens-thousands-federal-employees-called-back-work-government/story?id=60431671 | 2019-01-17 19:08:09+00:00 | 1,547,770,089 | 1,567,552,026 | labour | employment |
1,144 | abcnews--2019-01-17--Tens of thousands more federal employees called back to work during shutdown | 2019-01-17T00:00:00 | abcnews | Tens of thousands more federal employees called back to work during shutdown | As the longest-ever government shutdown reached Day 27 Thursday, the number of federal employees working without pay stood at 450,000 -- and that number could top half a million in the coming days, as the Trump administration continues to recall tens of thousands of workers after almost four weeks of shuttered doors at vital agencies. The negative impact on the U.S. economy, which the White House now says will be double its original projections, is already affecting places like Colorado, where craft breweries are awaiting government approval on beers, and businesses such as private contracting firms, some of which are now without work because they were on projects with government agencies. Unlike furloughed federal workers, private contractors aren't guaranteed any back-pay. The effect on contractors, Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett said Tuesday, was one reason the White House upped its new estimate of the shutdown's cost. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a bill requiring back-pay for furloughed federal workers and those called in during the shutdown. There are no high-level talks between the president and Congressional leadership planned for Thursday, but during public events, both Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have traded barbs. The impasse over the president's demand for billions to fund his proposed border wall, which Democrats reject, continues. Here's a look at the effects. 800,000 federal workers are going without pay during the shutdown. Some 450,000 are now required to report to work, and tens of thousands more will be returning after recent announcements from the Trump administration. At the IRS, 36,000 employees were asked to return to deal with tax season, About 1,700 FAA aviation safety inspectors were told to return after the agency ran preliminary safety tests and about 2,500 employees at the Agriculture Department will briefly return to process farm loans. Why don't they strike? Federal employees are prohibited from doing so and can get fired if they don’t show up. What’s more, many federal employees like their jobs and think the work they do is important. But they can call in sick, which appears to be the tactic by many TSA workers. Agency officials there told ABC News they think the sickouts aren’t because of illness or politics, but dealing with financial hardship. Trump promotes border wall and blasts Pelosi in speech at the Pentagon Speaking at the Pentagon Thursday, in a speech that was billed to be about missile defense strategy, the president also pushed his border wall and blasted Congressional Democrats. “The federal government remains shut down because Congressional Democrats refuse to approve border security," Trump said. "We're going to have border security." Trump specifically went after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and accused her of refusing to let Democrats negotiate. “While many Democrats in the House and Senate would like to make a deal, Speaker Pelosi will not let them negotiate. The party has been hijacked by the open borders fringe within the party, the radical left, becoming the radical Democrats,” he said. But Democrats have generally remained united behind Pelosi in their refusal to negotiate the president’s border security demands until the government is reopened -- despite permission from Pelosi for her rank-and-file members to have direct discussions with the White House. During a closed-door meeting with Democratic leadership Monday night, Pelosi even jokingly encouraged the encounter, according to an aide in the room. “They can see what we’ve been dealing with. And they’ll want to make a citizen’s arrest,” Pelosi joked, according to the aide. On Tuesday, the president invited a group of rank-and-file Republican and Democrat members to the White House for lunch, but no Democrats attended. Then, Wednesday, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers from the House Problem Solvers Caucus sat down with the president at the White House. The seven Democrats who attended the meeting released a statement ahead of the meeting that they accepted the president’s invitation in order to relay their message that the government must be reopened as a precondition for further in-earnest conversations. Read more related White House coverage from ABC News' Rachel Scott and Jordyn Phelps. Pelosi says Trump's wall is "imaginary" but her "bills are real" Groundhog Day came a few weeks early on Capitol Hill, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi again urged Trump to end the partial government shutdown, a day after she threw a wrench into an invitation to the president to deliver the State of the Union on Jan. 29. “This is directly related to our security,” Pelosi said in a press conference on the 27th day of the lapse in appropriations. “Trump's wall is imaginary but my bills are real.” “The date of the State of the Union is not a sacred day. That's not constitutionally required. It's not any president’s birthday,” Pelosi said. “It is a date that we agree to. It could have been the week later and it could be the week later it's government is open.” Asked whether she is trying to deny the president of a platform to make the case for his wall by urging Trump to delay the address until after government is reopened, Pelosi focused on workers who have been denied paychecks. “Let's get a date when government is open. Let's pay the employees,” Pelosi continued. “He thinks it is okay not to pay people who do work. I don't. My caucus doesn't either.” Pelosi said she has not received a response to her letter to the president, and said she’d “cross that bridge when we come to it” if Trump insists on sticking to Jan. 29. “We haven't heard. Very silent more than 24 hours. Have you heard? We haven't heard,” Pelosi said. On Wednesday, in a closed-press event at the White House, the president signed the "Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019," requiring "the compensation of government employees for wages lost, work performed, or leave used during a lapse in appropriations that begins on or after December 22, 2018." The bill also allows "excepted employees" to use leave during the shutdown. TSA chief: Financial hardships from shutdown prompting absences at major airports The head of the Transportation Security Administration acknowledged to his staff on Wednesday that frontline officers are increasingly calling out of work due to financial hardship caused by the government shutdown, spokesperson Michael Bilello told ABC News. The agency, tasked with securing the nation's aviation system, reported an unscheduled absence rate of 6.1 percent of the workforce for Tuesday, up from 3.7 percent on the same day last year. Call-outs peaked on Sunday at 7.7 percent compared to 3.2 percent the same day last year. | Cheyenne Haslett | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tens-thousands-federal-employees-called-back-work-government/story?id=60431671 | 2019-01-17 19:08:09+00:00 | 1,547,770,089 | 1,567,552,026 | labour | labour relations |
1,240 | abcnews--2019-01-23--46000 IRS employees told to work without pay Will they show up | 2019-01-23T00:00:00 | abcnews | 46,000 IRS employees told to work without pay. Will they show up? | Some IRS employees are claiming they can't return to work for the upcoming tax season because of financial hardship, a major union said Wednesday, warning that others could follow in their footsteps if the government shutdown continues much longer. That legions of IRS workers might refuse to show for work raises the prospect that Americans could see a significant slowdown in the agency's ability to process tax returns this year. It could also ratchet up pressure on President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats as budget talks remain at a standstill. The Trump administration has tried to mitigate much of the impact of the partial government shutdown by recalling workers for popular programs, such as employees who process federal farm loans and tax refunds, and reclassifying them as essential or "excepted." "There's been a lot of anxiety in my life and the lives of my friends," said Janet Li, an IRS researcher in Washington who before the shutdown began, was working on how the agency would handle the new tax law. With the spending lapse in its second month and employees facing their second missed paycheck, Li said that if she does receive a notice to return to work without pay, she would consider using sick leave or applying for a hardship exemption. And she knows of others who would do the same. Li was among a crowd of federal workers protesting Wednesday on Capitol Hill. "It's to be expected," she told ABC News. "It's a bit unfair to demand people come in and not get paid." The IRS announced last week that it would recall another 36,000 workers to process tax refunds in particular, bringing to 46,000 the number of agency employees required to show up without pay. Under the rules of a government shutdown, any federal workers deemed "essential" could be fired if they don't report to work. They are also prohibited from striking. The agency declined Wednesday to confirm a report by The Washington Post that "hundreds" of IRS employees have filed hardship claims. "The IRS is continuing its work in preparation for next week’s filing season," the agency said in a statement. "We are continuing our recall operations, and we continue to assess the situation at this time." The National Treasury Employees Union said it has told IRS employees not to use the financial hardship claim as a form of protest and that "tens of thousands" of agency workers have taken its advice to "answer the call and return to work" despite the prospect of working without pay. But, the union said, some employees are telling their bosses that returning to work without a paycheck isn't feasible financially. "After a month with no pay, real hardship does exist for IRS employees including not having the money needed to get back and forth to work or to pay for the child care necessary to return to work right now," said NTEU National President Tony Reardon. "Emergencies can occur at any time so the hardship exemption can be requested during a lapse in appropriations when an employee is suddenly unable to return to work. That is why the exemption exists." He added: "I believe that IRS management understands the stress that employees are under and is doing its best to accommodate the very real hardships employees are experiencing." Jenny Brown, head of a local NTEU chapter that represents some 5,000 IRS employees in Ogden, Utah, said she is getting about 10 to 15 calls a day from members asking about hardship leave, which requires a manager's approval. "Really what we're hearing is people want to get back to work, but they want to get paid," she said. Even if all 46,000 IRS workers show up for tax season -- which is expected to start officially next week when Jan. 28 begins to process return -- Americans could face some frustration anyway. The 46,000 IRS employees represent less than 60 percent of it's usual workforce. And while the IRS will be adding staff to answer some questions via telephone, the agency said last week, it's warning Americans to expect "heavier call volume" and "longer wait times." Walk-in assistance centers also will remain closed, including those offices intended to help people who are victims of identity theft and are required to visit an IRS office to establish their identity. What will remain in effect is the requirement that people pay their taxes on time, although the agency said it won't conduct any audits during the spending lapse. "During this period, the IRS reminds taxpayers that the underlying tax laws remain in effect, and all taxpayers should continue to meet their tax obligations as normal," the IRS wrote on its website. "Individuals and businesses should keep filing their tax returns and making payments and deposits with the IRS, as they are required to do by law." The plan comes after the White House on Jan. 7 ordered the agency to still process tax returns starting Jan. 28 and issue tax refunds as planned. A disastrous tax season wouldn't be in Trump's best interest politically. In 2017, he signed into law a massive rewrite of the tax code and Republicans were counting on Americans seeing a bump in their refund checks. At least one top Democrat, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, has questioned whether recalling so many employees during a shutdown is legal when only the most critical employees should be called on, usually for reasons of public safety. "The president now is going to order them to do what we think is illegal to do because he wants to act like a dictator," Hoyer told reporters earlier this month. "Federal employees are being deeply damaged by this continuing long-term shutdown." The IRS has urged people to file electronically and go to its website with questions. "No live telephone customer service assistance is currently available, although the IRS will be adding staff to answer some of the telephone lines in the coming days," the agency wrote last week. "Due to the heavier call volume, taxpayers should be prepared for longer wait times." The IRS also noted earlier in the shutdown that appointments related to audits and collections would be rescheduled. The agency also said it would not process applications for groups claiming tax-exempt status. | Anne Flaherty,, Stephanie Ebbs , Quinn Owen | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/irs-declares-half-workers-needed-process-2019-tax/story?id=60399123 | 2019-01-23 21:41:07+00:00 | 1,548,297,667 | 1,567,551,183 | labour | employment |
1,240 | abcnews--2019-01-23--46000 IRS employees told to work without pay Will they show up | 2019-01-23T00:00:00 | abcnews | 46,000 IRS employees told to work without pay. Will they show up? | Some IRS employees are claiming they can't return to work for the upcoming tax season because of financial hardship, a major union said Wednesday, warning that others could follow in their footsteps if the government shutdown continues much longer. That legions of IRS workers might refuse to show for work raises the prospect that Americans could see a significant slowdown in the agency's ability to process tax returns this year. It could also ratchet up pressure on President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats as budget talks remain at a standstill. The Trump administration has tried to mitigate much of the impact of the partial government shutdown by recalling workers for popular programs, such as employees who process federal farm loans and tax refunds, and reclassifying them as essential or "excepted." "There's been a lot of anxiety in my life and the lives of my friends," said Janet Li, an IRS researcher in Washington who before the shutdown began, was working on how the agency would handle the new tax law. With the spending lapse in its second month and employees facing their second missed paycheck, Li said that if she does receive a notice to return to work without pay, she would consider using sick leave or applying for a hardship exemption. And she knows of others who would do the same. Li was among a crowd of federal workers protesting Wednesday on Capitol Hill. "It's to be expected," she told ABC News. "It's a bit unfair to demand people come in and not get paid." The IRS announced last week that it would recall another 36,000 workers to process tax refunds in particular, bringing to 46,000 the number of agency employees required to show up without pay. Under the rules of a government shutdown, any federal workers deemed "essential" could be fired if they don't report to work. They are also prohibited from striking. The agency declined Wednesday to confirm a report by The Washington Post that "hundreds" of IRS employees have filed hardship claims. "The IRS is continuing its work in preparation for next week’s filing season," the agency said in a statement. "We are continuing our recall operations, and we continue to assess the situation at this time." The National Treasury Employees Union said it has told IRS employees not to use the financial hardship claim as a form of protest and that "tens of thousands" of agency workers have taken its advice to "answer the call and return to work" despite the prospect of working without pay. But, the union said, some employees are telling their bosses that returning to work without a paycheck isn't feasible financially. "After a month with no pay, real hardship does exist for IRS employees including not having the money needed to get back and forth to work or to pay for the child care necessary to return to work right now," said NTEU National President Tony Reardon. "Emergencies can occur at any time so the hardship exemption can be requested during a lapse in appropriations when an employee is suddenly unable to return to work. That is why the exemption exists." He added: "I believe that IRS management understands the stress that employees are under and is doing its best to accommodate the very real hardships employees are experiencing." Jenny Brown, head of a local NTEU chapter that represents some 5,000 IRS employees in Ogden, Utah, said she is getting about 10 to 15 calls a day from members asking about hardship leave, which requires a manager's approval. "Really what we're hearing is people want to get back to work, but they want to get paid," she said. Even if all 46,000 IRS workers show up for tax season -- which is expected to start officially next week when Jan. 28 begins to process return -- Americans could face some frustration anyway. The 46,000 IRS employees represent less than 60 percent of it's usual workforce. And while the IRS will be adding staff to answer some questions via telephone, the agency said last week, it's warning Americans to expect "heavier call volume" and "longer wait times." Walk-in assistance centers also will remain closed, including those offices intended to help people who are victims of identity theft and are required to visit an IRS office to establish their identity. What will remain in effect is the requirement that people pay their taxes on time, although the agency said it won't conduct any audits during the spending lapse. "During this period, the IRS reminds taxpayers that the underlying tax laws remain in effect, and all taxpayers should continue to meet their tax obligations as normal," the IRS wrote on its website. "Individuals and businesses should keep filing their tax returns and making payments and deposits with the IRS, as they are required to do by law." The plan comes after the White House on Jan. 7 ordered the agency to still process tax returns starting Jan. 28 and issue tax refunds as planned. A disastrous tax season wouldn't be in Trump's best interest politically. In 2017, he signed into law a massive rewrite of the tax code and Republicans were counting on Americans seeing a bump in their refund checks. At least one top Democrat, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, has questioned whether recalling so many employees during a shutdown is legal when only the most critical employees should be called on, usually for reasons of public safety. "The president now is going to order them to do what we think is illegal to do because he wants to act like a dictator," Hoyer told reporters earlier this month. "Federal employees are being deeply damaged by this continuing long-term shutdown." The IRS has urged people to file electronically and go to its website with questions. "No live telephone customer service assistance is currently available, although the IRS will be adding staff to answer some of the telephone lines in the coming days," the agency wrote last week. "Due to the heavier call volume, taxpayers should be prepared for longer wait times." The IRS also noted earlier in the shutdown that appointments related to audits and collections would be rescheduled. The agency also said it would not process applications for groups claiming tax-exempt status. | Anne Flaherty,, Stephanie Ebbs , Quinn Owen | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/irs-declares-half-workers-needed-process-2019-tax/story?id=60399123 | 2019-01-23 21:41:07+00:00 | 1,548,297,667 | 1,567,551,183 | labour | labour relations |
1,287 | abcnews--2019-01-25--FBI directors angry message to employees Shutdown is unfair | 2019-01-25T00:00:00 | abcnews | FBI director's angry message to employees: Shutdown is 'unfair' | In an angry video message sent to employees on Friday, FBI Director Chris Wray had a simple message: The government shutdown, now in Day 35, is "unfair" and he knows agents are hurting. “Making some people stay home when they don’t want to, and making others show up without pay–it’s mind-boggling, it’s short-sighted, and it’s unfair,” he said. “It takes a lot to get me angry, but I’m about as angry as I’ve been in a long, long time. Sure, I get it. You’re public servants, and I know I can count on you to keep doing everything you can to help others, however you can," Wray said. "But you’re also people with bills to pay. You’re also moms and dads. You’ve also got rent payments and mortgages, and utilities and car payments and gas and groceries to buy. And you can’t put those worries aside just because you serve the public,“ he said. Wray avoided taking political sides but wanted to make clear that even as they keep serving their country, FBI employees still have to worry about paying the bills. "In this polarized environment, even seemingly straightforward statements can be hijacked by one side or the other," he said. Top FBI officials had tried to "think outside the box" to find a way to pay employees, he said, but the effort fell short. Wray told employees he and other bureau official weren't going to the news media to advocate for them -- but were doing that "at every level." "I’m seeing that here at Headquarters, and I’m seeing it in the field. You're not only focused on the work. You’re focused on helping each other, in countless ways," he said. "You’re running food pantries and donation efforts. You’re working flex schedules to take care of your families. You’re sharing job responsibilities with your colleagues. You’re gritting your teeth, getting the job done, and setting the standard for what putting the public first actually means in this environment." “Director Wray clearly articulated the challenges confronting FBI Agents and all FBI employees. As we have said, the Director and the FBI leadership are doing all they can to fund FBI operations with increasingly limited resources, Tom O'Connor said. " The Director is correct that the FBI family comes together during a crisis, and we look forward to continuing to work with him and FBI leadership to protect the American people from criminal and terrorist threats,” O'Connor said. | Luke Barr | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-directors-angry-message-employees-shutdown-unfair/story?id=60623511 | 2019-01-25 18:58:03+00:00 | 1,548,460,683 | 1,567,550,863 | labour | employment |
1,287 | abcnews--2019-01-25--FBI directors angry message to employees Shutdown is unfair | 2019-01-25T00:00:00 | abcnews | FBI director's angry message to employees: Shutdown is 'unfair' | In an angry video message sent to employees on Friday, FBI Director Chris Wray had a simple message: The government shutdown, now in Day 35, is "unfair" and he knows agents are hurting. “Making some people stay home when they don’t want to, and making others show up without pay–it’s mind-boggling, it’s short-sighted, and it’s unfair,” he said. “It takes a lot to get me angry, but I’m about as angry as I’ve been in a long, long time. Sure, I get it. You’re public servants, and I know I can count on you to keep doing everything you can to help others, however you can," Wray said. "But you’re also people with bills to pay. You’re also moms and dads. You’ve also got rent payments and mortgages, and utilities and car payments and gas and groceries to buy. And you can’t put those worries aside just because you serve the public,“ he said. Wray avoided taking political sides but wanted to make clear that even as they keep serving their country, FBI employees still have to worry about paying the bills. "In this polarized environment, even seemingly straightforward statements can be hijacked by one side or the other," he said. Top FBI officials had tried to "think outside the box" to find a way to pay employees, he said, but the effort fell short. Wray told employees he and other bureau official weren't going to the news media to advocate for them -- but were doing that "at every level." "I’m seeing that here at Headquarters, and I’m seeing it in the field. You're not only focused on the work. You’re focused on helping each other, in countless ways," he said. "You’re running food pantries and donation efforts. You’re working flex schedules to take care of your families. You’re sharing job responsibilities with your colleagues. You’re gritting your teeth, getting the job done, and setting the standard for what putting the public first actually means in this environment." “Director Wray clearly articulated the challenges confronting FBI Agents and all FBI employees. As we have said, the Director and the FBI leadership are doing all they can to fund FBI operations with increasingly limited resources, Tom O'Connor said. " The Director is correct that the FBI family comes together during a crisis, and we look forward to continuing to work with him and FBI leadership to protect the American people from criminal and terrorist threats,” O'Connor said. | Luke Barr | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-directors-angry-message-employees-shutdown-unfair/story?id=60623511 | 2019-01-25 18:58:03+00:00 | 1,548,460,683 | 1,567,550,863 | labour | labour relations |
1,343 | abcnews--2019-01-28--Federal employees back at work facing backlogs IT issues | 2019-01-28T00:00:00 | abcnews | Federal employees back at work facing backlogs, IT issues | Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees headed back to work Monday, and their back pay is on the way, but it could be a while before it's back to business as usual. For example, congressional sources estimate it will take at least a year for IRS to recover from unanswered taxpayer questions and other work that piled up during the shutdown. The backlog of unanswered letters to IRS increased to 5 million pieces of mail during the shutdown and IRS is still receiving more than 700,000 pieces of a mail a day. The IRS told members of Congress last week that more than half of employees called back to work to start processing tax refunds those employees couldn't go back to work due to financial difficulties or were unreachable. The IRS also told members of Congress 25 information technology staff left to look for other jobs every week during the shutdown. Meanwhile, federal workers are expected to receive back pay from the 35-day government shutdown by later this week, though the exact timeline varies by agency. At some departments, payroll staff worked through the weekend to start processing checks for more than 800,000 employees who were furloughed or worked without pay during the shutdown. Some of those employees have said they're already worried about the possibility of another shutdown in three weeks, when the temporary budget agreement between the president and Democrats in Congress is set to expire. Employees at several agencies are being told to expect money in their accounts by Thursday, Jan. 31 -- including the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Housing and Urban Development. National Park Service employees should also get their first paycheck with back pay on Wednesday and the rest on Friday, but many NPS staff were being paid the last several weeks after the agency announced it would tap into reserve funds to keep parks open. Agency leaders welcomed their employees back on social media and in person as many came back to the office for the first time in weeks. While the government officially reopened over the weekend, the Smithsonian museums and National Zoo are set to reopen on Tuesday and some national parks in remote areas may need more time to remove snow or ice before visitors can enter safely. Federal workers will also have some logistical hurdles on their first day back at work. Some agency heads tweeted that extra resources and IT support would be available to help employees who couldn't access their computer or email during the shutdown and may now be locked out due to expired passwords. ABC News' Anne Flaherty and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report. | Stephanie Ebbs | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/federal-employees-back-work-monday-facing-backlogs-issues/story?id=60676436 | 2019-01-28 18:44:33+00:00 | 1,548,719,073 | 1,567,550,523 | labour | employment |
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