Evening News: PFI hospital helipad 'almost useless'

Edinburgh Evening News 16 August

By Adam Morris

Health Reporter

 

THE helipad at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary has been left "almost useless" for the last four years with two-thirds of emergency flights unable to land, it has emerged.

 

The Evening News has discovered that the location of the helipad at the Little France site, among trees and hillside, means it can only operate in daylight hours because of a change in Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules.

That means the majority of patients being moved to the ERI by helicopter have to instead land at Edinburgh Airport, before being transferred to an ambulance, adding up to an hour onto their journey.

Unions said it was yet another example of how the "flawed" PFI deal to build the hospital at Little France had a negative impact on services...

 

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Edinburgh Evening News: Scottish Water look to calm fears over staff strike

Edinburgh Evening News: Scottish Water look to calm fears over staff strike  

Published Date: 27 November 2008

 

BOSSES at Scottish Water moved today to reassure customers as workers started a 24 hour strike over pay.

 

The stoppage, which started at noon, was expected to affect the company's operations across the whole country.

Three unions Unison, Unite and the GMB, are involved in the dispute, which centres on a three per cent rise over 15 months which the unions say Scottish Water has imposed on employees.

Today Scottish Water said contingency plans had been put in place to ensure that normal service was maintained during the strike.

Peter Farrer, Scottish Water's Customer Service Delivery Director, said: "We have a committed team in place, determined to maintain a normal service for our customers. I am confident we can continue to deliver this."

Unison Scottish organiser Dave Watson said as a highly successful public corporation which answers to the Scottish Government, Scottish Water could afford a better rise for its workers but claimed the Government was preventing a settlement.

He said the deal was effectively worth 2.4 per cent this year while inflation had been running at more than twice that rate.

He added: "Scottish Water has the money to make a reasonable pay deal - the problem is the Scottish Government is blocking them from doing so."

The Herald: More action planned after second council pay row strike

More Action Planned After Second Council Pay Row Strike:
The Herald Thursday 25 September 2008

"Unions are planning a further round of council strikes for next month after yesterday's action by some 150,000 workers failed to bring a settlement to the protracted pay dispute any closer.

The second one-day strike in five weeks by Unison, GMB and Unite members led to widespread closure of schools, libraries, museums, community centres and the cancellation of bin collections and ferry services across Scotland.

Plans are now being drawn up for a series of smaller strikes targeting specific local authority areas from October 6 and initially lasting a fortnight."

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Evening News: Thousands of pupils stay home as strike closes city schools

Edinburgh Evening News: Thousands of pupils stay home as strike closes city schools

24 September 2008

THOUSANDS of school pupils in the Capital stayed at home today as industrial action again forced schools to close their doors.

Council workers are striking over pay for the second time in two months.

A total of 25 primary schools, three nurseries and six special schools in Edinburgh are closed during the 24-hour strike, with a further 16 secondary schools and 12 primaries and nurseries open only to certain year groups.

Industrial action on August 20 closed schools on the first day of the new term and crippled scores of vital services across the city.

Union leaders today called for further local government strike action after pay talks left them "extremely disappointed".

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