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Usdaw seeks urgent talks after Boots announce merger with Unichem
THE retail union
Usdaw is seeking urgent talks with management at pharmacy giants
Boots and Unichem after they announced they were to merge in a £7
billion deal. The union has strong representation and agreements in
both companies particularly in the distribution and logistical parts
of both companies.
"We have long standing agreements with both companies which is good
news for our members as we will be able to use those positive
relationships to protect the interests of our members.
We are seeking
meetings with both companies this week to find out exactly what the
long term implications are for our members as company briefings to
staff have made it clear that any significant changes will not
happen overnight. This merger is designed to make sure the new
company has enough firepower to meet the challenges from the
supermarkets but we want to make sure that the loyalty of staff at
both companies is recognised and rewarded with the sort of security
this merger is intended to provide.
It's far too early
to comment on unhelpful speculation about potential job losses and
our vast experience in situations like this will ensure that we work
closely with both companies to explore ways to manage this merger in
the best interests of hard working retail, pharmacy, logistical,
manufacturing and support staff across the UK." says Usdaw
general secretary John Hannett.
WIN A BBC
VISIT FOR YOUR SCHOOL AND HAVE THE CHANCE TO PRODUCE A BBC QUESTION
TIME TELEVISION PROGRAMME
YOUNG
people around the UK can win a session with a BBC journalist for
their school and have the chance to work with David Dimbleby to
produce a real edition of Question Time to be broadcast on BBC ONE.
To be in with a chance of winning this unique opportunity, pupils
must enter the new Schools Question Time Challenge. Supported by the
BT Education Programme, the Institute for Citizenship and the BBC,
the Challenge is open to all schools with pupils aged 14 to 18 and
involves pupils staging their own debates based upon the popular BBC
Question Time format.
Schools can enter the Challenge by visiting
www.bt.com/education/schoolsqt
and completing a simple online form. The deadline to enter the
Challenge is 6 January 2006 and all schools who enter before 5
November 2005 automatically win a visit from a BBC journalist.
Schools can learn more about participating in the Challenge by
downloading the BT Education Programme’s free resources which
include teacher’s notes, lesson plans and activities. The resources
aim to help pupils form opinions, improve their speaking and
listening skills and engage with the issues that affect them as
citizens.
From all the online entries 12 finalist schools will be selected and
given a £500 grant from BT to run their own local Question Time
event. Each finalist school will also receive professional support
from BT in staging the event by taking part in a Schools Question
Time workshop. A panel of judges will travel to each finalist school
to evaluate their Question Time event and then select the 4 award
winners. Pupils from the 4 winning schools will collaborate with
David Dimbleby and the Question Time production team to produce a
real BBC Question Time programme to be broadcast on 6 July 2006 on
BBC ONE.
David Dimbleby commented:- “Everyone who has taken part in the
Schools Question Time Challenge has found it interesting, enjoyable
and instructive. Teachers and students alike enjoy the fun of
planning their own television programme and those who get through to
the final round, or actually work on the broadcast programme itself,
say it is a once in a lifetime experience.”
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GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO GENDER EQUALITY
THE
public sector needs to ensure that it leads the way in rights and
attitudes when it comes to gender equality was the message from Meg
Munn , Deputy Minister for Women and Equality this week.
Speaking at the launch of the consultation document 'Advancing
Equality for Men and Women', Meg Munn said:- "The public
sector must make sure that the rights and opportunities of men and
women are fully promoted. It is key to leading the way as an
employer and service provider. The Government is fully committed to
wiping out inequality and this duty will help us do just that.
Public authorities will be more responsive to the different needs of
men and women by increasing opportunities and reducing inequality.
This consultation is key to the public sector becoming the champion
of gender rights. I hope that people will take part and give us
their views."
The public sector duty will require public authorities to monitor
their activities and respond to the different needs of women and
men, and to involve employees, consumers and other stakeholders in
their assessments.
They will need to:-
* draw up and publish an equality scheme,this should identify gender
equality goals and show the steps that authority will take to
implement them;
* develop and publish a policy on their equal pay
arrangements,including measures to ensure fair promotion and
development opportunities and tackle occupational segregation;
* ensure that they assess the impact of new legislation, policies,
employment and service delivery changes. These assessments must also
be published.
MERSEY AND SOUTHPORT SCHOOLS INVITED TO PEN THE PERFECT POEM AND WIN
LIBRARY BOOKS
TO celebrate
National Poetry Day on 6 October, Mersey and Southport primary
schools are being invited to enter a holiday themed poetry
competition launched today by Eurocamp, with a top prize of £1,500
worth of books for their school libraries.
School pupils are being
asked to write a poem, sonnet, limerick or verse that best describes
what they think holidays in the
future will be like.
Students can enter poems written in any form or even recorded on CD,
cassette or mpeg. Poems can be submitted from individuals, classes
or a whole school. The winner will be able to choose £1,500 worth of
books for their school library. 2
runners-up will each receive £500 worth of books.
Entry packs are being sent to primary schools across Mersey and
Southport now. For further information about the competition, or to
download a school’s pack visit www.eurocamp.co.uk or call Helen
Taylor on 0161 238 9402. All entries should be sent to:- Eurocamp
Competition, P.O. Box PO Box 381, Manchester M15 4XF by 30 November
2005.
The competition has been launched with the support of the Poetry
Society, the organisation behind National Poetry Day. Lisa Roberts,
press and marketing manager at the Poetry Society, said:- “As
an organisation dedicated to celebrating poetry, we’re delighted to
support initiatives such as Eurocamp’s school poetry competition,
which help to raise the profile of poetry amongst the ‘word smiths’
of tomorrow.”
Deborah Beckett, managing director of Eurocamp, said:- “The
theme of this year’s National Poetry Day is all about the future.
To encourage primary schools to get involved, we wanted to invite
children to write a poem about the way they think holidays may be in
the future. As Europe’s leading camping tour operator helping many
British families and couples travel abroad each year, we understand
the long-lasting impact a holiday can have, helping to inspire
creativity. This competition is a great opportunity for children to
show off their creative talents, and we’re looking forward to
receiving lots of entries from schools in Mersey and Southport.”
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