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GMB
has pledged to resist compulsory job losses and changes to pensions
at Pilkington Glass.
GMB has over 500 members In
St Helens and is undertaking a consultative ballot on proposed
changes to pensions that could reduce final pensionable pay by
between 20% to 40%.
Pilkington has announced a reduction of 33 jobs at Watson Street
Works and 87 jobs at Float Works (which comprises of Greengate and
the Cowley Hill sites). This situation has been brought about by a
drop for demand within the Float Glass market and also a collapse in
Solar Glass.
The Company has also recently announced the closures of 2 European
plants and also closures in what they class as their "downstream"
businesses. Sites are being closed in Basingstoke and Aintree with
the loss of 90 jobs.
In additions high level discussions have been taking place over the
past few months at the company's St Helens headquarters between
management and trade unions after the company forecast a possible
deficit of £326m in the Pilkington Superannuation scheme (PSS).
Under the Company's proposal, individual's pension benefits would be
eroded by virtue of not receiving increases in pensionable pay after
March 2013 as pay increases would not apply to pensionable pay which
will be frozen. In some cases it could reduce final pensionable pay
by between 20% to 40%.
Charlie Leonard, GMB Senior Organiser said:- "It has to be
said that the Company is suffering financially and at this moment in
time is making heavy losses. Nonetheless, in terms of the
redundancies, the GMB is determined to reduce and mitigate the
impact of job cuts and to resist compulsory redundancies.
On pensions with the changes the younger you are in the PSS scheme
the worse it would be. In some cases it could reduce final
pensionable pay by between 20% to 40%. This draconian step is being
resisted by the GMB. Not only does it erode future benefits it, also
has an impact on past benefits, ie. accrued pension.
Even though the manufacturing outlook is gloomy in the short run,
our members are prepared to stand up and fight against these
detrimental and draconian proposals to reduce their pensions which
will apply in the longer term.
We are presently undergoing a consultative ballot of our members
within Pilkington Glass to see whether or not they want to accept or
reject the Company's proposals on pensions. This could well lead to
a ballot for industrial action if the Company does not change its
position. GMB is determined to ensure that our members' pensions and
jobs are protected"
Homes to go
greener
HUNDREDS of homes across
the Liverpool City Region will be made greener after the City
Council and the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
won funding to deliver energy efficiency measures.
£1.397million has been awarded under the Government's Green Deal Go
Early Pilot Programme.
This will see 262 homes have energy efficiency measures installed,
including new boilers, external and internal insulation and extra
glazing.
A further 700 householders will be given advice on how to reduce
their energy costs.
The programme covers homes in Anfield and Breckfield, the Eldonian
Village and conservation areas. It will also cover other parts of
the City Region including Wirral, Sefton, St Helens and Halton.
The Green Deal Go Early Pilot Programme supports measures to improve
energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings as part of
the Government's Green Deal initiative.
Liverpool City Region's programme has been developed as part of the
Liverpool City Region LEP's City Deal2 agreement. It also supports
the work of the City region-wide low carbon housing group, the
Viridis Partnership, which brings together local authorities and
registered social housing providers to share learning and expertise
on a number of energy efficient retrofit programmes.
Greg Barker, Minister for Energy and Climate Change, said:-
"It's fantastic to see Liverpool City Region taking the initiative
to help people in the City make their homes warmer and more
efficient. This scheme will also help householders save money on
their fuel bills and I'm delighted to see trials for the Green Deal
being run as well. I hope to continue working with the City Council
to help transform Liverpool's homes, businesses and communities
through the Green Deal."
Councillor Tim Moore, City Council cabinet member for transport and
climate change, said:- "This funding is very welcome, but it
is just a start. Under the Government's Green Deal proposals, and
working with available Energy Company finance, we will be looking to
make a real impact on energy efficiency and property improvements
across the City region. We believe that we can lever in some many
millions pounds over 5 years making the Liverpool City region
greener while reducing energy bills. With this Go Early funding we
are able to get off to a good star which will benefit hundreds of
householders."
Mark Knowles, Head of Low Carbon Economy at Liverpool City Region
LEP said:- "The LEP recognises the potential opportunity from
the Green Deal initiative to create a significant number of local
jobs in both the manufacture of green products and their
installation and we are actively working with City Region SME's to
enable them to take full advantage of these forthcoming
opportunities."
MERSEYSIDE
POLICE WELCOMES OFFICERS TO THE FORCE
TEMPORARY Assistant Chief
Constable Ian Pilling led a special ceremony on Thursday, 24 January
2013, at Mather Avenue that saw student officers graduate from their
training, march out and be inspected during their passing out
parade.
The event signifies the end of initial training and the start of
their policing career.
Jane Kennedy, Merseyside's Police Commissioner, joined senior Police
officers, friends and families in the 1st passing out parade for two
years with nineteen new Police officers celebrating their
graduation.
The officers, 8 women and 11 men, will be spread across the force
and will spend their 1st 2 years as Neighbourhood Officers.
The officers come from a range of different backgrounds.
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ian Pilling, said:- "I am
proud to have introduced these students into the Merseyside Police
family, a force to be proud of and this gives us nineteen more
reasons to be proud. This is great news for the Force and for
communities across Merseyside and these officers will make a real
contribution by providing reassurance and visibility. These officers
reinforce our commitment to see more Police officers becoming part
of the fabric of the communities they serve - building local
knowledge, forging strong relationships with families and businesses
and helping support safe, strong communities for all. I would like
to take this opportunity to welcome them and wish them luck for
their future careers."
Commissioner Kennedy, said:- "I am proud to have the
opportunity to attend the new recruits' special night, the first
recruitment in two years since the onset of the cuts in funding to
policing. The officers have trained extremely hard to reach
Merseyside Police's high recruitment standard and the people of
Merseyside will benefit greatly from their dedication and
commitment. I wish them the best of luck in their careers with
Merseyside Police."
The 19 officers will all now continue to be assessed through their 2
year probationary period. |
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Travelodge £223m
brand investment includes new hotel in Southport
TRAVELODGE is 1 of the UK's
leading hotel chains, is has now announce that it is opening 14
hotels this year, with 1 of these openings in Southport.
Travelodge Southport represents a £6 million investment for the
area. The hotel is scheduled to open in October 2013, creating 26
jobs and bringing £1.5 million each year to the local economy.
The 101 room property is located in the historic Ribble Building in
the heart of the town centre. The Grade-II listed former bus station
will retain its character, and features a new extension on the back
of the building.
This news comes alongside the company's announcement that it is
benefitting from a £223 million investment this year to help fuel
growth, strengthen the Company's brand offering and ensure consumers
obtain the best value in the marketplace.
As part of the announcement, the hotel chain is also unveiling its
new room design which has been created by Travelodge customers. The
new room concept has taken 12 months to complete from initial
research to implementation and has been overseen by Travelodge's
dedicated in-house Interior Designer - Frances Whitley.
Travelodge Southport will be one of the very first hotels to feature
this new room design.
The new Travelodge room includes the following new features:-
► An upgraded new luxury king size bed which is deemed in the
industry as the 'Rolls Royce' of beds and used predominately by
luxury hotels worldwide. The bed is produced by royal warrant
holders Sleepeeze Ltd who are renowned internationally for their
experience and craftsmanship in producing the most luxurious beds
that money can buy. The company established 80 years ago uses
cutting edge technology to create state-of-the-art pocket spring
mattresses that help attain a good quality night's sleep.
► The new Travelodge bed boasts an 800 pocket sprung mattress and
each individual spring is designed to follow the natural contour of
an individual's body in order to provide the correct amount of
support and comfort to ensure they receive a good quality night's
sleep. The pocket sprung mattress is also very beneficial for
couples sharing a bed as it ensures that each individual is much
less affected by the movement of their partner.
► For further comfort, the bed is dressed with a quilted mattress
topper and bounce back duvet and pillows. A new addition to the
bedding is a stylish swoosh stripes runner to help create a gift
wrap feel to the bed.
► The bed also features a unique benefit of housing two space saving
comfy truckle beds within its base. When the beds are in use the
base can be used for storing luggage, providing extra space in the
room. The truckle beds have been designed to replace the traditional
sofa bed and provide an enhanced service for families staying in the
room.
► To help create a warm and cosy ambiance in the new room so that
its customers obtain a good quality night's sleep, Travelodge worked
with a chromotherapy expert and has introduced a sleep inducing
colour palette to the room's décor.
► The new Travelodge room feature wall has been painted a tranquil
blue, as research shows our body clock is programmed to relate the
colour blue to the hours of darkness. So when we look at the colour
blue, our metabolism slows down, making us feel relaxed and sleepy.
The colour also has the effect of making a room look larger and more
light and airy. The remaining walls have been painted a calming
cream colour as this shade embodies the quality of gentle morning
sunlight that helps you to wake up feeling refreshed and alert.
► To complement the colour scheme swoosh stripes in the colours of
red, grey and blue have been incorporated into the room décor via
the curtains and bed runner. Vertical stripes have been chosen due
to their illusion of making a room look taller and to create a more
restful and contemporary atmosphere.
Other additions to the new room include a stylish white contemporary
en-suite bathroom with a power shower, stain and water resistant
carpet in a dark shade of blue, a larger desk area, new reading
lights and a phone charging socket built into the bed frame. The
room also includes artwork above the bed. This is an abstract design
featuring relaxing sparkles and shades of blue, which customers
found very pleasing to the eye and restful.
Grant Hearn, Chief Executive Officer for Travelodge said:-
"Now that we have a solid financial foundation in place, this year,
the Travelodge brand will benefit from a £223 million investment.
This capital expenditure will help us to grow our business in
locations such as Southport, strengthen our product offering and
make Travelodge the best value hotel chain in the UK. As part of
this year's investment we have worked with our customers to create a
new Travelodge room which offers more comfort, quality and style.
The hero of our new room is a luxurious bed that is normally found
in high end hotels. This enhanced product offering combined with our
new cutting edge revenue management system that offers economy
pricing, will ensure we are the smart choice for leisure and
business travellers."
Travelodge Southport is one of 14 hotels (representing 1,742 rooms)
that the company will open this year at an investment of £141.5
million. 12 of these openings will be in the UK and 2 in Spain.
The UK locations include 4 properties in London (Bethnal Green,
Hounslow, Vauxhall and Walthamstow), Liverpool, Cambridge,
Aylesbury, Southport, Kings Lynn, Sittingbourne, Manchester and
Chertsey.
The 2 Spanish hotel openings will double Travelodge's room stock to
700 and boost the number of hotels to 6, which includes 3 properties
in Madrid, 2 in Barcelona and 1 in Valencia. The 1st hotel is
scheduled to open in spring and is located in the fashionable beach
area Poblenoul in Barcelona. The new Madrid hotel is scheduled to
open in the summer and is located in the famous Julian Camarilo
commercial district.
In total, the new Travelodge hotel openings will create 420 new jobs
with 371 of the new positions being generated via the 14 new hotel
openings. The remaining new opportunities will be created via the
Company's successful management apprenticeship programme (JuMP)
which will create 30 new apprenticeship places and the remaining 19
roles are head office based.
Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO said:- "In today's world, Britons
are looking for great value when making a hotel booking. The UK at
less than 20% remains a growing market for branded budget
accommodation, as it is still well behind matured markets such as
the USA and France. In response to this growing opportunity, our
growth strategy remains in the forefront of our new business plan." |
