RMT calls for economic sanctions against P&O - 1 month on from mass sackings

THE Maritime union points out that several P&O Ferries have not been able to sail since the vicious and reckless act of sacking 800 skilled seafarers on the 17 March 2022. Since the ships have been found to not be seaworthy due to agency crews not being familiar with the vessels, a lack of competency around fire safety and emergency evacuation, firefighting equipment that is not fit for purpose, and deficient structural integrity levels. P&O has also tried to claim that the callous and unlawful act of sacking 800 staff was to:- "minimise disruption to the vital services we run on major sea routes."

Mick Lynch, RMT General Secretary said:- "P&O's claim that they had to sack our members on grounds of efficiency was always a ludicrous claim and has now been entirely blown out of the water. The Sultan of Dubai who owns P&O ferries is being allowed to hold this country to ransom because the Government refuses to take over the running of the company and put the 800 sacked staff back to work to safely operate those vessels. The Government must apply economic sanctions to P&O for the cost of their destructive actions and we need a Fair Ferries agreement in order to avoid any repeat of this type of gangster capitalist behaviour in the future."
 

8 hour strike on TransPennine Express on Easter weekend

TPE conductors on major railway lines will take 48 hours of strike action in row over pay and Sunday working this Saturday. The company has point blank refused TPE conductors' request to increase pay for staff coming in on their days off and Sundays. This week TPE claimed there was no money in the budget to resolve the dispute but were then forced to admit they are paying out 3 times what conductors are asking for on daily basis; to managers to work on trains during strike days. We are told that the union is demanding enhanced flat payments of:- ₤250 for Rest Day Working (RDW) and ₤275 for working Sunday which were being paid to conductors are fully restored. This would cost the company a lot less than losses sustained due to industrial action. RMT has repeatedly pointed out that there are vastly different pay levels for conductors and other train crews for doing the same thing. General Secretary Mick Lynch said:- "This escalation of our rock-solid strike action will bring TPE trains to a grinding halt and the bosses only have themselves to blame. What our members are demanding would cost TPE less money than the loss of revenue resulting from strike action. The public will be severely inconvenienced by this strike, and they should direct their wrath at TPE for not settling the dispute. RMT remains open to talks about properly rewarding our conductors for the crucial role they play in keeping the trains moving."
 

₤8.1m boost to expand Skills Bootcamps for the Liverpool City Region

THE Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has secured ₤8.1m to deliver Skills Bootcamps in a range of sectors over the next year, after successfully piloting Skills Bootcamps in digital skills over the last 2 years. Skills Bootcamps provide training in:- construction, digital, engineering, green skills, HGV drivers, and rail. Thousands of people are expected to benefit from the free courses, which are intended to raise skill levels in key sectors, enabling eligible adults to move into more sustainable roles, and provide Liverpool City Region residents with the skills the Region's employers really need. Skills Bootcamps are funded by the Department for Education. The free flexible courses last up to 16 weeks and are playing a key role in the Government's Levelling Up activity. The Skills Bootcamps will provide training with content at Level 3 standard or above. Skills Bootcamps support employers who wish to retrain their existing staff in order to develop new business or retain staff, individuals who are self employed, and also any adult employed or unemployed who is looking to gain new skills to enable them to progress. Everyone who undertakes the training will be offered an interview with an employer.

Speaking about the training available, Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "Talking to business leaders in our City Region, it's abundantly clear that across every sector, there is a real hunger to recruit skilled, local workers. Through the good work we have been able to do with our devolved powers over skills, we've been able to secure more money from Government to give more of our residents the skills they need to get on. We want to create a Region of highly skilled, highly-employable workers, with a strong focus on those looking for a new challenge, a fresh start or a chance to return to the workforce. By giving local people the training they need to access good-quality, well paid secure jobs, we can ensure that the talent remains in our Region and that we have a workforce ready to take full advantage of the jobs that the Green Industrial Revolution and other industries of tomorrow will bring."

Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills Alex Burghart said:- "Skills Bootcamps are a highly effective way to learn skills at pace in a range of in demand sectors including digital, construction and green transport. This funding boost will support even more adults across the Region to take advantage of these free courses and get on the path to wellpaid careers."

The Liverpool City Region was 1 of only 6 areas nationally to pilot Skills Bootcamps in digital back in September 2020, aimed at helping participants gain jobs in the digital sector, and went on to run a further round of digital Skills Bootcamps in 2021. To date almost 700 people; a combination of unemployed, self employed, and employed; have completed a digital Skills Bootcamp. Their progress will be monitored over the coming months.
 

Write the Future - Music Technology Conference

ON 28 April 2022 Liverpool City Region Music Board is hosting:- 'Write the Future: Music Technology Conference' in Liverpool City Centre, showcasing the emerging technologies transforming the evolving music industry and creating immersive music experiences for fans. All musicians, creatives and music executives working in the Liverpool City Region are invited to attend this free conference; with influential creative's from across the UK coming to Liverpool to discuss and demonstrate various immersive technologies, including:- Virtual Reality, Spatial Audio, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, while also contemplating the future ambitions for connected fan experiences.

Representative of LCR Music Board and Head of UNESCO City of Music Liverpool, Kevin McManus, said:- "The Liverpool City Region Music Board is extremely proud to be hosting this pioneering event; providing a superb learning opportunity for local creatives, and ensuring that our City Region has its finger on the pulse in terms of technology and innovation in music."

At the conference, Meta (parent company of Facebook/Instagram/Quest) will be talking about music marketing best practice across Facebook and Instagram. They will also be discussing the opportunity for music in emerging technologies like AR & VR; bringing those to life with recent case studies with their record label partners.

Vanessa Bakewell, Global Client Partner, from Meta, said:- "I am delighted to be back in my home City in April for Write the Future. This event will be a chance to see some of the most innovative work happening across Merseyside in the music and tech space. We are delighted to speak alongside Merseyside music and tech leaders and showcase some of the work Meta is doing in music and tech across AR and VR."

The events high profile line up of panellists includes:-

► Jane Kinnard, Creative Shop at Meta: Providing 'An introduction to music and the metaverse' as part of a panel with Ali Proctor Walsh, Producer, Creative Shop at Meta; Natalie Kelly, Global Client Solutions Manager at Meta, plus Sophie Alexander, Marketing Manager at 3Beat Productions; Discussing music marketing best practice a deep dive into various music case studies and use of AI, AR and VR.

► Dawn Paine (ex-CMO at Nintendo and Universal Pictures) and Valerie Bounds (Award winning digital strategy lead for 25 years) Co-founders of Aurora. They will be talking about the:- 'Convergence of music, gaming, film and tech in 2022 and the road ahead.' in conversation with Vanessa Bakewell, Global client Partner, Music and Movies at Meta

► Sam Wiehl, Visual Artist - Explaining their real time visualisation collaborations with artists including Ladytron and Mogwai, and his work in innovative audience experience with events like Psychfest (a festival of art, tech and music).

► Phil Charnock, Draw and Code - Discussing their immersive technology work in the music industry, including augmented reality projects with Pink Floyd, Sony and more.

► Garry Heywood, Kinicho: Showcasing their pioneering work in spatial sound experiences and software

Peter Woodbridge, from Draw and Code, said:- "It's such a transformative time right now for creating and imagining new possibilities for art, technology and audience experiences. We're really looking forward to hearing from such an incredible range of pioneers and trailblazers in this space."

The conference will commence at 2pm prompt (doors open at 1:30pm) at Camp and Furnace, 67 Greenland St, Liverpool L1 0BY. Speaker presentations will end at 4:30pm; followed by live music from local singer songwriter and TikTok star, Michael Aldgag, and networking (until 6pm). Sign up to attend the event on:- Eventbrite.Com. For more information about Liverpool City Region Music Board, visit:- LCRMusicBoard.Co.UK.

The link to obtain a free ticket to the:- 'Write the Future' event, individuals must sign up online.