The Scottish Government is currently promoting the increase of forestry by awarding huge sums of money through the Forestry Grant Scheme. But this is being abused by some landowners. Currently landlords are in a position to legally evict tenants, who are in non-secure leases through no fault of their own, and then obtain large sums of money from the Scottish public purse to plant trees on viable agricultural land. Every farm unit that closes means a loss of livelihood to the tenants, a loss of tenant farmers for Scotland, a loss of farming diversity in a country with the most concentrated pattern of land ownership in the developed world, and a loss of people, skills and trade for fragile rural economies. I first became aware of this when good friends who had farmed as managers for a previous tenant for 8 years, and a further 10 years in their own right, were abruptly told that their lease would not be renewed and their farming ground would be turned over to trees. I have witnessed at first hand how their lives have been devastated. All attempts to negotiate an extension have been handled appallingly by the landlord's estate and even the intervention of MSPs, the new Land Commission, and the local Tenants Association, have failed to halt the imminent eviction.

Medical Professionals in the UK Seeking Registration is a campaign group being launched through RAPAR of around 500 medical professionals - doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and dentists - who are being prevented from working in the NHS because of the unreasonably high English language testing requirements currently set by the professional bodies responsible for registering them. This problem also affects many more medical professionals who are not yet members of the campaign group. The campaign is calling on the GMC and other bodies to return to more realistic and appropriate English language requirements. Doctors who passed the previous language test standards are currently working successfully in the NHS. But now highly qualified doctors – many of whom have been forced to flee their home countries for humanitarian reasons – are being stopped from using their skills and expertise. Four years ago, the GMC raised its already high score for doctors in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) even further. The exam tests general knowledge of English language and includes topics such as archaeology, jam making and current affairs – much of it irrelevant to the kind of terminology used by medical professionals. Dentists, pharmacists and technicians have also had their English language testing scores raised and want a return to the previous levels. In addition, they are asking the councils responsible for registering them to introduce the Occupational English Test (OET) which will cover medical contexts rather than topics that have nothing to do with their professions. Patients are in urgent need of these medical professionals - they should be given the opportunity to use their knowledge, proficiency and dedication to work in our struggling NHS.

PASNAS is not in financial difficulty. The unnecessary proposals will transfer all of the risk of the financial markets entirely onto the shoulders of the scheme members themselves, and damage the futures of the University's dedicated and hard-working support staff, leaving them without adequate financial security in their retirement. This pension is part of our pay package; the proposals actually represent a pay cut. They could impact support staff at other Universities (who have similar pension schemes) and also in the wider public sector, where there has been a constant erosion of Terms and Conditions, and pay cuts resulting in many low-paid workers having to struggle to make ends meet.

Our city has been hit by cut after cut- a fact clearly evidenced by the rubbish on our streets and the state of our closes. Residents of Glasgow deserve safe and clean streets with a well funded and reliable refuse service. Glasgow City Council have told GMB Scotland Trade Union that they have no plans to renew the contracts of over 100 temporary cleansing workers who were added to the service when our city was at the point of crisis last year. This means that on April 1st, Glasgow will see a 12% cut across the board to street cleansing services. We hope that, with the public's support, we can save jobs and clean up our city

Marks and Spencer's Falmouth has proved itself an integral part of the community, the cafe is always thriving with its iconic views of Falmouth bay with many locals including regular old age pensioners not to mention the tourists. The store is always full and busy, I am sure I am not alone when I say that I rely on the local Marks and Spencer for food. Cornwall itself is suffering with many cuts, this is the last thing it needs this will decrease the morale of the town with all the other closures that are happening. The next local store is based in the next town Truro, which does not seem far stretched out the way but when you consider the cost of public transport this will prove too expensive to do a regular shopping trip, or for the poor workers that will now need to make their way to Truro. It would be a huge shame if the space was to be replaced by another Poundland or charity shop. Please support this petition and sign it.

One of if not the busiest most dangerous junctions in the area, Especially at school times.

Remote villages need access to frequent reliable transport links to towns. Anyone who does not drives will be isolated and cut off from doing normal things in society

The low paid employees at the MoD’s Fort Blockhouse base in Gosport, Hampshire, who work as cleaners, mess hands and housekeepers, are currently embroiled in a row as ESS has cut the workers’ working year from 52 to 50 weeks. This issue affects mainly women workers on very low pay. The cost-cutting scandal for employees working at Ministry of Defence (MoD) establishments in the south of England has been compounded by the awarding of a new contract to ESS. Unite, the country’s largest union which represents 27 ESS workers, said it was taking legal advice as some employees had their weeks further cut to 48 weeks a year and there were questions about their hourly rate being below the national living wage. Unite has members employed by ESS at HMS Sultan (Gosport), HMS Collingwood (Fareham) and Whale Island (Portsmouth), where the company is also cutting the working year in the contracts of its low paid workers. ESS is part of the Compass Group. The pay of the CEO for Compass Group North America, Gary Green, was £5.8 million last year – the equivalent of £15,890 a day. Unite regional officer Bob Middleton said: “The Ministry of Defence is collaborating in this greedy cost-cutting scandal by awarding a new contract to ESS to run for five years from 1 June 2018. “ESS has won the contract by submitting a bid with reduced employee costs which is disgraceful, as our members are loyal employees who are proud to support our armed forces.” Unite general secretary Len McCluskey wrote to the defence secretary Gavin Williamson about the unilateral reduction in the weeks worked and the loss of an estimated £500 a year in wages – but no response from the minister was forthcoming. Bob Middleton added: “The MoD should hang its head in shame by giving a new contract to ESS, a company that does not care whether some of its employees are now suffering financial hardship after having their working weeks axed without consultation. “The announcement of the new contract is rubbing salt into the wounds."

As staff and students of the university, we are calling for an end to these measures. We will not allow attacks on workers' rights to divide the university community. Members of the general public are also welcome to sign to show their support. This petition is an open letter to the Vice Chancellor, and is a show of solidarity in support of strike action.

Miss Tina’s is being asked to pay full Business Rent on our facilities. Unfortunately, as a not-for-profit organisation, this will result in the closure of Miss Tina’s in Barmston. Please could you show your support for keeping Miss Tina’s open by signing the petition to reduce our rent.

The childcare system in England isn’t working for families. Parents need childcare that helps them choose whether to go back to work. But hundreds of thousands aren’t getting the help they should be. It’s a battle for mums, dads, and caregivers to get the support they’re entitled to – and their children deserve. When the sums don’t add up, and parents end up worse-off than if they didn’t work at all, it can feel like the odds are stacked against them. And the financial pressure and stress that creates at home isn’t good for parents or children. This campaign is about making childcare fair and easy to use. Right now, our broken childcare system isn’t giving families the support they need - at the most important time in their children’s lives. Photo credit: Clare Hewitt / Save the Children

We are concerned that the Conservative Government’s under-funding of the NHS has meant: In Reading: • The Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) is expected to make additional cuts of £45 million by 2020. • GP appointments are becoming harder to get with many patients having to wait weeks to see their doctor. • GP surgeries, like Circuit Lane Surgery, have been unable to provide good quality care and have been rated inadequate. • A&E departments are unable to cope, with many patients having to wait for more than 4 hours – failing a key target. The Royal Berkshire Hospital has missed this target. Nationally: • Patients are waiting for hours on trolleys in corridors. • Thousands of non-emergency operations have been cancelled. • NHS budgets are not keeping up with an ageing and increasing population and cuts to social care budgets are putting further pressure on the NHS. • The UK spends a lower proportion on health than other EU countries resulting in fewer doctors, nurses and beds per patient. • NHS staff are leaving due to poor pay and increasing workloads and stress. In 2017 33,000 nurses left the NHS.