HEALTH & SAFETY was the main reason for the birth of the trade union movement. There is no doubt with the current government attack on trade unions and a possible all out onslaught when we arrive at ‘post Brexit’ Britain, Trade Unions will no doubt find the coming years increasingly difficult. For this reason alone TRADE UNIONS must immediately prioritise H&S now and strengthen links with other unions. Every individual worker has the right to a safe & healthy working environment. Workers are better protected with a strong & robust union that adopt a prime focus on Health & Safety at work.

British territorial waters are some of the most productive in Europe. I started fishing full time 42 years ago. Most of that time under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy. When we joined what was then the EEC we had to sign away equal access to other European countries. Some, like Spain, had no history of fishing in British waters. Others had so little territorial waters of thier own that they must have been rubbing thier hands together with glee at gaining access to our rich and abundant waters. Over the years I have seen the Common Fisheries Policy depress the industry, with once household named fishing ports such as Fleetwood, Milford haven, Lowestoft, Hull and Grimsby all declining. Thousands of people, not only fishermen but those industries supporting them, had to face finding other work or the dole. Whole communities were destroyed. The policy led to overfishing and the consequent decimation of prime fisheries, such as Liverpool bay and the Southern North Sea. The most recent threat has come from Dutch electro pulse fishing. Wiping out whole eco systems on the north Sea in the name of efficiency. I have seen once thriving fisheries that I used to work every year, nearly destroyed. Limiting us to smaller areas and concentrating effort there, instead of the diversity of grounds and fishing opportunities we used to enjoy. We now have the golden opportunity to take back control of what is a national resource potentially worth billions. By putting our own measures in place managing our fisheries effectively and sustainably we could ensure that not only are there fish in the seas but an industry for our children and grandchildren. Those Europeans that have an historic right of access and have fished or waters for hundreds of years, must be allowed to continue within limits but only if they comply with our rules of enforcement.

There are approximately 360,000 people registered blind or partially sighted in the UK. In the workplace, braille can be a productive way for people to make notes and can also be useful for reviewing printed material. Braille can reduce paper volumes as it is made up of shortcuts (short form words) which means reading material can be much faster. However, there are thousands of people who do not reach the job application stage as the job application is in an inaccessible format for them. It is vitally important to the lives of partially sighted and blind people as the ability to read and write in braille allows individuals to be literate and gives them an equal opportunity.

Many employers find that being sensitive to the cultural and religious needs of their employees makes good business sense, this includes providing prayer rooms with appropriate hygiene facilities. A clean and open environment for prayer is ideal for the busy employee who can't afford to leave the premise to offer their prayers. A dedicated prayer room space will allow staff to feel valued at the work place and comfortable rather than having to work around the small areas of an office.

The main reason 1) security a passport is a critical document and should not be made outside the UK 2) if we loose the jobs then the supposed 124 million savings will be wiped out in lost tax, NI, and increased benefits 3) we should be protecting and supporting our industry not giving business to countries that Would not allow that to happen in their country. 4) we are leaving the EU so it's not in our interests to allow another company to have such a hold over our security. 5) Britain has fantastic companies doing great things and if we are to succeed we need to give them every help we can

This would be privatisation by the back door. The company would be outside the NHS publicly owned and provided structure. It would own all the assets, land and buildings transferred to it. This would not be an acceptable disposal of public assets. At some stage in the future, it will be at risk of an aggressive buyout which will remove all once publicly owned assets building and land transferred with it, into profiteers hands, forever. It would remove the rights of the workforce to NHS terms and conditions after the statutory TUPE date and in any case, in the event of a downturn in revenue or other ‘financial crisis’ scenario and to new employees. It would create a 2 tier workforce as new employees will have less security, terms and conditions, holiday rights, sick pay and no access to NHS pension. This is likely to impact negatively on patient experience if the new workforce is more transient, without the public sector ethos. It’s a VAT scam? Certainly, it’s worrying that many of the SubCo plans seem to emphasise this VAT “gambit”. Gloucestershire, for example, told staff it would save £35m over 10 years through this ruse, whilst the staff savings were merely “unquantifiable”. And the Department of Health has advised against it. But the biggest similar scheme to date, UnitingCare in Cambridgeshire, collapsed spectacularly – and one of the major reasons (according to both NHS England and the National Audit Office reports) was because the NHS signed the contract on the basis of incorrect advice about their VAT position, meaning an unexpected £5m a year was added to the costs and the arrangement collapsed. There has been no consultation to date with members of the public and patients. Privatising cleaning services lead to development of MRSA a study shows. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314890.php By the time this new move is shown to be a disaster it will be too late. A Special Purpose Vehicle could prove to be a false economy. We are not opposed to change for the better, but we view the input from management consultants and attempts to privatise NHS services and estates, with suspicion. Please explore other options. New research shows use of Management Consultants increase inefficiency. http://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k893. https://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/jonathan-allsop/time-to-halt-nhs-gravy-train-for-management-consultants http://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k893

If you have any interest in athletics at all, or just in the development of sport in general - please take time to read. The facts are amazing. This is the most successful athletics programme in the country. It has won five National awards, three governing body awards, it has a 100% attendance to the summer programme and the most successful indoor athletics league in the country. This programme has enabled thousands of young people, no matter what their ability, to participate and compete in an atmosphere of excitement, challenge, fun and fulfilment, alongside 100s of volunteers many of whom were former competitors and GCSE or A level students, who gained valuable leadership skills and qualifications. Several internationals began their career in these programmes. Many many other, high level county and club athletes also started their careers in these programmes. Leader, Howard Court, took up his role after his England athletics role 13 years ago. His wife, Clova Court, is a former Great Britain International Heptathlete. She has supported him and his team in doing an amazing job in developing athletics in the Sandwell Area. There are many other current and past international athletes who are great role models and have contributed or still contribute to the development of sport in Sandwell. PLEASE SAVE THE SANDWELL SPORTS DEVELOPMENT TEAM.

The Bull's Head is set in magnificent Marches countryside: it is "one of the last unspoiled drovers' inns in England" (CAMRA). For 125 years it was run by the same farming family. After 1998, under energetic new management, it became one of the most popular pubs in Herefordshire. Now, with owners who appear not to care, it has been closed for three years with no hint of reopening or sale as a pub. The pub is officially designated "an asset of community value". It is certainly that: our small and vulnerable rural community dearly wants it back. But it's something more - it's a boon to visitors; a resting place for weary walkers and one of rural England's hidden treasures. It must not die. "When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England" - Hilaire Belloc

The Citizens Advice Bureau provides vital benefits advice and support to ill, disabled and vulnerable people in and around Boston and Skegness. Lincolnshire County Council have decided to cut funding for this valuable service. There is no other organisation that provides the same service. Please sign and share.

All the surrounding roads are getting clogged up causin road stay issue.

Carillion was managing support services at the British Museum when they announced bankruptcy on 15 January. Five years ago PCS members campaigned against outsourcing when directly employed staff were privatised and transferred to Carillion. Many have worked at the museum for over 20 years. Now they are being paid by the receivers and face an uncertain future. Under insolvency rules staff have no protection of their terms and conditions if they are transferred to another company. The Museum Director Hartwig Fischer has not even met with staff. This threat is not limited to British Museum: • The Imperial War Museum privatised its gallery services back in 2014. The private contractor Shield went bust in 2016 and was bought up by yet another private firm Noonan leaving staff unsure of the future of their pensions. • The National Gallery privatised 400 workers back in 2015 despite a long-running campaign opposing it, made from striking employees, other culture unions and a number of art campaigners and lovers. Private company Securitas has refused to honour promises and has been less than cooperative with workers represented by PCS. Meanwhile the National Gallery itself has de-recognised the union arguing that most of its members were now working for Securitas. • Some of Tate’s visitor services were provided by privateer Wilson James who used Zero Hours contracts and paid their employees far less than Tate. PCS members won union recognition and parity of pay after their EqualiTate campaign. But in 2017 the contract was passed on to Securitas who immediately de-recognised the PCS union.

The rollout of Benefit changes is coming to Tendring soon. We have seen the chaos and consequences of benefit arrears in other areas that have rolled out and wish to do all we can to alleviate the problems in Tendring