Firefighters in Essex are to stage five strikes over the coming months in a dispute over cuts.
The Fire Brigades Union said its members will take industrial action on June 28, July 7 and 18, August 18 and October 18.
The union said the county will have lost one in five frontline firefighters since 2008 if a current round of planned cuts goes ahead.
Alan Chinn-Shaw, chairman of the FBU's Essex branch, said: "This is about cuts to frontline firefighters and changes imposed on firefighters. We've had enough and the cuts are now directly impacting on public and firefighter safety.
"The cuts and impositions continue while the fire authority says it wants talks. That simply undermines the talks before they start.
"The recent highly provocative removal of key fire engines and vital rescue equipment contradicts the fire authority claim that it is being reasonable. This two-faced approach has gone on for three years and enough is enough."
Essex firefighters voted by 2-1 in favour of strikes following almost three years of action short of a strike over cuts.
Chief Fire Officer David Johnson called for a "compromise" when the strike was announced, but told EADT there were sufficient contingency plans to cope: “This vote only represents half of the FBU members – we have 1,300 firefighters in Essex so it does not reflect the majority of our employees.
“We agree with 95% of their demands, now we need them to compromise on the remaining 5%.
“If they do go ahead with the strike, we have effective contingency systems in place, but I’d like to think that the leadership at the FBU are decent enough not to drag their members into strike action for the wrong reasons.”
Source: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
London 2012: Jenny Meadows a doubt for Olympic Games - The Guardian
Jenny Meadows's participation in the London 2012 Olympics is in doubt after she was ruled out of this weekend's trials in Birmingham. The 800m runner has not raced at all this year because of an achilles injury.
Meadows is still recovering from the problem and will now need to rely on the discretion of the selectors to be awarded the third and final place on the team for London. "I am gutted to be missing out on the trials, but we always knew it would be a race against time to be fit enough," she said. "Every day of my recovery is like a week so the extra few days ahead of [the European championships in] Helsinki will make a big difference to the injury and ensure I am able to go out and compete and demonstrate my fitness ahead of selection for London 2012."
Jeanette Kwakye, a 2008 Olympic finalist in the 100m, will also miss the trials due to an achilles and ankle injury. "I have been working with the UKA medical team at Lee Valley and on their advice and in consultation with my coach Michael Afilaka we have decided to miss the trials," said Kwakye, who has a best of 11.68sec this year and sits well down the British rankings. "We will reassess the injury on Monday in relation to the European championships.
"I am eligible for selection for the Games and am still determined to be fit and ready for competing in my own backyard in Stratford."
The pair's withdrawal is worrying news with the Games six weeks away and comes just a day after Hannah England, the world championships silver medallist over 1500m, announced she too would miss the trials after suffering a spike to her achilles in a race in Holland three weeks ago.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London’s miners dominate FTSE 100’s losses - Financial Times
Last updated: June 21, 2012 11:44 am
Source: www.ft.com
Fire crews in Essex announce strike days - BBC News
Firefighters in Essex have announced they are to stage five strikes in a dispute over cuts to the service.
The Fire Brigades Union said industrial action will take place on 28 June, 7 and 18 July, 18 August and 18 October.
The union claims Essex will have lost one in five frontline firefighters since 2008 if planned cuts go ahead.
Essex Fire and Rescue said 100 firefighters and dozens of retained crews had declared themselves available during strike periods.
"More than 100 Essex firefighters have signed up to resilience contracts guaranteeing their availability during times of severe staff shortages," the county service said in a statement.
"Added to that are dozens of retained crews determined to continue to provide life-saving cover to their local communities.
"The service has a responsibility to ensure the safety of our communities and that is a responsibility we take seriously and one we are not prepared to leave to chance with the threat of strike action looming."
'Two-faced approach'Alan Chinn-Shaw, chairman of the FBU's Essex branch, said: "This is about cuts to frontline firefighters and changes imposed on firefighters.
"We've had enough and the cuts are now directly impacting on public and firefighter safety.
"The recent highly provocative removal of key fire engines and vital rescue equipment contradicts the fire authority claim that it is being reasonable.
"This two-faced approach has gone on for three years and enough is enough."
Essex firefighters voted by 2-1 in favour of strikes following almost three years of action short of a strike.
Chief Fire Officer David Johnson said Essex Fire and Rescue Service management had moved 95% towards union demands and it was now down to the union to move the other 5%.
"There are only a few points still in dispute - points the service cannot move on, including no changes to anything without prior union agreement," he said.
"The union also wants a reversal of the decision to change Brentwood Fire Station crewing arrangements from two wholetime appliances to one wholetime and one retained."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
London 2012 Olympics: Andy Murray selected for Team GB tennis squad - Daily Telegraph
The final takes place on August 5, and Murray will hope to still be in the competition, if only to keep up a rich tradition of success.
Team GB top the all-time Olympic tennis medals table, having accumulated 16 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze medals between 1896 and 1924.
The sport did not feature on the Olympic programme for the next 64 years, but Tim Henman and Neil Broad returned Team GB to the podium with a men’s doubles silver medal at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
“I can't wait for the Olympics to start, it's such an incredible event and for it to be in London is extra special," said Murray.
"I remember being part of the Olympic ceremony in Beijing, which was an unbelievable atmosphere and like nothing I'd experienced before.
"Winning a medal this summer for Team GB is one of my major goals.”
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
London amongst the most congested cities in Europe - The Independent
London, Manchester and Liverpool were all among the most congested cities in Europe last year, statistics from traffic information company INRIX showed.
Based on rush-hour commute-to-city travel in 2011, the figures revealed that UK drivers spent 32 hours of the year stuck in traffic, although this was four hours less than in 2010.
Heading the congestion list last year was Belgium where drivers wasted 55 hours in traffic. The Netherlands was the next-worst country for jams, followed by Italy.
The INRIX figures also showed that in the London commuter zone last year, drivers wasted 66 hours in traffic, with the Greater Manchester figure being 45 hours and Liverpool being 39 hours.
The worst time for congestion in London was Friday from 4pm to 5pm, while Greater Manchester's worst time was Tuesday from 9am to 10am, with Liverpool's jams being at their worst between 4pm and 5pm on Wednesdays.
Nationwide, the worst time to be on the roads was in London between 4pm and 5pm, when it took an average of 33% longer to complete a journey than in uncongested conditions.
Overall, a journey along a UK major motorway during peak-time driving hours took, on average, 17% longer than in jam-free conditions.
All 18 UK cities analysed had fewer jams last year than in 2010, with Friday being the worst traffic day and Tuesday being the worst weekday morning.
The best weekday for traffic in the UK last year was Monday, with the worst commuting hour being 9am to 10am on Tuesdays and the best being 7am to 8am on Fridays.
Among UK cities, the biggest decline in hours wasted in traffic last year was in Birmingham, where drivers spent eight hours less in queues than in 2010.
Londoners spent seven hours less, with drivers in Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham and Glasgow all spending five hours less.
For European countries, the biggest drops in congestion between 2010 and 2011 were in Portugal (down 49%), Ireland (down 25%), Spain (down 12%) and Italy (down 12%).
INRIX Europe senior vice president Stuart Marks said: "So goes traffic, so goes the economy.
"Traffic congestion is an excellent economic indicator telling us whether people are going to work, businesses are shipping products and consumers are spending money."
These were the 10 most congested areas in the UK in terms of hours drivers spent stuck in traffic in 2011:
1. London commuter zone 66
2. Greater Manchester 45
3. Liverpool 39
4. Birmingham 34
5= Belfast-Lisburn 33
5= Newcastle upon Tyne 33
7. South Nottinghamshire 32
8. Leeds-Bradford-Harrogate 30
9= Sheffield 29
9= Edinburgh-Lothian 29
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Essex Fire Crews Set Five Strikes in Dispute Over Frontline Cuts - Market Wire
ESSEX, ENGLAND--(Marketwire - June 21, 2012) - Essex fire crews have set five periods of strike action in a dispute over frontline cuts and changes imposed without agreement. The fire authority has refused joint talks proposed by the FBU while the chief officer says he can't reach a deal in key areas without fire authority approval.
The Fire Brigades Union says that Essex will have lost one in five frontline firefighters since 2008 if the current round of planned cuts go ahead. Response times to house fires are now taking longer and specialist rescue equipment is not as readily available.
The strike dates set:
Alan Chinn-Shaw, Essex FBU Chair, said: "This is about cuts to frontline firefighters and changes imposed on firefighters. We've had enough and the cuts are now directly impacting on public and firefighter safety.
"The cuts and impositions continue while the fire authority says it wants talks. That simply undermines the talks before they start.
"The recent highly provocative removal of key fire engines and vital rescue equipment contradicts the fire authority claim that it is being reasonable. This two-faced approach has gone on for three years and enough is enough.
"The issues are about cuts and imposed and unjustified changes and these need to be addressed. The fire authority must either address the concerns or there will be strike action.
"Essex firefighters do not want to take strike action and want this dispute resolved. In response we've had schoolboy insults and a refusal to seriously address the issues in dispute.
"We've tried every avenue to try to broker an agreement or get talks with all the key parties involved. The fire authority responds with prevarication.
"This week, an attempt at setting up inclusive talks to try and break the logjam was thrown back in our faces. We need people in the room with the authority and skills to make the deal and that has not been happening.
"All the while the cuts and the impositions continue. On top of which firefighters have had to endure aggressive management tactics and the provocative removal of vital rescue equipment which contradicts the conciliatory rhetoric of the service.
"We have been very reluctant to set strike dates in the hope the fire authority will see some sense. Strike dates have now been set, but there is time to make progress and reach an agreement and we hope the fire authority takes that opportunity."
Essex fire crews voted two to one in favour of strike action, but delayed setting strike dates. There has now been nearly three years of action short of a strike in opposition to cuts and other imposed changes.
Source: www.marketwire.com
Essex v Kent, FLt20 South Group, Chelmsford - espncricinfo.com
Essex 158 for 6 (Foster 51) beat Kent 155 (Smith 5-17) by 3 runs
Scorecard
Greg Smith took five wickets in two overs in a controversial climax as Essex collected their first Friends Life t20 success of the campaign with a three-run victory against Kent at Chelmsford.
Kent's chase was going steadily until the start of the 17th over, at which point they were 118 for 3. From that point, Essex hoover up seven wickets for the addition of 37 runs, including three sixes with Smith finishing with 5 for 17.
A six-run penalty against Essex for a slow over-rate moved Kent's chase closer but with four runs officially needed to win off the final ball, Graham Napier bowled last man Mark Davies.
Confusion about the score in the closing stages added to the uncertainty with Kent insisting they actually needed two runs from the last ball and Matt Coles saying as he left the ground that he had scored eight runs, not six as shown in the scorecard.
His view was supported by other independent statisticians and left scorers and statisticians anxious to study video evidence.
Prior to the tense finale, Foster's innings was the main attraction. Foster hit four sixes in a top score of 51 in 27 balls as Essex posted 158 for 6, with James Franklin's 39 the next best contribution. He arrived in the 11th over with only 69 on the board and brought much-needed impetus to his side's cause with a swashbuckling knock.
His effort included four sixes and two fours before he departed in an eventful final over sent down by Kent's pace bowler Matt Coles. It cost 24 runs including one delivery that cost eight runs when Foster despatched a no-ball for six. Foster also hit another six in the over, as did Adam Wheater before he was bowled.
Thanks to that onslaught, Essex amassed 53 from the final four overs, Coles conceding 46 from his full allocation.
James Franklin was Essex's other main contributor, striking six boundaries in his 39. He was bowled by Adam Ball after sharing in a stand of 53 in eight overs for the second wicket with Graham Napier, who was run out in the same over for 20.
Kent's hopes of launching their reply on a solid foundation were ruined by David Masters, playing against his former county. In his third over, he bowled Rob Key for five and had Azhar Mahmood leg before with his next delivery. Although Kent reached the halfway stage without further loss, they had progressed to only 61.
Darren Stevens fell for 21 but opener Sam Billings and Brendan Nash brought about an acceleration with a fourth-wicket stand of 54 in seven overs.
Medium-pacer Smith then made a dramatic impact in the 17th over, removing Billings for 59, an innings containing four fours and two sixes and spanning 55 balls, and Nash with successive deliveries.
He then bowled Geraint Jones for a single but Kent made a tremendous effort to reach their target despite the clatter of wickets.
Sam Northeast hit two sixes while compiling 14 before he too became a victim of Smith, who also removed Matt Coles on his way to career-best figures.
Source: www.espncricinfo.com
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