Health and Safety Executive (HSE):

 Company pleads guilty!

A COMPANY and its director have been fined after failing to comply with health and safety regulations and an enforcement notice.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that, between May 2018 and February 2019, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out a series of inspections at a construction site at Chelmsford Road, South Woodford, London following health and safety concerns raised at the site. During the inspections, the site manager and company director Mr Tahir Ahmed was served with two Prohibition Notices and his company, All Type Electrical and Building Limited, were served with two Prohibition Notices and two Improvement Notices. All Type Electrical and Building Limited’s Improvement Notice for competent advice was not complied with.
   


ALL Type Electrical and Building Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; and Section 21 of The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was ordered to pay a fine of £60,000 plus a surcharge of £170 and full costs of £5216.46
Mr Ahmed of Sutlej Road, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 21 of The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was sentenced to 18 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 180 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay a surcharge of £115, and full costs of £5060.69.
After the hearing, HSE inspector David King commented: “This case highlights the need for suitable and sufficient planning, managing and monitoring, using the appropriate work at height equipment and having a competent site manager.
“Dutyholders should be aware that HSE will hold to account those who do not comply with health and safety legislation, or who do not comply with enforcement notices served on them.”
Notes to editors 

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.u

Roy Bentham says 'Blacklist never went away!'

Blacklisting debate in parliament 

5th September 2017 - 1:30pm 

Westminster Hall

Houses of Parliament

Blacklisting will be debated again by MPs in parliament in September after Chuka Umunna secured a Westminster Hall debate. This parliamentary procedure will last around 90 minutes and allows Chuka and other MPs who attend to ask questions of the government minister. This is an excellent opportunity to contact your own MP to ask them to attend the debate and raise issues such as ongoing contemporary blacklisting, a public inquiry or why public sector contracts are still being awarded to blacklist firms.

Roy Bentham, the Blacklist Support Group joint secretary, and a blacklisted carpenter from Merseyside commented:

"Despite the human rights conspiracy being exposed in the High Court, blacklisting has never gone away. Many union members continue to be barred from major construction projects right now in 2017. As someone who fell foul of contemporary blacklisting recently by Carillion on the Liverpool Royal Hospital, this parliamentary debate is most welcome. But the time for talking is over, what we need is action".

Blacklist Support Group will be attending - assemble 12:30pm outside the public entrance to parliament for any press photos etc.
 
Please Note: Westminster Hall debates take place in the Grand Committee Room off of Westminster Hall, NOT the chamber of the House of Commons.

Police Interview Simon Danczuk

SIMON Danczuk  has now been interviewed at Holborn Police Station in London following an allegation that he raped a young woman in Westminster last year.
Danczuk denies the allegation, and he was not arrested or charged. The police have confirmed that their investigations are ongoing.
It seems that Zed Jameson, a photographer at FameFlynet Pictures, was posted outside the police station with his camera at the time Danczuk arrived.
It is not clear if  Danczuk was interviewed under a police caution, and he did not respond to an invitation to comment.

George Galloway's Bid in Gorton Election

GEORGE Galloway is set to stand in the Manchester Gorton by-election, it has now been announced.  Writing on Aron Banks' new Westminster website Mr. Galloway says: 
'I have decided to enter the race to succeed my friend for thirty years, Sir Gerald Kaufman, as MP for Manchester Gorton.
'The “All-Asian short-list” hand-picked by Keith Vaz is just not good enough for the people of Gorton one of the most deprived constituencies in Britain. The short-listing, which excluded many better candidates, is the latest in a long line of insults delivered by mainstream parties to local communities. I will run as an Independent candidate and will write a regular by-election diary for Westmonster. This is my initial election statement.
'I have a long connection with the Manchester area – two of my children live here – and with the Gorton constituency in particular. The late Sir Gerald Kaufman was a friend of mine for over 30 years. Our friendship began before I was an MP, continued throughout my near 30 years with him in Parliament and afterwards. His appearance on my television show was his last big interview and will stand the test of time.
'Sir Gerald was a big figure in the House of Commons and was known far beyond it from Hollywood to Palestine and Kashmir. When he spoke people listened.
'I have decided to seek election for Manchester Gorton in the forthcoming by-election precisely because of my admiration for its late MP and I hope to persuade voters of every background that I am the best person to try to fill his shoes.
'I want to continue his work on international issues – which are particularly important in Gorton- especially the issues of Palestine and Kashmir but also the broader questions, the dangerous confrontation between the west and the Muslim world which threatens all of us.
'I would like to be the big voice for Manchester Gorton it still needs. Manchester is great, world class. But Gorton can’t be left behind. Whether it’s jobs -proper jobs – wages public services the NHS and schools. The struggle for students has always been a parliamentary preoccupation of mine.'

For more go to:
 George Galloway enters “Mother of All By-Elections” in Manchester ...
www.westmonster.com/george-galloway-enters-mother-of-all-by-elections-in-manchester    

Blacklist Debate in Parliament

THE Labour MP, Chuka Umunna, has secured a Westminster Hall debate in parliament with the title 'Blacklisting in the construction industry' for 4pm - 4:30pm on Wednesday 8th February.  

The debate is open to the public and Blacklist Support Group urges supporters inside and outside the UK parliament to turn up.  If you're coming, make sure you arrive early enough to get through the long queue at security.  'Blacklisted' t-shirts are a good look for the media. 

The Blacklist Support Group continue to campaign for a full pubic inquiry into the blacklisting scandal.

Blacklist Support Group

book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/

blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

Zero Tolerance and Simon Danczuk

By Les May

SIMON Danczuk’s remarks about beggars in Rochdale town centre, or as he would have it 'aggressive’ beggars, has predictably provoked quite a lot of moral outrage.

But to what extent can they be regarded merely as ‘alternative facts’?  Fortunately we don’t have to look far to get a picture of the reality of life for those who drink and/or beg in our streets.  And who better to provide it for us than Simon himself? 

Simon sees himself as something of an ‘expert’, because he was involved in research which was published by the homelessness charity ‘Crisis’ in 2000.  Now I have read his research, and I don’t think his recent comments can be said to follow from the data he collected.

In particular he seems to be promoting a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to begging, to be downplaying the lack of both overnight accommodation and the support needed to get people off the streets, and overemphasising the role of drug addiction. A dangerous ploy for someone who has admitted to the use of Ecstasy and Cannabis, and seems to have significant knowledge of the effects of alcohol.   

A memorandum submitted to the Home Affairs Committee by ‘Crisis’ in 2005 said:

‘Begging and street homelessness constitute two overlapping parts of a broader homelessness problem, "research from across England—including Manchester, Brighton, Leeds, Blackpool, Bristol, Chester, Leicester, Westminster, Woolwich and Luton has consistently found that the vast majority people begging are homeless".'

So what did Crisis have to say about Simon’s report?

This:

'It is the contention of the report that reliance upon police enforcement policies such as zero tolerance schemes are an inappropriate response to a complex problem' and 'Of all those surveyed, just over half had slept rough the previous night and four in five where vulnerably housed.'

Do I detect a shift to the right?  Or is it just that Simon’s own addiction is to self publicity?

You can find both the original report and the summary at the links below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_facts

http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/Walk%20on%20By%20%28summary%29.pdf 

http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/document_library/research/walkonby_full.pdf 

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmhaff/80ii/80we15.htm