November 2014

Support our campaign, sign the petition: bit.ly/save_IWM

Imperial War Museum: Save the library, jobs and education services

Magazine for Prospect members • www.prospect.org.uk • Issue 4, November 2014

PROFILE

AS THE cycles of change become ever shorter and the demands placed on organisations increase, trade unions cannot expect to be isolated from these developments.

Our challenge lies in conserving our core values, while responding to what members and potential members want from a union in the now, rather than the past.

Unions remain a key pillar of civic society, embodying enduring values of collective voice, mutual support and a commitment to fairness and diversity.

We can still energise and mobilise, as shown by the 18 October demonstrations in London, Glasgow and Belfast. The only way that the UK workforce is going to get that pay rise is through trade union efforts.

We must also keep pace with change. The revolution in communications technology, now the norm, is both liberating and disruptive. Advice about anything and everything is available on the internet.

Consequently, you might think the offering of membership organisations and the advantages they confer are potentially eroded. In fact, the way we engage with members, what is expected of us, and our accessibility are both enabled and challenged by email, social media and associated networks.

In this cauldron of change we need to adapt and remind ourselves of what differentiates and sustains us. Screen-based advice is not the same as having an advocate or someone to talk to.

A union presence in the workplace is essential to prevent employers from taking advantage. The diminishing scope of employment law also illustrates just how important it is to have someone to help navigate the twists and turns of workplace life.

We are a restless bunch in Prospect – restless for change that improves rather than degrades our members’ working lives and that allows them to contribute; restless, as we address the most uncertain political and economic circumstances of a generation; and restless to help bring sense to what often feels like organisational chaos.

In that respect, it is always good when others appreciate what you do. The recent decision by members of the colliery managers’ union BACM to join Prospect from 1 November was confirmation of how we are seen in the wider union world.

Also encouraging is the fact that we are opening discussions with BECTU, the leading union in broadcasting and media, about potentially becoming a sector of Prospect (see page 6).

We are seen as welcoming, stable and with some of the answers. Our challenge is to keep finding those answers for members and to ensure that we hear clearly what is expected of us, as just about everything else around us changes.

Prospect General Secretary

Profile magazine [email protected] www.prospect.org.uk

Editors: Marie McGrath and Penny Vevers

Reports: Katherine Beirne, Andrew Child, Boc Ly

Design and origination: Simon Crosby (Prospect) and edition periodicals editionperiodicals.co.uk

Pictures/distribution: Tracy Thornton ✆ 020 7902 6604

Published by: Prospect New Prospect House 8 Leake Street London SE1 7NN ✆ 020 7902 6600 Fax: 020 7902 6667

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ISSN: 1477-6383

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✆ 01727 739182 e-mail: d.murray@ centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk

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A stable force in times of disruption

‘We need to remind ourselves of… what differentiates and sustains us. Screen-based advice is not the same as having an advocate or someone to talk to’

Prospect • Profile – Novem

ber 2014

2 GENERAL SECRETARY

24

7 INSIDE4 NEWS ROUND-UP8 HEALTH & SAFETY

Work-related illness; HSE asbestos awareness campaign

9 BETTER WORKPLACES10 UNION EYES/

60 SECONDS11 SAUDI MUSEUM

Natural History Museum rep helps set up a new cultural centre

12 PAY RISE MARCH 13 SCOTLAND14 PERFORMANCE

MANAGEMENT How the civil service scheme is discriminating unfairly

16 MET OFFICE A visit to the groundbreaking new space weather centre

19 SCIENCE Tiny invaders who harm the environment; register your technicians

20 CIVIL SERVICE Seminar report

21 DEFENCE Skills seminar

22 INFRASTRUCTURE BILL23 PASSING ON THE

ENGINEERING BATON Encouraging schoolchildren

24 YOUNG WORKERS Life in the roller derby fast lane

25 ROLL OF HONOUR Discovering lost WWII medal

26 CPI AND RAIL FARES plus Prospect subs 2015

27 TTIP OF THE ICEBERG Unravelling the issues behind the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks

28 VIEWPOINT Members’ letters, emails and texts

30 CROSSWORD & PUZZLES

31 CLASSIFIED ADSCover pic by Mark Thomas: Imperial War Museum reps leaflet visitors about the closure of its library and education cuts

14

Inserts – Retired members only: RMG Update – http://library.prospect.org.uk/id/2014/01449

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NEWS4


ber 2014

Prospect urges investment in generation to keep lights onENERGY MARGINS are at a seven-year low, raising the spectre of blackouts if demand outstrips supply, the National Grid warned in October.

Britain is expected to have 58.2GW of available generation from its plants, many of which are ageing and not being replaced fast enough. Winter demand is expected to reach 55GW and, with the need for 0.9GW of reserve capacity, the safety buffer of generating capacity is likely to average only 4.1%.

Regulator Ofgem has warned it

could be as low as 2% by 2015. Prospect deputy general

secretary Garry Graham said it was time to start investing in new generating capacity.

“It is absurd that as the first industrial nation, we are now paying industry to cease production at certain peak periods…

“Energy margins are at an historic low and as the economy recovers, and demand increases, so will the pressures on margins, leaving us facing a real risk that the lights may go out.”

GET SET FOR GENERAL ELECTIONIN THE run-up to next May’s general election, Prospect is to make members’ views heard by putting questions to MPs across the political spectrum and in the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales.

The union is drawing up questions based on sector concerns and Prospect Pledge issues – www.prospect.org.uk/prospectpledge

The replies will be published in union publications and on the website. Briefings will be prepared on the impact of government policy across Prospect’s main sectors that members can use in discussion with election candidates.

The union is also planning “Any Questions” style discussions in Westminster, Scotland and Wales.

■ More than 20 members met local prospective parliamentary candidates Jamie Hanley and Alex Sobel at a Prospect Pledge event in Leeds in October, organised by national executive committee member Heather Phillips.

Staff angry at plans to change status of science centresA PLAN to privatise or change the status of three centres within the Natural Environment Research Council could threaten the government’s ability to get the independent advice it needs on climate change, the marine and terrestrial environment and energy security, Prospect has warned.

It was commenting on proposals by NERC to privatise the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and National Oceanography Centre, with GovCo status being considered for the British Geological Survey.

Prospect will write to England’s chief scientific advisor, the House of Commons science and technology select committee and NERC stakeholders about its fears.

NERC says it needs to hive off the centres because their funding will drop by 21-33% between 2008-09

and 2020-21. It claims that freeing the centres from annual accounting (ie not being able to carry over funds), public sector pay restraint and public sector conditions on contracts will help the businesses.

But Helen Snaith (left), president of Prospect’s NERC branch, said there was resentment about the motivations for the move. “There’s a lot of anger among staff that it has been forced on us by government restrictions on operations,” she said.

Prospect national secretary Tony Bell warned that if the centres were more

commercially driven, staff would face pressure to chase money rather than focus on the most relevant science. Commercial sources are less likely to fund long-term science. A final decision is expected at a NERC council meeting in December.

■■ CEH■expert’s■work■on■quagga■mussels,■page■19

ADVICE IN JEOPARDYTHE CENTRE FOR ECOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY delivers independent research, surveys, training and knowledge transfer in the environmental sciences. In partnership, CEH is a major custodian of environmental data. This includes 89 million records of 40,000 species across Britain and Ireland and records of daily and monthly river flow data, derived from more than 1,300 gauging stations throughout the UK.

THE NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE is the UK’s leading institution for sea level science, coastal and deep ocean research and technology development. It brings together NERC-managed activity at Liverpool’s former Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory and the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

THE BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY provides expert services and independent, impartial advice on all areas of geoscience to national governments, industry, the public and other key stakeholders. It is one of the world’s leading geological science institutes.

■■ David■Wilson■taking■water■sample■tests■at■CEH’s■Merlewood■research■station.■NERC■announced■its■closure■in■2006

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NEWS 5Prospect • Profile – N

ovember 2014

Kew loses 65 key scientists with more redundancies still to comeThe exodus of plant scientists from Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place, its Sussex estate, has begun, with more than 65 scientists lost in the last few months.

The redundancies are not only devastating for the scientists, they represent the loss of hundreds of years of knowledge and expertise that contribute to feeding people and curing diseases globally.

Prospect negotiator Julie Flanagan said: “Science is the rock on which Kew was built. Take that away and you weaken its foundations. We need to act now.”

Flanagan questioned why the government was prepared to give £30m to a vanity project like the Thames garden bridge in London, yet is unwilling to provide the funding to keep skilled scientists at Kew.

At a packed public meeting in October,

MPs and other speakers urged campaigners to lobby Kew trustees, ministers and MPs and keep the campaign in the media spotlight.

The message seems to have got through as the House of Commons science and technology committee announced a one-off inquiry session in November.

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said in September that he had secured £1.5m of government funding for Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place until April 2015. But Flanagan said: “Nobody is fooled by the temporary reprieve. It was not extra funding, it was reinstating money that had already been cut. Kew is losing experienced staff and scientists, with more redundancies coming.”

■■ Sign■the■petition■and■watch■a■short■video■of■the■public■meeting■at■bit.ly/prospect_kew

■■ Twitter■@KewCuts

PROSPECT’S CAMPAIGN to save the Imperial War Museum’s library and education services gathered huge momentum in November.

A petition asking the government to reverse its funding cut had gathered 9,400 signatures as Profile went to press.

Prominent signatories include the museum’s former director general Alan Borg; royal biographers Sarah Bradford and Robert Lacey; historian and Bletchley Park alumnus Lord Asa Briggs; Country Life editor Clive Aslet; actor Miriam Margolyes; and authors Richard Doherty, Stephen Bourne and Emily Mayhew.

The IWM’s £4m annual deficit has resulted from a 34% real terms cut in government grant in aid. The museum plans to tackle the deficit by:

● closing its London library

● cutting education services at Duxford, HMS Belfast and the Churchill War Rooms

● cutting up to 80 jobs and ● closing the popular Explore

History facility in London.Prospect has written

to the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee asking for wider public scrutiny of the proposals. Reps have been leafleting the public at lunchtimes, winning strong support from museum visitors.

Prospect negotiator Andy Bye said: “The museum’s library gives ordinary people, historians, academics and IWM staff access to research materials on all aspects of British and Commonwealth involvement in conflict since 1914.

Thousands back war museum campaign“IWM aspires to be a highly respected

authority on its subject matter, but this will be impossible without a library

and the material it holds.”About 50,000 children visit

Duxford in Cambridgeshire each year during school trips, but IWM wants to cut more than

20% of the staff there and end on-site teaching sessions led by

museum specialists.Conservative MP Andrew Lansley

told the BBC that he “would speak to the chancellor to see if IWM could be handed an endowment from bank fines to keep its teaching maintained”.

■■ Please■sign■and■share■the■petition■at■bit.ly/save_IWM

■■ Visit■the■campaign■web■pages■at■bit.ly/IWM_info

■■ Prospect■members■and■(above■right)■general■secretary■Mike■Clancy■leaflet■visitors■to■IWM,■London.

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NEWS6


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STICK WITH YOUR UNION – SWITCH TO DIRECT DEBITProspect has accused the Westminster government of making it more difficult for trade unions to operate by withdrawing check-off arrangements in the civil service.

Check-off is a very long-standing arrangement whereby members pay their subscriptions via the payroll. Employers deduct the appropriate amount and forward it to the union. This arrangement has operated without problems for many decades.

However, key departments, including the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,

have given notice that they intend to withdraw check-off. Other departments and agencies are likely to follow suit.

This means that if members do not switch to direct debit, their Prospect membership will effectively be terminated by their employer.

The union’s national executive agreed in October 2014 to advise civil service branches that Prospect would no longer offer check-off to future joiners.

The new policy does not apply to the electricity supply industry, nuclear decommissioning and nuclear supply chain branches.

However, where there is a threat to the status of check-off, this will be immediately reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

■ It’s easy to switch to direct debit. The best way is via Prospect’s website: www.prospect.org.uk/direct_debit

The next best option is to phone 01932 577041.

Or you can email [email protected] (please include your name and membership number) or write to Prospect membership department, Flaxman House, Gogmore Lane, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9JS.

Continued cuts increase flood risk, warns Audit Office

PROSPECT AND BECTU IN TALKSPROSPECT IS involved in early discussions with the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematographic and Theatre Union on a potential transfer of engagements.

BECTU was formed in 1991. It represents around 24,000 members in broadcasting, film, independent production, theatre and the arts, leisure and digital media. It is the major union in the BBC, independent broadcasting and associated freelance activities.

If a transfer is agreed, BECTU would become part of Prospect in mid to late 2016. It is likely that BECTU would form part of the Communications, Digital and Media sector – subject to discussion and agreement with the sector executive and the national executive committee.

Talks between will continue over the next 12 months to determine if a merger would be practical and beneficial to both parties. Members will be kept informed of developments.

■ If you have questions or concerns, please speak to your full-time officer, or email the general secretary directly at [email protected]

If members do not switch to direct debit, their Prospect membership will effectively be terminated by their employer

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■■ Warden■–■Knee-jerk■responses■to■events■do■not■help

CURRENT FUNDING levels for the Environment Agency will increase “the risk of floods and the potential need for more expensive ad-hoc emergency solutions”, says the National Audit Office.

In its report, Strategic flood risk management 2014, published in November, the NAO said underlying spending on flood defences had fallen.

The watchdog says that excluding the £200m one-off funding made available to the agency to deal with the winter floods, funding decreased in real terms by 10% between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Even when taking account of this payment, funding declined by 6% over the same period.

“Sustaining the current standard of flood protection is challenging in this context, especially as climate change

increases the load on flood defences,” says the report.

Prospect negotiator Kevin Warden said: “The Environment Agency has already had to absorb a 23% cut in staffing levels between 2009 and 2014. One-off funding increases that are a knee-jerk response to events do not really help to make the best decisions on where and when to spend capital and maintenance funds.

“The agency needs increasing, secured funds to respond and protect us from flooding and how climate change is affecting this.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs rejected the NAO’s claims on underlying spending, saying: “This Parliament will see a 5% real-term increase in flood spending compared with the previous Parliament.”

NEWS 7Prospect • Profile – N

ovember 2014

HOW I GOT BACK ON TRACK WITH PAYPLANFinancial advisers PayPlan work with Prospect to give members free and comprehensive advice and support if they are struggling with their finances. Here, a member describes how PayPlan helped him and his family

IN THE mid-noughties, I suffered several prolonged phases of depression and anxiety. I was signed

off work for a year, the first six months on half pay, the second six months on unpaid sick leave. In late 2008, my wife lost her well-paid job and spent six months working in low-paid, temporary posts.

During this time we used up all our savings and relied on credit and additional borrowing to plug the gaps in our finances, with the intention of addressing this when things improved.

My wife finally found a permanent job, but her salary was much lower than before. Our overall household income was around half what it used to be, and after covering the repayments on our loans, we struggled to meet the bare necessities of the mortgage, bills and food shopping for a family of three.

I returned to work, but was still recovering from my health issues and did not need the additional stress of dealing with debt problems. I decided that I needed help and was referred to PayPlan.

From day one, PayPlan was incredibly helpful and supportive. After a telephone interview to take our details, its representatives took on all contact with our creditors. We agreed a debt management plan with a single affordable monthly payment and a defined repayment period. This gave us the stability to move forward, and reduced our stress and anxiety.

PayPlan supported us through the life of the debt management plan, regularly reviewing our overall financial position to make sure we were still comfortable with the agreed payment amount. It dealt with all creditor correspondence and gave us help and advice whenever we needed it.”

■ If you feel that PayPlan may be able to help you, please call Freephone 0800 716239 quoting “Prospect”. A trained adviser will offer free and realistic debt advice and help find a solution that fits your personal circumstances.

A PROSPECT member has won her year-long legal battle for the right to reduce her hours after returning from maternity leave.

Lisa Ward is employed by the Prison Service and works with prisoners to reduce re-offending. Her first child, Grace, was born in December 2012 and Lisa asked to return to work part time. Despite agreement from her line manager and the colleagues she would be working with, the employer insisted she came back full time.

Prospect supported Lisa in the internal appeal and when that failed, presented a claim of indirect sex discrimination to an employment tribunal. The union represented Lisa at a preliminary hearing and prepared the case for a three-day tribunal hearing in October.

On the morning of the hearing’s first day the Prison Service agreed Lisa could work the hours she wanted and the case was settled.

“The refusal to allow a woman to reduce her hours for childcare reasons is a classic case of indirect sex discrimination.

We always believed Lisa had a strong case,”

said Marion Scovell, Prospect legal officer. “Sadly this case is not unique and Prospect

has had to argue similar points for other members, though most cases have been resolved more quickly.

“I really admire Lisa for fighting this injustice and am delighted she can return to work on the hours and a working pattern that suits her and her family.”

Lisa thanked Prospect and said: “I hope that more working mothers will have the courage to fight for a better work-life balance and that employers will take the time to look into each case more thoroughly, rather than simply dismissing them without any consideration.”

Prospect negotiator Andy Bye said: “This crucial result again highlights the importance of union membership.

“More than 60% of our members in the Prison Service are female and many wish to work part time after maternity leave. Lisa’s case shows managers must properly consider such requests, which should only be refused for sound business reasons.”

Union helps working mother secure part-time hours

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Prospect highly commended for science leadershipProspect was highly commended in November for its leadership in encouraging more women into science careers.

Pictured (l-r), the WISE campaign award was collected by Sue Ferns, Prospect director of communications and research, Ele Wade from the Intellectual Property Office, Lindsay Chapman from National Physical Laboratory and Jenny McGrother from Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Ferns said: “This award is a testament to the fantastic work undertaken by our reps and highlights the value of working collectively to achieve positive change at work.

“We aim to work with more members and employers over the coming year to spread the benefits of a diverse STEM workforce.”

Ferns was also shortlisted as an “individual who has used their position to influence others to take positive action to promote female talent in STEM”.

■■ Awards■report:■www.wisecampaign.org.uk■and■photos:■■www.satureyes.com/wise_awards_2014


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■■ See■bit.ly/hse_overall_stats■■ Prospect■Members’■Guide■to■Stress■

–■http://library.prospect.org.uk/id/2005/00629

■■ www.prospect.org.uk/advice_and_services/health_and_safety/

HEALTH & SAFETY

HEALTH AND safety campaigners have raised concerns over new figures on workplace illness and injury rates in 2013-14.

The figures, published by the Health and Safety Executive, show a continuing fall in the number of fatal injuries in Britain’s workplaces. But there is an upward trend in the number of new work-related ill health cases (see table).

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Illness or injury caused by work not only leads to absence, it also leaves people suffering pain, disability and financial loss. Yet workplace illness and injury is preventable.

“The HSE does an excellent job with its resources, but the government’s decision to reduce the number of inspections is allowing more rogue bosses to get away with breaking the law.”

Stress, anxiety and depression and musculoskeletal disorders continue to be the biggest causes of work-related ill health and account for almost 20 million working days lost each year, costing society an estimated £8.6bn.

The British Safety Council said: “With some 2 million people suffering from a work-related illness – and with over half a million new cases reported in 2013-14 – it is clear we need to change our thinking and focus in order to tackle the root cause.”

For too long compliance had focused on safety alone, rather than the health aspect, the council said.

“Our attention must turn to identifying what we need to do not only to comply [with the law] but to have a fit and healthy workforce.”

Asbestos awareness campaign launchedThe Health and Safety Executive has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos, which includes a web app.

Twenty tradespeople, on average, die from asbestos-related diseases every week in the UK.

According to a recent HSE survey, tradespeople such as construction workers, carpenters and painter decorators come into contact

with asbestos more than 100 times a year.

Even more worrying, of the 500 tradespeople surveyed:

● 14% believed drinking water would help protect them

● 27% thought opening a window would keep them safe

● Just 30% could identify all the correct measures for safe asbestos working

● 57% made at least one potentially lethal mistake when

asked to outline how they would stay safe

Although it is now banned in the construction industry, asbestos can still be found in walls, ceilings or the structure of buildings built up to the year 2000.

When disturbed by an activity such as drilling or sanding, the microscopic fibres can cause lung disease, cancer and ultimately prove fatal.

■■ www.beware-asbestos.info/

IN BRIEF■BHOPAL

ANNIVERSARY – Survivors of the Bhopal disaster in India continue to fight for justice from Union Carbide and its owner Dow Chemical 30 years after the world’s worst industrial disaster on 3 December 1984. International campaigners are asking union members across to world to mark the anniversary by showing support for the survivors. Thousands of people died on the night of the catastrophic chemical leak at the pesticide plant. More than 150,000 people were left severely disabled, and 22,000 people have since died of their injuries. You can send a message of support to the survivors by emailing [email protected]. Donate to the Bhopal Medical Appeal at: www.bhopal.org or the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal: www.bhopal.net

■OCCUPATIONAL CANCER – An

industry-wide campaign to cut the number of deaths from occupational cancer has been launched. The No Time to Lose campaign calls on government and employers to collaborate “to beat occupational cancer”. www.notimetolose.org.uk

HSE reveals rise in work-related illness

ESTIMATED TOTAL AND NEW CASES OF SELF-REPORTED WORK-RELATED ILLNESS BY TYPE OF ILLNESS, FOR PEOPLE WORKING IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

Total number of cases of work-related illness in the last 12 months (thousands)

New cases of work-related illness in the last 12

months (thousands)

central95% confidence

interval central95% confidence

intervallower upper lower upper

All illnesses

2008/09 1,179 1,124 1,234 549 511 5862009/10 1,265 1,206 1,324 554 515 5932010/11 1,152 1,092 1,211 495 455 5342011/12 1,073 1,017 1,129 452 416 4892013/14 1,241 1,179 1,303 535 494 576

Musculoskeletal disorders

2008/09 536 500 573 191 169 2122009/10 572 532 612 190 166 2142010/11 508 469 548 158 135 1802011/12 439 404 474 141 120 1612013/14 526 486 565 184 160 208

Stress, depression or anxiety

2008/09 414 382 446 229 205 2542009/10 435 401 468 233 209 2582010/11 400 365 435 211 186 2372011/12 428 393 464 221 196 2462013/14 487 448 525 244 216 271

Source: Labour Force Survey.For further information, and

detail on earlier years, see bit.ly/hse_prevalence and bit.ly/hse_incidence

Note: No ill health data was collected in 2012/13.


ber 20149WORKPLACES

and nearly half said their job does not make full use of their skills and abilities.

The report also places the spotlight on poor management practices, characterised by a business culture of short-termism, crude performance targets and a downgrading of human resources functions.

While the UK has some excellent employers, the gap between the best and the rest seems to be widening and in part drives the race to the bottom in pay and conditions.

Most worryingly, workplace problems associated with poor management, insecurity, lack of voice and skills under-utilisation go a long way to explaining the UK’s lamentable and worsening productivity performance (productivity in the US, France and Germany is 30% higher than the UK).

There are no easy answers. Many of the problems – such as widening wage inequality; fragmentation of the labour market; skills shortages; the decline in collective bargaining; and the power imbalance at work – predate the recession and demand changes in organisational culture and behaviour.

However, the report argues that government intervention can make a real difference – solutions include:

● better and fairer employment protection and regulation

● promoting collective bargaining ● living wage contracts in public

procurement

● a new settlement on public sector pay. It also calls for reform of the

Information and Consultation of Employees regulations (notably by lowering the relatively high threshold to activate the legislation) and new laws to provide for greater pay transparency and enable effective employee representation on the remuneration committees of public companies.

Action to raise employment standards and tackle injustice at work is a priority. But the report also recognises the importance of engaging the public in an open debate about work progression; improving childcare and care of the elderly; rights and trust at work; and employee involvement.

That discussion could be defined around the concept of “workplace citizenship”, which the report says might focus on how:

● work gives people meaning ● productive work is achieved by

colleagues working together ● success requires workers at all levels

having a say over their work ● fair rewards and security require

better balanced power relationships at work.

Fixing the UK’s broken workplaces is key to the recovery and essential to improving our national productivity and exiting the low road of poorly paid, unskilled businesses.

Employers and unions have their part to play, but government must lead and take positive action along the lines outlined in the Sweeney report to make work better for the many, not the few.

THE BANK of England’s forecast that real wage growth will rise from zero to 2% by this time next year must be welcome news.

Even though it will take years to make up for the loss in earnings, Britain is desperately in need of a pay rise. The Smith Institute’s new report by Ed Sweeney, Making work better: an agenda for government, makes clear that despite the belated upturn in earnings, we still have serious and long-standing problems in the world of work.

The 100-page report, supported by Prospect and welcomed by the Labour Party, TUC and employers’ organisations, shows that people at work are not only angry about the squeeze on earnings, but also worried about their job status and anxious about unfair treatment in the future.

Workers also said they felt over-managed and ignored, while new entrants to the labour market were often forced to accept poorly paid, low skilled employment.

These concerns have intensified since the recession and now affect most white-collar and blue-collar workers. They are as prevalent in the public sector as the private sector. Survey evidence quoted in the report shows that more employees today feel both underpaid and undervalued.

For example, four in 10 workers felt they have no real say in how their work is organised and are never consulted,

Fixing broken workplaces key to recoveryThe government has a responsibility to make work better, according to a Smith Institute report. Its director Paul Hackett outlines the key findings

■■ Making■work■better:■an■agenda■for■government■is■free■to■download■from■the■Smith■Institute■at■www.smith-institute.org.uk

While the UK has some excellent employers, the gap between the best and the rest seems to be widening

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■■ Paul■Hackett■at■a■Prospect■TUC■fringe■meeting■in■Liverpool■this■year,■with■(l-r)■Prospect■vice-president■Denise■McGuire,■USDAW■general■secretary■John■Hannett■and■Prospect■general■secretary■Mike■Clancy

Art and craftThe coalition government never tires of telling us the economy is starting to pick up. Perhaps that’s why it’s lifted the mora-torium on the Government Art Collection buying new works. Curators have spent £118,000 on new works to display in gov-ernment offices, military bases and embas-sies around the world. Among the gems are a bronze model of a crushed polysty-rene cup (£1,500) and an 11-minute video of flowers being burnt by intense beams of light (£2,850).

Mother of all gadgetsThe more technology advances, the more memory it needs. So the new super-computer being built at the Met Office should be good for a few years. Prospect branch secretary Gordon Hutchinson says when fully operational in 2017, the £97m supercomputer will weigh as much as 11 double decker buses (140 tonnes); have more memory than 120,000 iPhones and more processing power than 100,000 Playstation 4s; and be able to do three mil-lion calculations per second for every man, woman and child on the planet. It makes our little Amstrad look long in the tooth…

Prospect for breakfastOur members’ work reaches far and wide, as evidenced on BBC Breakfast, broadcast on Wednesday 19 November. The threat posed by Japanese knotweed was high-lighted in an interview with Richard Shaw, an entomologist at CABI Bioscience UK. Richard first spoke to Profile about his work to identify a biological control agent for the plant in February 2006. Hot on its heels was an item on special flight divert-ers being trialled by Electricity North West to prevent large birds from flying into power lines – as first reported in EnergyEye, our energy sector newsletter, in December 2013.

A long stretchProspect member Judith Schofield helped her com-munity get into the Guinness Book of Records for the longest-ever bunting, produced for the Yorkshire leg of the Tour de France. The villagers of Cragg Vale in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, spent more than a year sewing 59,939 flags to stretch the entire distance of the longest con-tinuous gradient on an English road. Their efforts paid off when Guinness World Records confirmed that the 12,115-metre stretch of bunting was the longest on earth. Later the bunting was sold to raise £700 for Calder Valley’s search and rescue team – bit.ly/bunting_record

Clock this…Always keen to see the silver lining, Prospect energy sector reps say reports of dwindling energy margins and looming blackouts have had one positive result – ending debates over what to buy colleagues who are retir-ing. Once upon a time, the choice was a car-riage clock or a gold watch. Today’s must-have present is… a home generator.

A monster plot It seems that officials at the Natural History Museum once worked on a sin-ister plot to kill the Loch Ness monster and put its carcass on display. In March 1934, an unnamed museum official issued instructions to bounty hunters to kill the monster and send the “carcass to us in cold storage… Short of this, a flipper, a jaw or tooth would be very welcome”. The revela-

tions are in a new book by David Clarke, Britain’s X-traordinary Files.

Double troubleJust a year after climbing Kilimanjaro, Sellafield Prospect member Sharon

Platt competed in the Beaujolais car run in November. She was raising money for the Henry Surtees founda-tion, which supports people with

brain injuries and services helping accident victims. You’d think she would have had enough by now but no, she is also running the London marathon in April. You can find out more from: www.henrysurteesfoundation.com

60 SECONDS

PAUL CHARLWOOD

A vehicle examiner based at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, formerly VOSA, in Mitcham, Surrey

Why did you join Prospect?

I’ve been a member for about three years and joined after my union rep explained how

vulnerable I would be without the union’s support.

What makes you happy or angry at work?

Meeting colleagues and the public makes me happy. What makes me angry, however, is that I believe senior management has a clear vision for the future, but they do not divulge it to us. It would be more beneficial for staff

and the organisation if we were involved in its five-year plan.

What is the best piece of advice you can pass on to motorists?

Wear your seatbelt! It is the most simple and fundamental piece of safety equipment but sadly it is not used enough.

If you could change one thing about transport policy what would it be?

To encourage sourcing of locally produced goods and products to cut down unnecessary road haulage. It made me angry recently when I bought a punnet of cherries that had come all the way from Chile.

What is the biggest challenge facing you and your colleagues at the moment?

Poor morale due to uncertainties over new contracts and working practices and the severe erosion of our wages, at the same time as our heavy goods testing stations are being closed.

How do you unwind?

Believe it or not, I enjoy tinkering with old machinery in my downtime as well. At the moment I am renovating an old AEC Matador – an ex-RAF World War ll lorry.

How would you persuade a colleague to join?

I would explain the benefits and that the membership fees are value for money, given the advice and support on hand if ever needed.

UNION EYESRemember to keep your eyes peeled and email us if you spot anything Prospect related – [email protected]


ber 2014

10 UNION EYES • 60 SECONDS

museum and exhibits. While she was able to draw on her

conservancy and exhibition work in recruiting and training Saudi staff, she also had to coordinate with designers and anything else to do with building the centre.

Lorraine describes the cultural centre as a project “unique to the Middle East”, ambitious not only in its scale, but also in its attempt to create an appeal in a country with no museum-going culture.

The brain-child of Saudi’s ruler, the cultural centre has been financed by state oil giant Saudi Aramco, and will form part of a much larger 220,000sqm “knowledge park” which, when completed, will include a children’s museum, library, science centre and a mosque.

The cultural centre itself is set to open by 2016, and will be made up of a grand hall as well as separate sections for contemporary art, natural history, and international exhibitions. Lorraine describes the designs for its final intriguing appearance as “a set of rocks

SAUDI ARABIA doesn’t always get the best of press in the UK, not least in its treatment of women. And beyond the two million or so Muslims who undertake the Hajj to Mecca every year, it isn’t most people’s idea of a must-visit tourist or cultural destination.

But when Natural History Museum palaeontologist Lorraine Cornish was approached with the challenge of laying the ground work for a new 80,000 square metre museum in the vast oil-rich kingdom – the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in the city of Dhahran in the country’s eastern province – she jumped at the chance.

That was in 2010, and followed her work on a scoping document for setting up a new museum from scratch in Saudi.

Lorraine returned to the NHM last December, having lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for three years, with a completely changed view of the country and its people.

“I didn’t have any commitments, my children were grown up and so it was a fantastic opportunity,” says Lorraine, who joined the NHM in 1980.

“I found the idea of working in a completely new environment really interesting. I asked the museum if I could take a career break for three years, and they said yes. They were great.”

But there were two considerable challenges. Not only did Lorraine have to get to grips with living and working as a western woman in a strict Muslim country, she also had to go well beyond her experience and manage every aspect of the new project, as head of

and sand wrapped in stainless steel tubes”.

While completion is a year or more away, much has already been achieved under Lorraine’s leadership, establishing policies and practices and a highly successful “exhibition under canvas” in collaboration with the Pompidou Centre in Paris. This introduced the Saudi public to a range of prominent European works, including a Picasso.

“It was a bit of an experiment as we didn’t know what to expect,” says Lorraine. “But it proved to be hugely successful. We had thousands of visitors – lots of families, and people who would come back a number of times. It gives us hope that the centre will be something that people will like.”

Lorraine describes her Saudi experience as a two-way learning process. “They question everything. It’s great to be explaining things and think about why we do things in a certain way. They’re very visual – they don’t always want to read a 10-page document. It gets you to use your creative side to get ideas across in a different way.”

On the broader cultural issues she says: “There are a number of restrictions on being female: you can’t drive and you have to cover up in public, though not in the office. It’s a completely different world and you have to accept and respect it.

“But the Saudis are great people and I made some great friends out there. I did see a completely different side to the country. I was welcomed into people’s homes and had great conversations. There was never a problem for me as a woman telling people what to do.”

■■ Above,■Lorraine■takes■a■break■in■the■local■market

Prospect’s Lorraine Cornish tells Andrew Child how she used her experience at the Natural History Museum to help set up a Saudi cultural centre

SNØ

HETTA AN

D M

IR

‘It will include a children’s museum, library, science centre and a mosque’


ber 201411OVERSEAS

Lorraine of Arabia

■■ Artist’s■impression■of■the■King■Abdulaziz■Center■for■World■Culture■–■following■an■invited■architectural■design■competition■in■2007,■Snøhetta■architects■were■selected■to■design■the■new■facility

PICTURES: STEFAN

O CAG

NO

NI/SIM

ON

CROSBY


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12 #18OCT

See more photos from the London march at bit.ly/prospect_18oct

Hundreds of thousands of working people travelled to London, Glasgow and Belfast on 18 October to march, rally, sing – and sometimes dance – for a pay risePROSPECT MEMBERS from a wide range of workplaces made long journeys to London to back the campaign to increase people’s pay packets and see pay shared more fairly.

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Watch a great time lapse video (Prospect’s contingent is 2.24 minutes in) and photos of the London march at bit.ly/prospect_18oct

For coverage as it happened, see: britainneedsapayrise.org/live/

Next steps: Fair Pay Fortnight is two weeks of events across the country in March/April 2015. If you have ideas for activities and/or would like to get involved, email [email protected]

■■ www.ajustscotland.org■■ www.tuc.org.uk/wales

Members turn out for TUC pay rise protest

13Prospect • Profile – N

ovember 2014

SCOTLAND

Completed application forms should be sent to:Brite Services, South Devon House, Station Road, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 2BP

or emailed by no later than 12 noon on Friday 12 December 2014.

Western Power Distribution Projects teams operate the 132kV System, carrying out maintenance,

fault repairs and capital works.

The East Midlands Projects team is currently recruiting a Project Engineerbased at Derby.

You will manage and control major projects involving plant, overhead andunderground systems up to 132kV.

You will also be involved in the installation, commissioning andmaintenance of protection systems up to 132kV, plus maintenance andproblem solving on existing plant and equipment at voltages up to 132kV.

Your duties will include

You will have experience of carrying out network operations up to 132kV,or Protection Commissioning at 33/132kV or Project Management of HVEngineering Projects.

To apply please contact Brite Services by [email protected] or call 01626 280077 for an application form.

n The organisation and financial monitoring of individual tasks.

n Minimising risk to the security of the distribution network.

n Ensuring that standards within own specialism are maintained.

n Monitoring development within your own specialism and exploiting these for the benefit of the Company.

n The procurement of non-standard equipment.n The effective use of resources including

contractors.

Interviews will be held in

Derby onWednesday 7

and Thursday 8January

2015

Prospect seeks talks on James Hutton job lossesPROSPECT HAS asked for an urgent meeting with Alasdair Alan MSP, minister for learning, science and Scotland’s languages, to discuss job losses at one of the Scottish government’s main research providers in environmental, crop and food science.

Earlier this year the James Hutton Institute announced that it would have to make up to 70 people redundant because of a £2.5m funding shortfall due to cuts, but it only got 45 volunteers in the initial voluntary phase.

In a letter to staff in November, chief executive Professor Iain Gordon said: “Unfortunately we have not achieved the savings required through voluntary exit and voluntary redundancy and so I am writing to advise you all that we will be moving to compulsory redundancies.”

Prospect negotiator Malcolm Currie said: “The Scottish government has a policy of guaranteeing that no one will be made compulsorily redundant in the organisations for which it is responsible.

“Unfortunately, while more than half of the research done by the institute is funded by the Scottish government, the James Hutton

Institute doesn’t fall within the Scottish public sector pay policy and isn’t covered by that guarantee.

“However, at least some of the work that is likely to be dropped has been identified by the Scottish government as priority areas for the future.

“Our hope is that they will see the need to retain skills in those areas in what is the key research provider for those subjects.”

The James Hutton Institute aims to increase income by targeting areas that will attract funding from sources other than the Scottish government but this will likely be at the expense of areas of research that are less attractive to those funders.

Prospect believes it is highly unlikely that any other organisation would be in a position to pick up the research areas from which the James Hutton Institute intends to withdraw.

The institute operates from multiple sites, including two main ones in Aberdeen and Dundee. It employs more than 600 scientists and support staff, making it one of the biggest research centres in the UK and the first of its type in Europe.

SCOTLAND NEWS ROUNDUPREFERENDUMTHE RESULT of the Scottish referendum was clear – but that is not the end of the matter, reports■national■secretary■Anne■Douglas.

The main political parties are now in discussion with Lord Smith of Kelvin, who was appointed by the Westminster government to broker an agreement on the further transfer of powers from Westminster to Holyrood.

This process is to satisfy a “vow” made by pro-union parties that more powers would be devolved if there was a No vote. Time is tight, with agreement to be reached by 30 November, St Andrew’s Day.

The only thing clear at present is that there will be more change. Prospect’s Scotland Committee is being re-constituted to ensure that the union continues to be a source of advice and influence for members in Scotland.

FAIR WORK CONVENTIONThe Scottish government is to set up a fair work convention to support diversity, equality and increased and sustainable economic growth by developing and promoting a sustainable, fair employment framework.

Its establishment fulfils one of the “Working Together” review recommendations and has been warmly welcomed by the STUC and its affiliates, including Prospect.

ST ANDREW’S DAYProspect members are warmly invited to the anti-racism St Andrew’s Day march and

rally on Saturday 29 November. It will start at Glasgow Green at 11am, to arrive at the Glasgow Film Theatre by noon. Details on Facebook, twitter

– #stucstandrew14 – and at bit.ly/29_Nov

■■ Dr■Amar■Kumar,■a■molecular■biologist■and■geneticist■at■the■Scottish■Crop■Research■Institute■in■Dundee■–■a■precursor■organisation■of■the■James■Hutton■Institute

LOU

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14 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

DH DFID DECC DFE CPS TSol SFO DWP DCLG Total

Government department

40

30

20

10

0

per c

ent

EXCEEDED: ■ BME ■ W/U MUST IMPROVE: ■ BME ■ W/U

DISTRIBUTION OF OUTCOMES BY ETHNICITY

THE TABLES in this article provide definitive evidence of how performance management appears to discriminate against minority groups and older workers within the civil service.

The data was gathered from a series of responses to parliamentary questions, and presented to a seminar for Prospect reps in the civil service in London in November.

Speaking to the assembled audience, Prospect director of communications and research Sue Ferns presented the union’s analysis of these responses.

“We start from the fact that in principle Prospect does not oppose performance management, provided that it’s a fair system that supports people to develop and progress in their careers and supports them when they

need help to do that,” she said.The government had said it wanted

to see a more consistent approach to performance management, and that support would be provided where needed.

But that was “very far from what we’ve got in the civil service and some other Prospect workplaces”.

Forced distributionInstead, forced distribution within the system was having pernicious effects – the process was based on flawed assumptions; tended to lead to discriminatory outcomes; was undermining teamwork; creating insecurity for individuals; and causing harm to health and wellbeing.

New evidenceFeedback from Prospect negotiators and reps had perceived many unfairnesses but “only very recently have we managed to gather hard evidence from a series of parliamentary questions put down during the summer”.

The results, presented in a series of tables (three are reproduced here), did not include all civil service organisations. In response to the PQs, some government departments had said they did not have the data, or would only have it by the end of the year. Prospect will be following up to ensure that further data is added to the analysis as soon as possible.

However, Ferns stressed that the data presented was robust.

New performance management data reveals discrimination

Disturbing new evidence reveals how black and minority-ethnic (BME), disabled and older people are losing out from forced distribution in the civil service’s new system. Penny Vevers reports from a Prospect seminar


ber 201415PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

DH DECC DFE BIS DWP DCLG Total


40

30

20

10

0

per c

ent

EXCEEDED: ■ Disabled ■ Non-disabled/undisclosed MUST IMPROVE: ■ Disabled ■ Non-disabled/undisclosed

DISTRIBUTION OF OUTCOMES BY DISABILITY

DH CO DFID DECC DFE CPS TSol SFO DWP DCLG Total


50

40

30

20

10

0

per c

ent

EXCEEDED: ■ under 30 ■ 30-50 ■ over 50 MUST IMPROVE: ■ under 30 ■ 30-50 ■ over 50

DISTRIBUTION OF OUTCOMES BY AGE

MARK TH

OM

AS

■MORE INFO – Prospect has produced dedicated guidance

for workers and line managers on how to handle the process, including advice on submitting a grievance: bit.ly/prospect_PMadvice

A table showing distribution of results by organisation revealed a lot of variation between each one in terms of the proportions of staff awarded markings of “must improve”, “met” or “exceeded”. For example, at the Crown Prosecution Service very few had received “must improve” markings, compared to a much higher proportion at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

There were also huge variations in the numbers of staff in an organisation receiving a performance pay award.

Equality impactThe tables showing the impact of performance management on equality were even more revealing, said Ferns.

By gender, women were overall scoring slightly better than men. But

tables showing how black and minority-ethnic, disabled, older and part-time staff fared told a different story.

When it came to ethnicity, staff from BME groups were getting proportionately more “must improves”, with white and unclassified staff doing better on the “exceeded” marks.

By age, the data also showed that workers aged over 50 were more likely to get a “must improve” mark, with under 30s more likely to receive “exceeded” marks.

For disabled people, a similar pattern had occurred, with “a very stark, clear and significant gap telling us that staff with a disability are much more likely to get a ‘must improve’ mark”, said Ferns – 30 per cent of disabled staff working for BIS had come out with “must improve”.

Part-time workers were shown to

“Workers aged over 50 were more likely to get a ‘must improve’ mark, with under 30s more likely to receive ‘exceeded’ marks”

■■ Ferns■–■‘must■improve’■more■likely■for■disabled

fare less well in some, though not all departments.

One caveat was that the data looked at one characteristic at a time, rather than combining several.

The evidence showed that the system was not only wrong in terms of fairness, but also had pay consequences for those with worse scores, said Ferns.

She added: “This data gives us clear evidence and should give us new confidence to go away and challenge the way the system is operating.”

Submit grievancesAfterwards Ferns told Profile: “This data shows that concerns about unfair treatment, in particular on grounds of ethnicity, disability and age, may well be justified.

“The way to change this is by challenging the operation of the system and submitting a grievance. If members do this in sufficient volume, we can effectively challenge the operation of the system.”

Prospect will support members who wish to submit a grievance. “It is important that you tell us you have done so, in order that we can build momentum on this issue,” she urged.

Ferns added: “Where performance management ratings affect pay awards there may also be a basis for taking forward equal pay claims, given that we now know the discriminatory nature of the PM system.

“Any member who thinks they may be in this position should contact their representative, who will seek advice from Prospect’s legal experts.”

■ More seminar reports, page 21


ber 2014

16

SPACE WEATHER INCIDENTS ● In 1989, a geomagnetic

storm knocked out a power grid in Quebec in 92 seconds, leaving six million people without electricity for over nine hours. The same event damaged a transformer in the Salem nuclear power plant in New Jersey, and two transformers in the UK grid.

● Astronauts on the Apollo 16

and 17 missions in 1972 came close to being exposed to severe levels of radiation from protons released when three solar flares erupted on the sun.

● Halloween solar storms in 2003 forced the crew on the International Space Station to seek shelter in a shielded compartment until the radiation risk had passed.

● In 2012 insurers Lloyds of London conducted a study into how the US power grid would cope with an event on the scale of one that hit the UK in 1859 – documented by English astronomer Richard Carrington – which started fires in telegraph stations. Lloyds concluded that today the damage could cost anything between $0.6-$2.6 trillion.

threat is from a coronal mass ejection – magnetised plasma that has erupted from the surface of the sun – which may take days to reach Earth but can take down or damage power grids when it does.

“When it hits the Earth’s magnetic field it can ultimately result in electric currents being induced in power cables, power systems and pipelines – anything which is a long conductor – causing voltage instability and equipment failure.”

In part, Catherine explains, the Met Office’s space weather centre was a product of the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland,

MET OFFICE

YOU MAY think that objects hurtling from space and annihilating the planet are solely the preserve of

science fiction films but, in reality, space weather can have a devastating effect on national infrastructure, technology, communications systems and even health.

The potential for damage is such that in 2011 severe space weather incidents were added to the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies.

Severe space weather is now ranked as the fourth-highest natural hazard on the risk register, after pandemic flu outbreaks; severe flooding (as seen on the east coast in the 1950s); and a large effusive volcanic eruption.

This is what spurred the Met Office to open its new space weather centre in October, as Prospect member Catherine Burnett, the space weather programme manager, tells Profile.

“Space weather occurs as a result of magnetised plasma and radiation from the sun impacting the Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere.

“While the most recognisable example of space weather is the Aurorae (Northern Lights), the biggest

which grounded planes and left thousands of passengers stranded.

“When the volcanic ash in the atmosphere stopped aircraft from flying, the government recognised the risks posed by natural events that scientists had been aware of for a long time.

“The government then picked up on the threat in terms of risk management and protecting populations, and started a whole review of all types of natural hazards, space weather being one.”

At the same time, the Met Office was approached by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Cloudy, with a chance of solar flares

Space weather, with its origins on the sun, can knock out power grids and satellites and poses one of the most serious threats to the UK. Katherine Beirne finds out more from Catherine Burnett, programme manager at the Met Office’s ground-breaking new space weather centre

■■ Catherine■Burnett■–■first■thing■forecasters■look■for■is■sun■spots


ber 201417MET OFFICE

NATIONAL GRIDCHRIS TRAIN is group director of safety, sustainability and resilience at National Grid, a key user of the space weather service

“THE MET Office provide us with a forecast twice daily, but where the risk level is high we receive a hands-on 24-7 service so, day or night, we can discuss developments, understand what is happening with the sun, and put mitigation measures in place, says Chris.

“The forecasters judge the speed of any coronal mass ejection and, given the earth’s orientation at the time, where it is likely to hit, disrupting the earth’s magnetic field and inducing electrical currents creating a potentially unstable system.

“It gives us time to configure the network to be more resilient, by spreading the requirement more widely across transformers or changing the generation portfolio around a more diverse geographical area,” says Chris.

Models developed with the British Geological Survey and other members of the space science community allow them to judge the impact on UK infrastructure.

“We put the forecast into the models, which take into account the network configuration and geology. Different geological structures have different conductivity – for example, granite is highly conductive. These models then show which areas of our networks are at risk, so we can reconfigure to minimise that risk.”

Administration Space Weather Prediction Centre in the US, with which it has close links.

NOAA was looking for partners across the world to cover space

weather along the lines of the existing global forecasting networks that support the aviation industry.

“Those two things, along with the Met Office’s ability to bring science into operations and deliver forecasting services, resulted in the Met Office becoming risk owner on behalf of the UK government,” says Catherine.

“So the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills invested £4.6m to create a space weather service for the UK.”

She says the first thing a space weather forecaster looks for is sun spots, in terms of complexity and how they change.

“A sun spot is where the magnetic field of the sun has got tangled up. Like an elastic band, it can only be twisted so far until it snaps, and when it does a magnetic field opens out into space and releases this large mass of material – plasma and energetic particles, which we call a

coronal mass ejection. “It can take anywhere between

18-96 hours to reach the Earth, depending on how fast it is travelling, with the biggest risk posed by faster coronal mass ejections with a southward orientated magnetic field.

“When the magnetic field reconnects with the sun you get a solar flare, which we can see. Solar flares travel at the speed of light so we see the flare before any images of a coronal mass ejection.”

Although the two don’t always happen together, a flare is the trigger forecasters look out

for as an indication of a coronal mass ejection, she says.

“Even on their own flares can cause radio blackouts of high frequency communications systems typically used by shipping and aviation. A solar flare is electromagnetic radiation, which can interact with a region of our atmosphere called the ionosphere.

“High frequency communications systems are transmitted around the globe by reflecting them off the ionosphere but the electromagnetic

“A coronal mass ejection can take

anywhere between 18-96 hours to reach

Earth, depending on how fast it is

travelling, but the faster it travels, the

greater the risk”

MET O

FFICE


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18 MET OFFICE

radiation changes the make up of the atmosphere preventing signals from being reflected.”

Another weather feature of concern is a solar radiation storm – streams of energetic particles that come from the sun either as part of a geomagnetic storm or as a stand-alone event.

“In the same way that sun spots are really tight areas of magnetic fields, you get coronal holes in the sun where the magnetic field has moved away. That has the effect of almost ‘opening the door’ on the sun and letting loads of particles stream out which are transported to the Earth on the solar wind.”

At the most extreme level they pose a radiation risk to astronauts or even crew in high-flying aircraft, particularly those flying routes over the poles where the effect is strongest.

Plus they can affect satellites, making them harder to track or communicate with because solar radiation also causes changes in the ionosphere which blocks ground station to satellite communication.

The storms can also damage the solar panels or internal components of satellites with a build-up of electrical charge. Single event upsets have even been known to alter the binary codes used by computers to operate.

NOAA designed space weather

alert scales similar to those used to describe hurricanes. The three scales rank the anticipated risk of radio blackouts, geomagnetic storms and solar radiation storms from one to five, with five being the highest. They also estimate the number of extreme events likely during a solar cycle, which is 11 years.

These scales have been modified to specify the impacts to UK infrastructure by the Met Office, National Grid, government departments and other infrastructure providers as part of the national hazard management system.

The information provided by the space weather centre is free to government departments and companies that provide critical UK infrastructure, such as National Grid, BT, network distribution operators and aviation bodies NATS and the Civil Aviation Authority.

But, says Catherine: “We hope to expand our customer base by providing bespoke commercial services to any organisation that believes they could be impacted by space weather and where forecasts, alerts and warnings would help them mitigate the risk.”

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

KEVIN MORGAN, airspace capacity manager at NATS, describes

how the service informs the work of the air traffic management provider

“THE EMAILS from the Met Office inform us of current solar activity and the risk of solar flares or emissions over the next four days. This enables us to alert our customers and ensure the air traffic management network is prepared for any likely impacts

of space weather,” Kevin says. “It is a new area for NATS, and the aviation industry as a whole, but is a valuable tool to help

improve our resilience.”Kevin says it is

ultimately up to each of NATS’ customers to decide how to react, according to each company’s procedures. But the information helps NATS react to any changes customers decide to implement.

For example, he says: “Solar activity can result in the loss of high frequency communication used over the ocean, so if we get an alert indicating that may be likely we let our oceanic control centre [Prestwick] know.

“In that instance they can ensure that other means of communications are available and inform the airlines that the risk is there. Again, it is up to the airlines to decide how they react to the information.”

If they choose to alter routes across the North Atlantic on the basis of the information, NATS needs to know, to be able to meet any changes in air traffic demand, such as more traffic coming from a southerly direction.

“So far we have had really good feedback and we are in the process of informing the entire organisation about the existence of space weather and the impact it can have,” says Kevin.

■■ Prospect■Met■Office■branch■secretary■Gordon■Hutchinson■(left)■talking■to■Mark■Seltzer,■senior■operations■meteorologist■■at■the■Space■Weather■Centre

PAUL G

LEND

ELL

“While streams of particles are mainly drawn towards the

earth’s poles, coronal mass ejections have

more energy and induce a change in the magnetic

structure of the Earth”

Tiny invaders who harm the environment

REGISTER YOUR TECHNICIANSWith 25 years’ experience of working as a technician, Prospect rep Lloyd

Collier proved the ideal person to lead a two-year Prospect project, funded by the Gatsby Foundation, to register industry technicians in science and engineering – RegTech.

Lloyd started his career at the UK Atomic Energy Authority and has most recently been a senior health physics technician at Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire.

Lloyd has witnessed first-hand the many challenges faced by employers in recruiting and retaining technicians. Long experience of the technician grade has also made him aware of the lack of formal recognition and career

pathways for many in his position.Encouraging registration is

intended to address many of these issues, mirroring chartered status, which is well-established and supported by many employers and organisations.

Registration will enable employers to work with professional bodies on meeting their skills requirements and help them to better identify a pool of skilled workers to fill technician vacancies.

Employees will gain formal recognition of their skills, experience, security and commitment to ongoing training and career development. This should help attract new recruits.

“The first step is to value the experience that technicians have

gained in the workplace and to codify it,” explains Lloyd. “We’re not focused so much on graduates as those seeking to develop to that level. Some may find themselves in a technician role and see no further progression.”

Lloyd is about to embark on a series of workplace “audits” to establish where technicians are and the types of technicians there are. This will be no easy task, not least because technicians “will not necessarily call themselves that”.

Nevertheless, he believes that the technician route to vocational learning will become increasingly popular as the cost of university fees becomes unaffordable to many. This in turn may help to raise its status.

● If you would like to get involved in the project please email [email protected]

Dr Helen Roy of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology explains her role in containing the quagga musselA TINY freshwater mollusc has muscled its way to the top of the rankings for alien species that threaten British wildlife, leaving better-known rivals such as Japanese knotweed and the American crayfish in its wake.

The threat posed by the quagga mussel – originally from the area around the Black and Caspian seas – was identified thanks in part to entomologist Dr Helen Roy, who leads zoological research and data collection at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology’s biological records centre.

Dr Roy was part of an expert panel on a “horizon-scanning” exercise by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to identify future threats to Britain’s indigenous flora and fauna.

The group considered 591 alien plants and animals, and unanimously awarded the quagga mussel top spot, says Dr Roy.

Despite being only 30mm long, the mussels are abundant and reproduce very rapidly, with a profound effect on their environment. “They are very effective filter feeders and consume a lot of food used by other species in the

eco-system,” she says.“As a result they

change the chemistry of the surrounding water, which can

have cascading effects through the food chain.”

Their effect is amplified by the existence of other invasive

water-borne species.It is not certain how the quagga

mussel arrived in the UK and theories range from spread via boats to contaminated fishing or recreational equipment. Dr Roy doubts whether the mussel can be eradicated, but is confident it can be contained.

However, the best way to halt the spread of invasive species is to

IN BRIEF■New virology

centre – A new centre for research on diseases such as avian flu, African swine fever and foot-and-mouth was opened in October 2014. The BBSRC National Virology Centre at the Pirbright Institute in Surrey cost £135m. It will hold some of the world’s most contagious livestock viruses. Watch a video: bit.ly/worst_viruses BBSRC website: bit.ly/virology_centre

prevent them arriving in the first place. The public can help by following “Check, Clean, Dry” guidelines: www.nonnativespecies.org/checkcleandry

Dr Roy says researchers regularly rely on the public to report sightings. With their help Britain is getting better at anticipating and fighting the threat from non-native species.

She cites her work with the UK Ladybird Survey as highlighting the value of volunteers, who have been instrumental in monitoring the spread of the invading Harlequin ladybird.

Building on the quagga mussel work, Dr Roy is currently leading a European Commission project to identify the threats posed by non-native species across the continent.

■■ Above,■invasive■quagga■mussels■clogging■a■propeller■and■a■Harlequin■ladybird

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ber 201419SCIENCE

Crisis of morale in civil service

■■ Top■table■(l-r)■civil■service■learning■director■Hilary■Spencer,■

DGS■Leslie■Manasseh,■sector■president■Geoff■Fletcher■and■

vice-president■Jim■Henderson

PICTURES: M

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ber 2014

20

Falling specialist pay worsens skills crisisPAY FOR specialists in the civil service is falling behind that in the private sector, and causing retention problems – and it’s not just Prospect who says so.

Prospect research section head Jonathan Green presented evidence from the Hay Group, which produces annual pay benchmarking data for the Cabinet Office.

While the unions have no formal involvement in gathering the data, Prospect has attended meetings on the findings.

In 2010, the pay of SEO staff in grades 6 and 7 was about 8% lower in the public sector; by

2013, the gap was 13%.Hay Group’s David Smith

recently said: “In 2011, data from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development suggested that just 25% of public sector organisations had difficulty retaining specialist staff. This figure had risen to 60% by 2013.”

Professions commanding a

pay premium include program-ming, IT testing, software engineering, treasury/taxation, legal, engineering, procurement and project management.

“The data tells a compelling story. A big gap has opened up between the public and private sectors because of pay restraint. Whatever the government says publicly, its own data is telling them this,” said Green.

Quick fixes like market pay supplements were unsustainable. A more strategic approach was needed to retain Prospect members’ expertise, Green added.

CIVIL SERVICE SEMINAR

DEPUTY GENERAL secretary Leslie Manasseh opened the London seminar by saying that members now faced their fourth year of sustained cuts and pay restraint.

The service was the smallest it had been since World War II, with fewer than 450,000 people, and the impact on Prospect members had been very severe.

“But members continue to do their jobs to the best of their abilities under very difficult circumstances and we shouldn’t ever forget their commitment to the services they provide.”

The real value of members’ pay had fallen by round 20%, leading to a crisis of morale. “In part that is explained by the unhelpful and negative narrative that underlies so much of what’s happening.

“The government story is the civil

service isn’t really fit for purpose and things would be so much better if done in the private sector. There is very little praise and little value put on impartial, independent delivery of services.”

He urged reps to think about the issue of equalities. “As an important lever to crack open the safe – for pay restraint and performance management – the equalities agenda remains very powerful,” he said.

Neil Walsh, Prospect pensions officer, gave an update on civil service pension reform.

Hilary Spencer, director of civil service learning, led a discussion on skills and training, and Louisa Withers of Incomes Data Services spoke about the organisation’s research for Prospect and the FDA on recruitment and retention.

‘Some flexibility better than none’THE SEMINAR heard about three projects that are delivering some pay benefits for specialists.

A three-year pilot in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, running until 2017, is based on the Treasury setting a limit to the overall pay budget rather than limiting individual pay increases.

National secretary Geraldine O’Connell said it had already delivered some flexibilities, such as the use of recyclables (money saved when a leaver is replaced by a person lower down the pay scale), non-consolidated pay and a recognition that using contractors costs more.

Prospect had negotiated a consolidated pay award of 1% or greater for 90% of staff and limited progression for staff beneath the mid point of their pay bands. Shortening and aligning pay ranges had also benefited members.

Defra plans to expand the pilot to executive agencies with delegated pay responsibilities, though affordability is a key issue.

O’Connell concluded: “Members have been in agreement that some flexibility – no matter how small – is better than none!”

Ele Wade, branch chair, and Nick Mole, a rep, described a similar pay pilot at the Intellectual Property Office.

In the first year, the IPO pay bill was based on 1%, but the mechanism enabled the release of money for restructuring, scarce skills, access to recyclables and increases to allowances and non-consolidated pots.

She envisaged future problems relating to head count projections, ring-fencing different pots and a lack of additional restructuring money.

Negotiator John Higgins described the introduction of a modernised employment contract at the Department for Transport, where there are skill shortages, recruitment problems across several agencies and huge pay differences.

Objectives include a single set of terms and conditions, harmonised pay ranges and a specialist pay review.

Reps attending Prospect’s civil service seminar in November heard the latest on pay, pensions, and skills shortages. Penny Vevers reports

■■ Green■–■a■big■gap■has■opened■up■between■the■public■and■■private■sectors

■■ Walsh■–■updated■the■seminar■on■civil■service■pensions

that developing engineering skills was an “investment in today, not just in the future”, though it rarely produced the kind of instant photo opportunities that politicians sought.

Nevertheless, the industry as a whole would have to decide which skills to focus on and develop and which to let go, given finite resources.

Delegates heard that skills shortages were likely to become acute in nuclear, particularly given the demographic profile, and that the nuclear energy and defence industries would increasingly find themselves fighting over a diminishing talent pool.

Highlighting the retention problem, Professor Louth cited academic research into staff who left BAE Systems between 2007-11. More than 50% could not find comparable work in the industry.

Of those wanting to stay in defence,

THE SHORTAGE of engineers is “the greatest threat to our prosperity and security”, former minister Sir Peter Luff told a Prospect seminar in October on the looming crisis in defence skills.

Other speakers included Richard Smith, engagement director at Talent Retention Solution; Janice Munday, director of advanced manufacturing and services at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; Air Commodore Warren James, training and recruitment lead for the Ministry of Defence; Professor John Louth, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute; and Christine Hewitt, human resources director, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.

Presentations at the New Prospect House event in London focused on mapping problems in both recruitment and retention and charting possible courses of action.

Sir Peter, along with others, emphasised that whatever else happened, the funding the industry needed would not be forthcoming, despite multiplying threats and uncertainties.

The former minister for defence equipment, support and technology – from 2010-12 – suggested some 400,000 engineers would be needed by industry by 2020, with two-thirds needed to replace those leaving the industry.

However, Sir Peter said this could be a tall order given the current “disparate” approach to promoting careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Of particular concern was that Britain has one of the lowest participation rates for women anywhere in the EU. Sir Peter added

45% were engineers, project engineers or IT specialists – core defence skills. He said that to begin to address this, the industry had to dispel the myth that the free market “moderated” skills. Rather, the retention issue had to be managed at the “whole force” or “enterprise” level.

BIS’s Janice Munday said headway could be made on recruitment by achieving “parity of esteem” for apprenticeships: in other words they would provide in-job vocational training that would be considered equal to the equivalent qualifications delivered in further and higher education. Key to this would be getting the message into schools and colleges.

Sue Ferns, head of communications and research at Prospect, highlighted the work the union was doing through its branch networks on encouraging women into STEM.

She said it was important for the industry to highlight female case studies and role models so potential women recruits could identify with “people like them”.

DTSL’s Christine Hewitt identified the need to consider people with non-defence backgrounds when skills were at a premium, pointing out that she began her career as a chemist.

Richard Smith told delegates about the industry-backed TRS database, developed as a talent pool for defence.

Both he and Air Commodore Warren James urged delegates not to take the view that such services could represent a brain drain for some. Rather, the industry needed to invest in training across the board and what was good for the whole sector would be good for individual players.

■■ Top■row■(l-r):■Sir■Peter■Luff,■Richard■Smith,■Janice■Munday;■Bottom■row■(l-r):■Christine■Hewitt,■Warren■James,■John■Loth■

Tackling the acute shortage of engineers will mean attracting women, young people and those from other disciplines, speakers told a Prospect seminar

TIME TO STEM THE LOSS OF DEFENCE SKILLS

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ber 201421DEFENCE

THE CONTROVERSIAL Infrastructure Bill, with its far-reaching proposals for the Highways Agency, is continuing its passage through the Westminster parliament, despite warnings from Prospect.

The bill paves the way for the Highways Agency, a public body that is accountable to ministers, to be replaced by an arm’s-length, government-owned Strategic Highways Company.

As well as being beyond direct parliamentary oversight, critics fear that the new company is merely a precursor to full-scale privatisation of England’s roads.

“This could be the first step towards introducing road tolls to generate income,” said Prospect negotiator John Higgins.

“When that happens, the new company will be facing all the flak from the public, but the reality is that the only shareholder will be the government of the day.”

Highways AgencyWhile the government argues that the bill is required for the future planning, maintenance and funding of the UK’s vital national infrastructure, Prospect has raised several concerns about the proposals affecting the Highways Agency.

In addition to opening the door to road tolls, the Infrastructure Bill:

● removes the right of the company replacing the Highways Agency to intervene or object to developments that have an adverse impact on the road network

● expects the Agency to plan and fund its work over a specific period – even though there is no such timeframe for the Road Investment Strategy.

Infrastructure Bill signals change of direction for Highways Agency

BOB BO

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UNIONS IN TALKS WITH MAXIMUSPROSPECT AND the PCS have held initial talks with Maximus, the US company appointed by the government to run a controversial £500m contract to assess benefit claimants on their fitness to work.

Prospect represents the medical professionals conducting such assessments.

The Department for Work and Pensions named Maximus as the new provider in October. Since then unions have met twice with managers from French-owned Atos Healthcare, which previously held the contract, and Maximus’s implementation team.

These meetings discussed broad plans on the forthcoming TUPE transfer of staff working on the Work Capability Assessments contract to the new provider.

Prospect national secretary Geraldine O’Connell said: “All parties have now determined all staff who are in scope for the transfer and we are just finalising the terms and conditions of service and agreements covered by the TUPE legislation.”

Maximus is working on a statement of measures for terms and conditions of service and policies that it cannot replicate, and this will include pensions, said O’Connell.

She welcomed positive statements from Maximus on job security and its statement that it had previous experience of working with unions in Canada.

“We reiterated that the unions were recognised for collective bargaining purposes and we wanted to work with the company to ensure that members gained some positive improvements from the new ownership of this contract.”

In February ATOS sought early withdrawal from the contract in the wake of protests over how assessments were conducted. At the time O’Connell said: “Sadly, it is our members who are delivering this contract and have been caught in the crossfire.”

The new Maximus contract will run from March 2015 for an initial three years.

Prospect wants assurances that the terms and conditions of staff will be protected in the new company.

Higgins said: “The Highways Agency is already changing internally under the so-called ‘Transformation Journey’, and it is unclear how changing its status to a GovCo would add further benefits.”

Members are encouraged to sign a petition on the future of motorways and trunk roads in England at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/67271

ForestsCampaigners, however, can claim one significant victory. A proposal in the Infrastructure Bill that would have allowed huge swathes of land and forests to be transferred to an agency for development was dropped.

A spirited campaign led by Hands Off Our Forests seems to have pressured the government into including an amendment promising to protect public forests from any land sell-offs.

However, the wide-ranging bill still includes an equally contentious provision – added late in the House of Lords – that blocks the rights of landowners to stop fracking companies from “trespassing” underneath their homes.

■■ bit.ly/infrastructure_bill■■ www.handsoffourforest.org/

■■ Forestry■Commission■union■members■and■supporters■at■one■of■many■protests■in■2011■that■forced■a■government■u-turn■over■plans■to■sell■off■forests■


ber 2014

22 INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

IT’S BEEN almost 20 years since Peter Taylor took early retirement at 59 from his job as a senior scientific officer at the Defence Evaluation Research Agency – now part of QinetiQ.

But rather than putting his feet up after a 40-year career in Holton Heath, Dorset, Peter has spent the past two decades encouraging today’s young people to follow his passion for science and engineering.

As chair of Dorset ASSET and Valter Prize Trust, Peter now spends much of his time encouraging school-aged students to take up science and engineering subjects and ultimately to pursue careers in these disciplines.

Latterly at DERA he worked on metal matrix composites – finding ways to combine metal and carbon to make submarine torpedoes capable of operating at extreme depths.

“The Cold War was increasingly played out in a game of cat and mouse between submarines. The way to escape the enemy was to go ever deeper so this created a requirement for a new type of torpedo,” explains Peter.

Explaining what motivates the charity’s nine trustees, he says: “We all believe the country will benefit from people with brains in science and technology. It’s where our future lies.

“I’ve worked for the public sector all my life and this is about putting something back.”

Though its roots go back a long way, Dorset ASSET – an acronym of Assistance to Schools with Science, Engineering and Technology – really took off in 2003 with a £10,000 bequest from an engineer named Richard Valter, who now lends his name to the organisation.

Thanks to this and a growth in other types of funding from local to big national organisations like the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the charity has been able to expand its range of support.

Dorset ASSET started offering prizes for original projects in related disciplines from electrical engineering

to mathematics and textiles.For winners this can have huge

pay-offs. A recent winner of the £400 Marjorie Gordon mathematics prize designed a computer programme that helps Formula 1 teams to optimise the performance of their racing cars.

Using his number-crunching skills, Poole Grammar student Matthew McCormick was able to predict seven out of eight of the top finishers in a recent Australian Grand Prix. Not only did Matthew’s endeavours attract the attention of the Red Bull Racing team, they helped him to secure a bursary to study at Southampton University.

“The shortlisted projects which don’t receive prizes all receive a certificate of achievement which can be useful in later life,” explains Peter.

The prizes are intended to engage those aged 14 and above, but Peter and his charity like to catch them early and help to organise and pay for school trips to science museums for some 400 younger children every

year, as well as supporting science-orientated after-school clubs.

Not only does Peter help to organise a team of managers who liaise with and encourage schools to participate in schemes, he also has a full-time job organising the yearly round of grant applications and approaching potential donors and sponsors.

“It’s a constant grind,” says Peter, “but you can’t underestimate the importance of science and engineering. I think this is something the government now understands”.

Much is still to be done in the battle to recruit the next generation of scientists and engineers, not least in battling some of the age-old stereotypes, says Peter.

“Engineering in particular has a bit of an image problem. It’s still often seen as full of people in dirty overalls with grease under their fingernails, especially by some parents. We need to open people’s minds.”

Passing the engineering baton to today’s children

■■ Peter■is■inviting■retired■Prospect■members■to■volunteer■for■the■schools■campaign.■One■person■is■needed■in■Dorchester■and■another■in■Weymouth■and■Portland.■Find■out■more■at■www.dorsetasset.com

Retired engineer Peter Taylor chairs a charity encouraging school students into science and engineering. He tells Andrew Child why


ber 201423SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Jodie Ramsay, an account manager at E.ON, tells Boc Ly about her life in the roller derby fast lane

FOR SOMEONE who hates exercise and went to watch her friends in a roller derby training session with absolutely no intention of taking part, Jodie Ramsay may need to pinch herself about competing at the world championships in Dallas this December.

“Unfortunately, the training session was just after our bonus pay day, so I went straight home and ordered all the kit that I needed to play and joined a fortnight after.

“That was two or three years ago, and I’ve never looked back,” says Jodie, an account manager for E.ON.

For the uninitiated, roller derby is a high-speed contact sport played between two teams of five, who race around a track on skates.

Each team has one designated scorer, who gets points by lapping members of the opposing team. Team mates assist their scorer, while simultaneously blocking the other team’s scorer. Fair to say, chaos ensues.

“It’s quite scary, but it’s never a case of someone wanting to hurt you, they just want you out of the way!”

While Jodie’s worst injury so far has been a small tear in her knee, some of her team mates have had broken legs.

“I’ve got good insurance for the world cup,” she says, with a rueful laugh.

International honoursWhile Jodie plays for her local team Coventry City Derby Dolls, at the world cup she’ll be representing Team West Indies and battling it out against 30 other countries that are taking part.

“I’ve managed to go through all the paperwork to prove that I’m Jamaican enough,” she says.

“I’ve been training with them for eight months and played tournaments in Dublin and Wales to

get warmed up for the world cup.”All of her international team

mates are based in the UK, except for one who lives in Chicago, but their Caribbean ancestry unites them all.

“It’s a mix of people born here and people who were born there but we’re all really proud of our heritage. It’s a really fun team to be on,” Jodie says.

“All the other teams are doing their national anthems but ours is a bit more exciting. It’s a reggae song. We just chose a really fun song because there’s no national anthem for the whole of the West Indies.”

DallasThe favourites for the world cup will be the US, England, Australia and Canada, but as Jodie points

out, many teams, including the West Indies, are taking part for the first time, so there “could be some secret weapons and surprises”.

The first challenge for Jodie’s team will be to get out of their group, which comprises Sweden, Japan and Chile.

Regardless of how they get on, representing the West Indies is a “great honour. It’s a big family. We will all party together and have fun.”

The Roller Derby World Cup is in Dallas from 4-7 December.

■■ http://rollerderbyworldcup.com■■ www.gofundme.com/9doe70

She’s gotta roll with it!

PROSPECT SCHOOL SUCCESS TWELVE PROSPECT members, most with no previous experience of union activity, came to a recruitment-themed weekend school in November to develop their skills, knowledge and capacity.

Experienced reps and full-time organisers, Tom Sidwell and Jenny Tingle, provided practical support and knowledge. General secretary Mike Clancy also gave a presentation.

The school was arranged after a recent members’ survey included a question asking if any member wished to volunteer to do some work to support Prospect colleagues. As a result, 500 members volunteered.

Mike Graham, head of national organising and recruitment, said: “It was a resounding success and I cannot overstress the enthusiasm of the attendees. One is keen to become a rep while the others will take a supporting role in branch communications and recruitment activity.

“I also came away with good ideas and inspiration from the participants.”

The school was supported by the General Federation of Trade Unions.

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24 YOUNG MEMBERS

A chance encounter at a jeweller’s shop over the summer culminated in a Prospect member aged 91 finally receiving his WWII medals, nearly 70 years after the conflict ended, writes Boc Ly

TONY PRICE, an engineer who worked on the build of power stations at Marchwood, Hinkley Point and several others before his retirement in 1961, was looking for some watch batteries when he noticed the shop assistant adjusting the ribbons on a couple of medals.

A conversation ensued, and with the input of the shop manager, Tony was advised that he could still claim the medals for his service in the merchant navy – a task that he had been putting off for decades.

“In 1942 the merchant navy was losing so many ships that they were calling for engineers. By then I had my national certificate in engineering so they took me right away,” Tony recalls.

His service on ships carrying war supplies and equipment saw him in the Atlantic, North Africa and Italy. D-Day was celebrated on board an American liberty ship.

Life on the seasTony’s life on the water continued for a few years after the war as he joined the shipping company Cunard and served on liners such as the Queen Mary, Mauritania and the Aquitania.

“I really enjoyed this period in my career and had many encounters with famous personalities, including the Queen Mother, Burt Lancaster and Liberace,” he says.

It was during this period that Tony married his wife Muriel, with whom he has had four children, and they eventually settled on the south coast where he worked for the Central Electricity Generating Board.

Awarded a gold long-service award from predecessor union the Engineers’ and Managers’ Association, Tony continues to be active in Prospect’s retired members’ group. Union membership, he says, has always been important to him.

“Unfortunately, I got diagnosed with pleural plaques in 2003 due to exposure to asbestos early in my career. The union arranged for a firm of solicitors in Manchester to handle my case, which resulted in a successful claim for compensation.”

CelebrationsTo claim his five medals, Tony, now living on the Wirral, had to send off his two discharge books, which documented the dates and ships that he worked on during WWII.

A couple of weeks after receiving them, the family held a party to celebrate his 91st birthday, his wife’s 90th birthday and their 65th wedding anniversary.

“As a joke, when my daughters arrived for the party, I greeted them with my new medals and they were delighted to see me wearing them complete with blazer and flannels. It turned out to be an emotional moment,” laughs Tony.

Time for celebration

■■ Above,■Tony■proudly■displays■his■medals;■Inset:■Tony■and■his■wife■Muriel■on■their■wedding■day■65■years■ago

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HARRY’S AWARD FOR LONG SERVICEThe illustrious trade union record of active Prospect rep Harry Sharrock, a member for a staggering 49 years, was celebrated with a long-service award in November.

Harry remains area chair of the retired members’ group that covers Cheshire, Manchester, Merseyside, Deeside, North Wales and Isle of Man.

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy attended the group’s area meeting in Runcorn, Cheshire, to present Harry with his award.

Harry joined Prospect predecessor union the Electrical Power Engineers’ Association in February 1965 and was working for ScottishPower when he retired.


ber 201425ROLL OF HONOUR


ber 2014

26 INFLATION/SUBS

NEW SUBSCRIPTION RATES FROM JANUARY 2015SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR working members covered by Prospect’s banded structure will increase by 1.5% from 1 January 2015. The rates for retired members will also increase by 1.5%. The increase was agreed at Prospect’s biennial conference earlier this year.

Members who pay by direct debit will receive a notification of the change in their subscription either by email or, where we have no email address for them, by letter.

These notices will be sent out from mid-December through to early January.

Members should check the information provided to ensure that they are paying the correct

rate. If you believe you are allocated to the wrong band/rate, please provide us with your latest salary and correct band as soon as possible. You can do this by:

● emailing [email protected] (please include

your name and membership number)

● phoning 01932 577041. There will be no change to the

subscription arrangements in the energy supply industry sector, where subscriptions will continue

to be covered by the 0.55% of earnings formula up to a cap of £19 per month (£228 pa).

Subscriptions for Aspect working members will remain unchanged.

For members who pay by check-off, the new rates will be implemented by their employers or payroll offices.

David Pelly, Prospect’s resource director, said: “In setting the subscription increase at 1.5%, conference delegates were mindful of the economic pressures on members, while also being aware of the upward pressure on Prospect’s costs and the importance of providing the highest quality service to

members.”

2015 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Working■members salary■range monthly yearlySpecial rate* up to £12,898 £1.23 £14.76Band 1 £12,899-£18,418 £6.88 £82.56Band 2 £18,419-£22,715 £9.46 £113.52Band 3 £22,716-£28,239 £12.04 £144.48Band 4 £28,240-£38,059 £15.24 £182.88Band 5 £38,060 and above £17.63 £211.56* Special rate is for members who are unemployed, on unpaid leave, on unpaid maternity leave or in between contractsRetired■Members monthly yearlyAnnual £3.44 £41.28Life £412.80

AN EAGLED-EYED retired member has caught the government out on the use of misleading statistics in an official press release and even spurred the BBC to comment on the fiasco.

Tony Cox (CMD Greater London East & Essex branch), who chairs the Royal Statistical Society’s RPI/CPI User Group, perceived some curious anomalies – “by omission or design” – in a Treasury press release hailing a freeze on rail fares in 2015.

Cox noticed that the release was using the Retail Prices Index measure of inflation, without explanation, even though the government’s preferred measure is the Consumer Prices Index. In July 2014, RPI was 2.5% while CPI was 1.6%.

In April 2011 the current coalition changed the basis on which pensions and benefits were uprated from RPI to CPI, saving it billions of pounds a year.

Crudely defined, in terms of measuring inflation, both RPI and CPI track the price of a basket of goods; however, CPI doesn’t include mortgage payments, rents and council tax, and RPI does.

Statistics AuthorityConcerned about the likely confusion this could cause, Cox wrote a letter to Sir Andrew Dilnot, chair of the Statistics Authority.

“It is particularly egregious when, as in this case, by using the term inflation it misleads the reader into thinking that the benefit being talked about is greater than is actually the case, as the CPI inflation rate is normally lower than the

RAIL FARE INFLATION FREEZE? Not if you read between the lines

RPI inflation rate,” he wrote.In his reply, Dilnot accepted that the

“release could have been worded more precisely”.

Although the Treasury did later update the release, Cox’s diligent work did not go unnoticed. The BBC News head of statistics wrote a blog about it – www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-29934599

Fair fares?Seeing as the Treasury wasn’t applying its own preferred measure of inflation to rail fares, Cox was piqued into action. He decided to calculate how regulated

rail fares would change under CPI.“In January 2015 regulated rail fares

will be 7.5% higher than they would have been had the coalition government raised them by CPI,” he concluded.

“The government made a lot of its claim that the CPI was the more appropriate measure of UK inflation yet this rail fares news release only make sense if the government regards the RPI as the better measure!”

Perhaps someone in the Treasury thought that a 7.5% increase in rail fares would not make for such a good press release?

We could not possibly speculate.

■■ Cox■–■real■increase■7.5%■

THE CURRENT round of trade negotiations between the EU and the US has grabbed the headlines, with reports highlighting both the potential for large multinationals to take legal action against member states and the extent to which the NHS will be opened up to further marketisation.

But with a final deal on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – known as TTIP – possibly less than a year away, sector specialists are beginning to scrutinise many other aspects of the deal.

One of TTIP’s key aims is to remove so-called non-tariff barriers to trade.

The European Commission is negotiating on behalf of EU member states and is discussing with US trade representatives “harmonising product regulation and standards (eg labelling, product specifications, sanitary requirements) in areas where they are deemed necessary, and eliminating them in areas where they are not”, according to a House of Commons briefing note.

If agreement is reached it has been estimated the UK economy could benefit to the tune of up to £10bn a year or 0.7% of GDP.

Of particular interest to Prospect members will be the emerging claims around the implications for the overlapping areas of food safety, chemicals regulation and environmental protection.

Environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth have been quick to suggest that the negotiations, largely behind closed doors, will lead to North American agri-businesses circumventing EU regulations on genetically-modified foods in the name of free trade.

While both the EC and UK authorities have insisted this represents a red line in talks, opponents of GM have pointed to stated objectives of the US Department of Agriculture.

It has explicitly identified “the EU’s non-tariff barriers to agricultural products”, specifying “long delays in reviews of biotech products [that] create barriers to US exports of grain and oil seed products”. Prominent American agricultural trade associations have been lobbying intensely.

In a separate trade deal, the EU has been accused of caving in to Canadian lobbying over GM.

It has also been suggested that US agricultural interests will try to use the TTIP negotiations to overturn the EU’s partial ban on the use of neonicotinoids – a class of systemic pesticide associated with the decline of bees.

Though environmental pressure is growing for a ban at a US federal and state level, some fear this momentum could by stymied by a desire to harmonise regulations down to the lowest level.

In a similar vein, according to trade union networks, the EU’s

chemical regulatory framework REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) has been a source of fierce debate and is seen by the US chemical industry as the largest trade barrier it faces.

The pressures for harmonisation may prove overwhelming: according to the European Environmental Bureau,

US-EU trade is the biggest in the world with the sector exceeding $139bn in 2011.

While these appear to be the three substantive points at present, other issues are worth noting. Also related to food safety is the issue of EU directives that prohibit the import and sale of meat treated with certain growth hormones and chicken washed with chlorine, which the US has disputed at the World Trade Organisation and may seek to contest in the current context.

The above highlights a fundamental tension in the TTIP process and a difference in approach to regulations between the US and the EU.

While the former emphasises a light-touch approach based on the weight of scientific evidence, the latter focuses on the so-called “precautionary principle” and safeguarding public health. If an agreement is to be reached, movement on both sides appears inevitable.

● See letters, page 29.

Controversial secret talks are under way between the EU and US on the future of trade arrangements. Andrew Child unravels some of the issues under discussion

TTIP of the iceberg

■■ Prospect■TTIP■briefing:■bit.ly/Prospect_TTIP■■ Department■for■Business■Q&A:■bit.ly/BIS_TTIP■■ European■Commission■Q&A:■bit.ly/EC_TTIPqa

There is a tension in the TTIP process and a different approach to regulations between the US and the UK

TTIPProspect • Profile – N

ovember 2014

27

Numbers mix-upI was interested to read in September’s Profile (page 9) about Mark Carney’s diversity plans, but I can only hope that it was the article’s author who has trouble with maths, and not the governor.

If Mr Carney thinks that the pro-portion of women in the bank’s 50 most senior roles has moved from “a fifth… now down to a third” then the economy is in the wrong hands – when I last checked it was a move up from a fifth to a third!Michael■Pearce,■Folkestone

More energy coverage, pleaseIn the beginning I was a member of the Engineering Managers’ Association working for the Central Electricity Generating Board, initially on the operations side of the indus-try and then for some 20 years on design and project management.

Since the EMA joined Prospect I cannot recall many mentions of the electricity generation and sup-ply industry in Profile, other than

obituary notices at the end of each publication.

Since the industry was privatised this lifeline for both the industrial, commercial and domestic life of this country is now under threat of power cuts and a strategy that relies on wind power.

I would have thought that this industry would have rated equally with the full-page article on football referees.

I know unions are mainly con-cerned with terms and conditions of employment, but with the variety and size of its membership I feel that Prospect could also have some politi-cal clout and input to the choice of future power generation and distri-bution in this country.Philip■Lewis,■Harrogate

Editors’■reply:■We■run■regular■news■stories■and■occasional■features■on■energy■issues■in■Profile.■Every■work-ing■member■in■energy■and■nuclear■also■receives■their■own■newsletter,■EnergyEye,■four■times■a■year.■Anyone■can■read■the■electronic■version■–■and■other■energy-related■stories■and■information■–■in■the■energy■area■

of■the■website■at■www.prospect.org.uk/select_an_industry/energy/index.■We■now■publish■obituaries■on■the■website■at■www.prospect.org.uk/obituaries■rather■than■in■the■magazine.

Hinkley Point decision is good newsIt is great news that the construction of Hinkley Point C has been given approval, though the meddling EU should have had no say in the UK decision. Yes, we need more nuclear power for reliable baseload. We also need more gas and coal power plant for meeting the balance of baseload and the variability of demand.

It is high time we stopped the “low carbon” religious mantra, though. Nuclear is the only low-carbon source of reliable and sus-tainable power. Weather-dependent wind turbines and solar photovoltaic panels are not fit for bulk supply purpose, technically, socially or eco-nomically.

Successive governments’ obses-sion with these unrealistic, uncon-trollable, subsidised eyesores taking

Scale of CPI pensions penaltyOne doesn’t hear much of the issue that has most heavily impacted on me, the change in pen-sions indexing from the Retail Prices Index to the Consumer Prices Index. I watched my father’s army pension progressively eroded by inflation. Mine looks to decline even faster.

Our heroes in Westminster have kept to RPI. One thing they are good at is feathering their own nests, from expenses to pay increases. This should be made an election issue.

Public sector workers should know what this change in indexing will cost them.

Members need to know the meaning of compound interest – there is a parallel with annual index-ing. A small change in the index does not appear to amount to much until one considers its cumulative effect over a period of years.

This is the clever part of the Cameron/Osborne change. Assuming normal life expectancy,

the change from RPI to CPI will cost me thousands of pounds. Public sec-tor employees and pensioners need

to understand what this change means for their retirement income.Paul■Shave,■West■Lothian

ViewPoint ■■ Please■note■–■letters■may■be■edited

fax020 7902 6665

star letterreceives a £10 book token

email [email protected]

write to the Editors, Profile, New Prospect House, 8 Leake Street, London SE1 7NN

like us on facebook /Prospectunion

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@prospectunion


ber 2014

28 VIEWPOINT

up thousands of acres of our country-side is the very reason for our being down to such low plant margins now.

Wind and solar PV are also socially unacceptable “job losers”. For all the huge subsidies they receive from the Contracts for Difference and Renewable Obligation Certificate mechanisms and all the land they con-sume, they produce no controllable or sustainable output. They are good for nothing (neither baseload nor demand following).

A steady, reliable coal-fired power station like Drax having to burn “trees” transported from America is quite ridiculous. Please remember that the EU’s decarbonisation agenda and its Large Combustion Plant Directive will cost our members’ jobs and those of our colleagues in other unions, all for a dying and unproven “King Canute” climate change hypothesis.Rod■Eaton,■Wiltshire

An affront to democracyThe EU and the US started negoti-ating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership back in July 2013 and aim to finish early next year.

The main content of this deal would be a legal right for private companies to sue our government for any policy decision that might be seen to reduce their profits.

This would have shattering con-sequences and touch every part of our lives. For one thing, it would sink employment rights to US standards – and half of all US states have the double-talk “Right to Work” laws, which are anti-trade union.

For others? Well, employer contri-butions to pension schemes? “A drain on dividends – goodbye!” Curbs on what chemicals you can discharge? “No thanks!” Objections to building a wind farm there? “Ha ha ha!” And so on.

There is nothing in TTIP to mitigate the negative consequences of any levelling down of standards or failure to regulate.

When some people end up penni-less or paralysed it will, as usual, be tragic – not just for the individuals, but up to the rest of us to bear the cost.

What is perhaps most offensive is the affront to democracy. We should be free to set our laws, environmental and welfare standards on our own

terms and without an omnipresent threat of expensive litigation from anonymous vested interests on the other side of the Atlantic.

So please, whatever your political leanings, I urge you to find out more about TTIP. These things can be chal-lenged and changed. Good sources of information are on the following websites:

● bit.ly/rosa_ttip ● bit.ly/wdm_ttip

Thomas■Dawson,■Leeds

Secrecy of TTIP talks cause for concernI recently attended a talk on the topic of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

There are several aspects of TTIP that may be of concern, especially for trade unions. First, these trade nego-tiations between the US and EU are being done in secret, which just isn’t right on a number of grounds.

For example, these negotiations could affect how people live and work, so it is only right that the public should be a party to them.

Furthermore, if the ideas coming out of these negotiations were things that would benefit the public interest, surely we would expect the negotia-tors to be enthusiastically open about them.

Second, TTIP would seek to harmo-nise regulations across the EU and US which would probably mean America adopting the looser financial regula-tions of the EU and Europe adopting the laxer, business-friendly health and safety regulations of the US.

Third, and perhaps most worrying, a part of TTIP called the Investor/State Dispute Settlement would mean that if any country that signed up to TTIP wanted at a later time to tighten up its regulations, which is of course a duty and a right of any responsible government, then any company affected by this change could sue the government for any income lost as a result of the change.

Effectively this would put a restraint on governments, making them less able to impose sensible rules and limits on gung-ho compa-nies and investors.

You can find more information at www.stopTTIP.net Andrew■Grieve,■York


ber 201429VIEWPOINT

PROSPECT TWEETS and RETWEETS@ProspectUnion

Prospect Union @ProspectUnion Nov 17 Prospect negotiator Andy Bye spoke to @BBCLookEast about cuts to @I_W_M services around the country: vimeo.com/112061447 @Save_IWMLibrary

Prospect Legal @LegalProspect Nov 17 In a new brief for @ProspectUnion members we aim to de-mystify the tribunal process – jargon busting ET terms bit.ly/11vhcTl

SaveIWMLibrary @Save_IWMLibrary Nov 17 Ensure #knowledge #learning & #education remain at heart of @I_W_M - petition supporting #Library &education service: bit.ly/save_IWM

SaveIWMLibrary @Save_IWMLibrary Nov 15 .@I_W_M Library has collected printed material relating to conflict since 1917 but now the collection faces disposal: bit.ly/save_IWM

Prospect Union @ProspectUnion Nov 15 Education cutbacks at @iwmduxford – 50,000 children visit every year. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-30053234. bit.ly/IWM_info

Prospect Union @ProspectUnion Nov 14 Leading authors, academics and experts sign Imperial War Museum campaign petition. @IWMLibrary. www.prospect.org.uk/news/id/2014/November/14/Wide-support-Imperial-War-Museum-campaign

Anthony Simon @anthonysimon Nov 14 Get the facts and debunk those myths about how civil servants should use social media in my blog for @UKCivilService civilservice.blog.gov.uk/2014/11/12/7-social-media-myths/

Prospect YPN @Prospect_YPN Nov 14 @ProspectUnion delegates are heading down to the #BigYouthDebate tomorrow. Looking forward to it! #YWM14 @TUCYoungWorkers

Sue Ferns @FernsSue Nov 13 @ProspectUnion highly commended in @thewisecampaign leadership awards. Congrats to our great reps #WISEAwards2014

Sarah Page @ProspectPage Nov 13 Predicting Civil service #performancemanagement quotas will harm staff & vital services www.prospect.org.uk/advice_and_services/health_and_safety/blog/2265 #forcedranking #falseeconomy

Andrew Reeves-Hall @ReevesHall Nov 12 888,246 ceramic poppies £25ea =£22m Imperial War Museum budget cut forcing WWI library sell-off =£4m @PrivateEyeNews

Prospect Union @ProspectUnion Nov 12 #saveIWM “A world without records is a world without memory”. Fantastic support for Imperial War Museum petition. bit.ly/save_IWM

Women’s Eng. Society @WES1919 Nov 8 Why It’s Crucial to Get More Women Into Science – goo.gl/alerts/Dnnt #GoogleAlerts

Prospect at BL @ProspectBL Nov 5 Heritage needs a pay rise wp.me/p58JWr-T

WORDWISEYou have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters shown in the grid. Each word must contain four or more letters, one of which must be the letter in the central square. No letter can be used more than once in each word. No proper nouns, plurals or foreign words allowed.

NOVEMBER 2014

CROSSWORD ANSWERS – ACROSS: 1 Asphodel 6 Picket 9 Funnel 10 Devotion 11 Management 14 Plus 15 Antitoxin 18 Promotion 21 Poor 22 Periodical 25 Hardship 26 Lizard 27 Hebrew 28 Lorraine.DOWN: 2 Squeak 3 Hangar 4 Delve 5 Lodge 6 Pivot 7 Cotopaxi 8 Eloquent 12 Manatee 13 Nairobi 16 Up-to-date 17 Joyrider 19 Piazza 20 Warren 22 Pshaw 23 Repel 24 Oiler.

WORDWISE SOLUTION: NarrationTHINKS... ? SOLUTIONS: 1 – The Last Emperor. 2 – Half A Sixpence

ACROSS1 Lops head off lily (8)6 Pointed stake at striker (6)9 Most of the money lady said was

found in chimney (6)10 I voted on amendment out of loyalty

(8)11 Governing body to cope with books

about Middle East (10)14 Sign of more to follow (4)15 It neutralises poison when colonist

and I have canned beef (9)18 Publicity for the movement (9)21 Second removed from track that is

not very good (4)22 Occasional magazine (10)25 Had included rebel leader on board

during adversity (8)26 Reptile found in sitting-room?

(6)27 Language of man who has to make

tea (6)28 Lady found in eastern France (8)DOWN2 Give high-pitched cry at the

slimmest of margins (6)

3 Shed that’s no good initially in Scotch mist (6)

4 Model very content during search (5)5 Removed gold energetically at first

from cottage (5)6 To important person on the way up

it’s the turning-point (5)7 Company taking best quality US

tool, I concluded, on mountain (8)8 Characterised by fluency in a

manner of speaking (8)12 Fellow with Peg protecting a large

aquatic mammal (7)13 Stormy rain belt in Kenya (7)16 A top duet performed to the present

time (2-2-4)17 Lady has additional statement on

one driving illegally (8)19 One getting inside pie that’s square

(6)20 Caution against going round about

rabbit colony (6)22 Play quietly before dramatist gives

expression of contempt (5)23 Put off dance round piano (5)24 Ship from the Loire (5)

Crossword Puzzles

ANR

IAR

NOT

THINKS... ?

1 Rearrange the following letter to give the title of a popular movie.

MEREST PLETHORA2 The title of what popular movie is

represented here?

0.5AVIp

WordCount12 average15 brilliant18+ amazing

There is one nine-letter word. Today’s clue:

VERBAL ACCOUNT


ber 2014

30 CROSSWORD • PUZZLES

CLASSIFIED 31Prospect •

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ovember 2014

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