Civil Service Strike against privitisation and job loses

Assembly closing for the day as civil servants strikeic Wales - Cardiff,UKThe PCS claims that Wales stands to lose more than 10000 jobs by 2011, equivalent to one-in- three Civil Service jobs. Jeff Evans, PCS Senior National ...
Join your local PCS rally

Ruth Kelly should resign!

See this site to sign up to a petition to ask Ruth Kelly to resign, on the
grounds that she shouldn't be minister for equality with her known
homophobic views -

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/kellyweu/

Are we all middle class now?

Are we all middle class now, or is the whole system a part of history?
ic Wales - Cardiff,UK
Heavy industries like steel and coalmining have been in decline in Wales, as elsewhere, for decades with numbers in these traditional working-class roles ...
There is still hierarchy which is as oppressive as class differences but is almost invisible. In fact it is bad for your health. Despite the 'equality' agenda those who are not 'senior management' are more put upon than ever before with the rise of athoritarism. Over control and a fear of democracy, letting people have a say. We are consulted but we are told what is best for us at work, at the doctors surgery, the local shop! How many notices does your doctors surgery have on the wall for you to read. From control your children to -are you really that ill perhaps you have just got a cold and you can see our nurse next week if you are lucky. Are you over 18, over 25 or just to depressed to buy a bottle of whiskey. All these noticves would drive you to drink.

Public Services not Profit Campaign Cardiff Meeting

Reminder that there will be a public meeting organised by the 'Public Services, Not Private Profit' Campaign TOMORROW - Wednesday,24th January - at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Cardiff, starting at 6.00 p.m. Unfortunately, John McDonnell MP is no longer able to be present, but the remaining speakers will include Chris Baugh (PCS Asst. Gen Sec),Leanne Wood AM, Tony Kearns (CWU Deputy Gen Sec) and Steve Davies from Cardiff University.

St Athans fat cats Fees Bonanza

Herbies enlisted for £16bn military training PFI
Legal Week, UK - Herbert Smith is in line for a fees windfall after scoring a major role advising on one of the UK¹s biggest private finance schemes to date. ...Number of training bases to go from 30 to 10
Simmons wins MoD role against all odds The Lawyer, UK - Simmons & Simmons has managed to retain its leading role on one of the Ministry of Defence’s biggest ever outsourcing deals, despite being booted off the off the panel last year.

Why was that then?
See also www.publicnotprivate.org.uk

Civil Service threathens strike over privitisation of training

Civil Service threatens strike over privatisation of training in ...
PersonnelToday.com - UK
The threat of a strike across the Civil Service has grown with the announcement that the Metrix consortium will take on training for the Armed Forces next ...

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• MoD staff strike over plans to privatise training

PCS recact furiously to decison to award St Athans contract to the private sector

The PCS union, which represents worker at the MoD reacted furiously to the decision to award the contract to the private sector.

It said the plans would result in a 'brain drain' that jeopardised future defence capability and see 2,000 staff transferred 'into a compulsory redundancy situation'.

The union raised doubts about the number of new jobs that would actually be created by Metrix at a new 'super training' site in St Athan in Wales with existing staff transferring there from around the country.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said the only winners in the deal 'are the shareholders of the Metrix consortium'.

'The total refusal to allow an in-house bid underlines the increasingly dogmatic approach the government is taking to privatisation. Whilst the plans may appear to be good news for Wales, there are serious doubts about the number of new jobs these plans, which are reliant on forcing staff to up root and move to keep their job, will actually produce,' he said.

'Today's massive privatisation will further anger dedicated staff already facing job losses and below inflation pay, making a yes vote for national industrial action across the civil service increasingly likely.'
'We are determined to avoid compulsory redundancies and relocations and will be ensuring that the MoD and Cabinet Office work with us to achieve

Qinetiq defence contract win sparks political row UPDATE

Defence Secretary Des Browne confirmed the decision to give the deal to the Metrix consortium, sparking allegations from industry rivals that it was ...

Defence Training Review
Metrix consortium awarded Preferred Bidder status under Defence Training Review. The Metrix consortium has been awarded Preferred Bidder status for both ...

Only 1500 new jobs tops not the 5000 promised

Government invests £16bn in defence training academy
PersonnelToday.com - UK
The first of two packages won by the Metrix Consortium will see training for 6500 personnel transferred to the two sites over five years from 2008. ...
It seems that the numbers of new jobs promised at the biggest PFI ever has been greatly exaggerated.. Not 5,000.. not 4,000...not evan 3,000 or 2,000 maybe 1500?

And of course the number of folk to build. how many of these jobs will go to local people? How many will be low paid menial jobs?

Hundreds of jobs to go .Garrison camp to close

Garrison camp to close
Reading Evening Post - Reading,England,UK
... Wednesday this week as part of a phase one DTR announcement, revealing Metrix Consortium had won a £14 billion contract to provide training for the MoD. ...
How MOD and the government mess folk about.. divide and rule!!
Hundreds of jobs to go as defence training moves
Daily Echo - Southampton,Hampshire,UK
In awarding the 25-year £16 billion public private partnership to the Metrix consortium, the government dealt a further blow to Hampshire by rejecting a ...

Sad day for St Athans

Remember there was treasury concerns over a potential conflict of interest. The Government partly owns the defence firm Qinetiq Group plc, which is a lead member of the Metrix consortium bidding to build the academy at St Athan.

Qinetiq is the former Government defence research agency which was privatised earlier this year. It has been tipped to defeat a bid from a rival group involving BAE Systems plc. The Government has a 20 per cent stake in Qinetiq.

Do the local people know what is in store for them? So do the residents of Cardiff welcome thousands of mercenaries to their city centre to drink and join in the nightly drunken melee! I think the local politicians calling for this have kept quiet about the reality of what is in store for the local people. I predict that this place will be a focus for protest and disent.

Send a post card to Tony Blair- Stop climate in justice

St Athans school of death

MPs 'confident' on St Athan jobsBBC News - UKThe Ministry of Defence is expected to reveal on Wednesday whether the Metrix consortium based at RAF St Athan has won the contracts, worth up to £14bn. ...Worth 14bn to whom?

Metrix consortium huge training base

Land Securities Group PLC| Share Price| LAND| LAND.L| GB0031809436 ...
Metrix's consortium would create a huge training base in Wales, whereas its rivals would build training facilities in England. ...

Two Petitions to Start the Year Off!

Urge the Prime Minister to champion the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, by not replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system. Click here
Petition the Prime Minister to scrap the proposed introduction of ID cards. Click here
James MaidenWelsh International Sector Network CoordinatorOn behalf of Cynefin y Werin

Transport Security

Why do these people have conferences about security and every single speaker is a man!

St Athans Secret PFI Military Base

Express & Star Midlands Life: West Midlands features, people and ...St Athan is the preferred choice for the MeTRIX consortium including Qinetiq and Nord-anglia. But the clear message from the locals near St Athan is to take ...
The trees are bent double on the gentle slopes rising from the Severn Estuary to the plain of St Athan, testimony to the gales that sweep these cold, grey shores.
Today, a new wind is stirring this part of South Wales. It is the wind of change, promising to blow in £3,000 million and more than 1,200 jobs.
...............Down at St Athan this week, we found not a single local politician, shopkeeper, estate agent or shopper who had even heard of the new project – and that includes people with relatives working on the base.
See also previous posts and Academy conflict of interest denial

WHAT ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT? WHY?

Edge magazine asks What are you optimistic about?
'As an activity, as a state of mind, science is fundamentally optimistic. Science figures out how things work and thus can make them work better. Much of the news is either good news or news that can be made good, thanks to ever deepening knowledge and ever more efficient and powerful tools and techniques. Science, on its frontiers, poses more and ever better questions, ever better put. '