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Nearly 700,000 On Zero-Hours Contracts

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Februari 2015 | 23.15

Nearly 700,000 are people are now on zero-hours contracts, new figures show.

Figures for the last three months of 2014, showed 697,000 people said they were employed on the controversial contracts in their main job - an increase of 111,000 from the same period in the previous year.

The number of zero-hours contract has risen from 1.4m to 1.8m.

The report from the Office for National Statistics found that a third of people on zero-hours contracts, which the unions claim are worth £300 a week less than permanent contracts, want more hours.

Under the contracts, which are more likely to affect women, young and immigrant workers, employees are basically on call with the employer offering no set hours.

Their increasing use in the wake of the recession has become a significant political issue, with Labour saying it would scrap them if it comes to power in May's election.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Zero-hours contracts are valued by many employers and individuals who want flexibility in the hours they work, such as students, people with caring responsibilities and those who want to partially retire.

"However, historically there has also been some abuse in these types of contracts. That is why I am taking legislation through Parliament at the moment to ban exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts which prevent people looking for additional work to boost their income. We want to make sure that people who are on zero-hours contracts get a fair deal."

He suggested the reason for the increase in figures was that more people were becoming aware of the concept of the zero-hours clause.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said: "Ministers have watered down every person's rights at work and zero-hours contracts have gone from being a niche concept to becoming the norm in parts of our economy."

Conor D'Arcy, policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: "The continued growth of zero-hours contracts during the recovery suggests that they are more than just a recession-related phenomenon. While many employers may have started to use zero-hours contracts during the downturn, it looks like most are sticking with them."


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FIFA: No Compensation For Winter World Cup

Football's world governing body FIFA has announced that clubs will not receive any compensation if the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is held in winter.

The organisation's secretary general Jerome Valcke was speaking a day after a FIFA task force recommended a November/December tournament.

He told reporters no payments would be made as a result of clubs losing players and playing schedules being disrupted.

"There will be no compensation. I mean, they have seven years to reorganise football around the world for this World Cup," he said.

"It's not perfect, we know that, but why are we talking about compensation? It's happening once, we're not destroying football.

"Why should we apologise to the clubs? We have had an agreement with the clubs that they are part of the beneficiaries. It was $40m (£25.8m) in 2010 and $70m (£45m) in 2014."

FIFA wants to move the 2022 World Cup because of the scorching summer temperatures in Qatar.

Its task force has suggested holding it in November and December as the temperatures then will be around 25C.

The proposed new dates for the event are set to be ratified by FIFA's executive committee next month.

To minimise the disruption, Mr Valcke said the tournament could be reduced from 32 to 28 days, meaning more games will be played per day.

"We are talking about a reduction of the competition in terms of the number of competition days. We are talking about 28 days and not anymore 32 days," he said after meeting Qatar's 2022 organising committee.

"It is a very special World Cup to organise because we would describe Qatar 2022 as a compact World Cup," he added. "Normally we are looking at 10 (stadiums) but it could be eight."


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No Charges For Glasgow Bin Lorry Tragedy Driver

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

The driver of a bin lorry that crashed in Glasgow, killing six people, will not face any charges, Sky News has learned.

A decision has also been made not to charge Glasgow City Council, which owned the vehicle involved in the tragedy, although a Fatal Accident Inquiry will be held.

Scotland's prosecuting body, the Crown Office, has been studying a police report into the tragedy which occurred on 22 December.

The incident saw the vehicle career out of control down one of Glasgow's busiest streets and collide with pedestrians.

Six people lost their lives and a number of others were injured. Those who died included three members of the same family, 18 year-old Erin McQuade and her grandparents Jack and Lorraine Sweeney.

Stephanie Tait, a 29-year-old primary school teacher, from Riddrie, Glasgow, Gillian Ewing, 52, from Edinburgh, and Jacqueline Morton, 51, from Glasgow, were also killed.

In Scotland, a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) is held when there is deemed to be sufficient public interest in establishing the facts surrounding a death.

It is held before a Sheriff who, ultimately, issues a determination. Witnesses are compelled to attend.

It is possible for charges to be laid on the basis of evidence given during an FAI.

Inquiries will look at all the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, which happened when the bin lorry driver, 58-year-old Harry Clarke, collapsed at the steering wheel.

The vehicle headed erratically along Glasgow's Queen Street at a speed of just over 20mph.

Two crew members in the rear of the driver's cab made desperate attempts to rouse him but were hampered by a safety rail separating the front and back of the cab.

Following the crash, Mr Clarke tested negative for drink-driving.


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Red Arrows Reveal Historic Tail Fin Redesign

By Emma Birchley, Sky News Correspondent

The Red Arrows aerobatic team has revealed the first livery change in its history, after unveiling a newly redesigned tail fin.

Sky News was given exclusive access to film the team's nine pilots at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire as they headed into the skies with their new-look Hawk T1s, featuring elements from the Union Flag.

It replaces a one-off tailfin design brought in for 2014 to mark the Red Arrows' 50th display year.

Squadron Leader David Montenegro, known as Red 1, said: "This year we have put a new tailfin on which really signifies the next 50 years of the team, continuing to represent all of the RAF personnel that protect and defend the United Kingdom."

As the new team leader, it is his job to choreograph the display that will be performed around 80 times between May and September.

"It is a huge task but we do it by a building-block approach.

"Really for me it's visualising how I want the display to be for 2015, putting it on paper and the great bit about doing the job is taking it off the paper and putting it in the air over a five-to-six-month process."

The Red Arrows fly as many as five training sorties a day to get the display absolutely precise and every flight ends with a thorough debrief.

There may only be nine pilots but the whole team, including engineers and essential support staff, totals 120.

Squadron leader Mike Ling is taking questions from Sky News viewers on his job.

Corporal Drew Paxton is one of the so-called circus engineers, selected to travel to displays in the seat directly behind the pilot and carry out vital last-minute checks.

"It's a massive privilege and huge honour to be picked to be a circus engineer as not many people in the Air Force get to do it," he said.

"There are about 80 or 90 engineers ... and if we didn't have them, they are the lifeblood of the squadron, and this squadron simply would not work."

Everything must be checked meticulously, including the potentially life-saving kit worn by the pilots - such as their "anti-G trousers".

Flight Lieutenant Tom Bould, who flies as Red 5, said. "The G-trousers ... once I start pulling G ... will start to inflate.

"When they inflate, my muscles have to tense against them and when they tense against it the blood doesn't pool in my legs.

"It will stay in my torso and that will make it easier to keep the blood pumping to my head because I now have a supply to it from my torso."

But the danger always remains, as was shown in 2011 when flight lieutenants Jon Egging and Sean Cunningham died in separate incidents.

So far, two of the nine planes have received their new tailfin design. The rest will be completed by mid-to-late March, when the Red Arrows head overseas for their spring training.


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SUBC: Speaker Takes Some Blame For Rowdy PMQs

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

The Speaker of the House of Commons has admitted he is partly responsible for the bad behaviour at Prime Minister's Questions.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News Stand Up Be Counted members, John Bercow MP said: "Do I accept some share of the responsibility for putting it right? I do."

He also gave his views on the "cash for access" scandal telling MPs Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw they will "cop it" if it is proven they have broken the rules over claims they offered to trade their influence in return for money.

Four young people challenged the Speaker on how he runs Parliament as part of Sky News' campaign to give a voice to 18-24 year olds.

Chris Robertson, 24, from Lincoln, said he finds MPs' conduct at PMQs "horrible".

He said: "I'm a student union president and if I acted like that around my members I'd have been sacked by now.

"You've been speaking out for six years. Do you not think it should've been curtailed by now? Does it mean that you have failed in your job as leader of the house and Speaker?"

Mr Bercow replied: "Do I accept that the unreformed Prime Minister's Questions is a problem? I do. Do I accept some share of responsibility for putting it right? I do.

"Would I accept that it's all down to the Speaker? No I wouldn't. What I can't do, what no Speaker can do is make people behave decently if they don't want to behave decently.

"Members have got to take responsibility for their own conduct in the chamber.

"And I think my point would be to ask members who shout regularly - would you be content for your constituents to see and hear you if you if you were caught on camera?

"And if the answer is they would be content, there is something wrong, and if the answer is that they wouldn't be content then they should change the way they behave."

The Stand Up Be Counted contributors were given rare access to the Speaker in the Palace of Westminster as part of attempts to engage young people in politics.

Less than half of 18-24 year olds voted at the last election, with young women the least likely to vote by some margin.

Eighteen-year-old Ellie James, from Grimsby, challenged the Speaker about the lack of female MPs.

He criticised the main parties for not doing enough, saying: "I think the parties talked the talk and have made some progress but I don't think they anything like as effectively walked the walk, so I would look to the parties to do more there."

He also revealed that he seeks to make sure women are called to speak in the Chamber, adding: "I don't like calling lots of men in a row. I always have in mind what female colleagues I have called today. And if I may say so, and this isn't meant in a patronising sense at all, but the simple fact is women on the whole are better behaved in parliament than the men.

"They're just as tough, they're just as capable, they can withstand parliamentary life just as much as men can. They don't sit there like shrinking violets but on the whole they're better behaved and don't shout as much as men do."

Jaspreet Kaur, 18, from Birmingham, told Mr Bercow that when she looks at Parliament, all she sees is "grandeur and confusion" and that it can be difficult to understand.

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  1. Gallery: Stand Up Be Counted Poll Results

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    Labour Candidate Steps Down After 72 Hours

    By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

    The Labour candidate selected to fight Respect's George Galloway in Bradford West has stepped down just 72 hours after she was selected.

    Amina Ali, who had been a councillor from Tower Hamlets in London, tweeted: "I would like to stop the rumour mill, I have stepped down".

    She later deleted the message but has now confirmed the move, saying it would have been too disruptive for her family.

    Ms Ali said it had been an "honour and privilege" to be selected to fight for "the party I love" but she added: "I am a mother of two children and despite my efforts to make arrangements to bring them to Bradford for the next 70 days, particularly as one of them is doing her GCSEs, this would have caused massive disruption at a critical time. I would not be able to do justice to the members of Bradford West CLP and the people of Bradford."

    The statement suggests she failed to think through the implications of going for the selection, with one local councillor claiming she had a look of "shock and horror on her face" when she realised she had won the candidacy.

    But rumours circulating online suggest there could be another reason for the decision, with some suggesting that she clashed with local Labour figures.

    Mr Galloway said: "New Labour in Bradford is in shambles. Well, no change there. This is playing like an out-take from The Thick Of It. Omnishambles doesn't begin to do it justice.

    "She resigned in a tweet on Tuesday night and then took it down, presumably after the party bigwigs started trying to woo her back.

    "And on Wednesday she says it's all about her kids. Perhaps she looked at Bradford schools' results and decided she couldn't do that to them? Didn't she think it through before she put her name forward?

    "Of course she did and no-one's going to be taken it by that. Not even Malcolm Tucker could spin it successfully. The real reason is the war inside Bradford West Labour Party and she's retreated from it, badly wounded."

    Guido Fawkes, the online commentator, claimed that the local party had been in uproar about a London candidate being parachuted in.

    He suggested the selection had been part of a deal with Mr Galloway to go easy on him in Bradford in return for him not running to be Mayor of London, and in doing so eating into Labour's vote.

    A party spokesman said he would not comment on the suggestion.


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    Claudia Lawrence: Father Hits Out At Liars

    The father of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has said it is "dreadful" that people may have been lying to police investigating her disappearance almost six years ago.

    Officers have been carrying out a detailed search of an alleyway at the rear of Miss Lawrence's terraced home in York, and Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, who is leading the inquiry, has said he was sure people have lied to his officers.

    Peter Lawrence commented: "I heard that and it's obviously absolutely dreadful that anyone would do that.

    "We know that people lie to the police but in a case like this that involves Claudia's disappearance and everyone can see what it's done to the family... come on."

    Miss Lawrence was 35 when she went missing and her family are preparing to mark what would have been her 41st birthday on Friday.

    She was last seen on Wednesday 18 March 2009 and was reported missing by her father two days later after she failed to turn up for work at York University.

    North Yorkshire Police began reviewing the case in 2013 and have since carried out a number of searches, including a detailed re-examination of Miss Lawrence's house in the Heworth area of the city.

    On Wednesday the alley behind the house was cordoned off as specialist officers conducted a fingertip search. An officer with a dog was also involved in the operation.

    Mr Malyn, who is head of the force's major crime unit, said: "We still don't know if Claudia left for work on the morning of Thursday March 19 or whether something happened overnight within her house.

    "If the latter is the case, the person or persons responsible, in my view, would have used the rear alleyway as the front door leads on to a busy main road. This is why this specific piece of information needs to be fully investigated."

    Officers have also been conducting house-to-house inquiries in the area and speaking to people who have since moved away, as well as checking all possible CCTV image have been obtained.

    Last year a 60-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of killing Miss Lawrence but was later released without charge.

    A 47-year-old man remains on bail on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.


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    Cameron And Miliband Clash Over Second Jobs

    Ed Miliband has attempted to put pressure on David Cameron to ban MPs from second jobs, offering a deal on paid trade union officials.

    The Labour leader called on the Prime Minister to "restore the reputation of the House" following the cash-for-access revelations about Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw during angry exchanges at Prime Minister's Questions.

    Mr Miliband has forced a vote on his proposals banning MPs holding outside directorships and consultancies in the House of Commons later today.

    Mr Cameron defended the right of MPs to do second jobs in addition to their £67,000-a-year MP role saying it was good to have politicians with other interests.

    He criticised Mr Miliband's proposals saying they would allow paid trade union officials to be MPs but not those running a family business.

    However, Mr Miliband offered to make a deal to include paid trade union officials, although there are currently no MPs in this situation.

    The Labour leader said: "But what is in the motion today is something very specific which is being a paid director or a paid consultant. I have said from this Despatch Box we will also ban people being a paid trade union official, the offer you made to me, I repeat the offer to you.

    "Let's get it done, let's agree this to restore the reputation of this House.

    "Yes or no?"

    Mr Cameron pointed out that it was possible to have two jobs but added he spent more time on his duties as PM than on work linked to his seat in Witney, Oxfordshire.

    He said: "We have practising doctors in this House, we have practising dentists, we have people who take part serving our country in Afghanistan or Iraq and we do have people who run family businesses or have other interests.

    "What you want is a Parliament where people can come and share their experience and make some points instead of just having a whole lot of trade union-sponsored ciphers."

    Mr Miliband highlighted comments made by Mr Cameron in 2009 when he said in an interview: "Double-jobbing MPs won't get a look-in when I'm in charge."

    The row over second jobs comes on a day when figures from the Office for National Statistics show an increasing number of people were having to juggle zero-hours contracts to make ends meet.

    Speaker John Bercow had to call for calm a number of times including to allow the Labour MP Rushanara Ali to ask a question about the three schoolgirls who fled the UK for Syria.

    Mr Bercow told Sky News earlier that he took some of the blame for the bad behaviour at Prime Minister's Questions.

    There has been increasing criticism of the format of "Punch and Judy" politics and calls for the sessions to be reformed.


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    HSBC Boss Gets Grilled By MPs Over Tax

    The boss of HSBC has apologised in person to MPs over the past behaviour of his bank and thousands of secret Swiss bank accounts it held for clients.

    Stuart Gulliver told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that revelations about thousands of secret accounts held in Switzerland has caused "damage to trust and confidence".

    He said: "I am apologising as CEO. I am responsible for cleaning it up."

    Committee chair Andrew Tyrie MP asked Mr Gulliver why he found it necessary to shield his income through a shelf company located in Panama, while he was actually domiciled in Hong Kong.

    Mr Gulliver stressed it was not for "tax purposes", instead saying it was because he did not trust other members of staff at the bank.

    "It was purely about privacy. Privacy from colleagues in Hong Kong and privacy from colleagues in Switzerland," Mr Gulliver, whose has worked for the bank for 35 years, said.

    "That was because my pay was not a matter for public record."

    He said the HSBC computer system at the time allowed staff to snoop on each other to find out how much they were paid.

    Mr Gulliver admitted he was one of the best remunerated members of staff in Hong Kong.

    He said: "The computer system showed everyone's pay and I was amongst the highest paid and I wished to preserve my privacy."

    Protesters outside the House of Commons chanted anti-HSBC slogans, as public anger continues to rise over the secret accounts promoted by the bank's private arm in Geneva.

    Swiss investigators raided the offices of the bank last week after reports said it turned a blind eye to handling funds for arms dealers and traders in conflict diamonds.

    That announcement came just over a week after HSBC Switzerland found itself at the centre of a global scandal following the publication of secret documents.

    The cache of files, made public in a French newspaper, claimed HSBC's Swiss private banking arm helped clients in more than 200 countries evade taxes on accounts containing £77bn ($119bn).

    The files, which include the details of 30,000 accounts and the names of celebrities, were originally stolen by former HSBC IT worker Herve Falciani in 2007.

    A number of regulators have launched investigations into the HSBC tax scandal.

    In 2012 the bank agreed to pay fines and settlements of £1.2bn over an unconnected matter.

    That followed a US investigation of Europe's largest bank which focused on the transfer of funds on behalf of nations such as Iran and the movement of $7bn (£4.5bn) in cash into the US financial system, suspected to have belonged to Mexican drug cartels.

    At the time Mr Gulliver apologised for the actions of his bank, which dated back to 2007 and 2008.

    He said: "We have said we are profoundly sorry for them, and we do so again.

    "The HSBC of today is a fundamentally different organisation from the one that made those mistakes."


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    Police Release Pics After Fans' Racist Chants

    Police have released photographs of seven men they wish to identify following alleged racist chanting at London's St Pancras International station last week.

    British Transport Police (BTP) say the images were captured at 8pm last Wednesday, the day after Chelsea's Champions league match in Paris.

    Sky News understands two of the men who feature in the images have identified themselves to police.

    Officers believe the group had returned to London following the match against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

    A member of the public reported being "disgusted" by the men's chanting and reported their behaviour to police.

    Detective Sergeant Steven Graysmark said: "I want anyone who knows the men in the photographs to come forward.

    "I believe the seven, thought to be Chelsea fans, can help us with the investigation.

    "Do you know any of the men in the images? If so, please contact BTP."

    A similar incident was reported on the Paris Metro shortly before the Chelsea match on 17 February.

    On Friday the club suspended five people after video emerged of a commuter being pushed on the Paris Metro.

    The commuter, Sylla Souleymane, appeared to be stopped from getting on an underground train by fans.

    The fans were also heard in the video chanting "we're racist and that's the way we like it".

    The club said the fans had been suspended from its Stamford Bridge ground and that they would be banned for life if there was "sufficient evidence of their involvement".

    Mr Souleymane said last week that he thinks those who abused him in Paris should be jailed for their actions.

    The 33-year-old told Le Parisien newspaper: "These people, these English fans, must be found, punished and must be locked up.

    "What happened should not go unpunished."

    He said he thought Chelsea and PSG should face sanctions because it was "also their fault".

    :: Anyone with information can contact British Transport Police on 0800 405040. Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.


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