FBU General Secretary calls for commitment to workers rights

by Featured NewsFire Brigades UnionPeople

The newly elected Fire Brigades Union General Secretary, Steve Wright has warned Rachel Reeves against `invoking Margaret Thatcher‘, calling for the government to deliver manifesto commitments to workers’ rights in full.

The FBU welcomes the Chancellor’s assurance that there will be no scaling back of the Labour government’s employment rights legislation.

General Secretary, Fire Brigades Union, Steve Wright’s statement

Steve Wright said: “It was concerning to see the Prime Minister use a media intervention about the government’s growth plans to invoke the policies of the Thatcher government.

“The FBU was at the forefront of the fight back against Thatcher’s attacks on workers’ rights and jobs, all of which were continued by successive Tory governments up until and including that led by Rishi Sunak.

“The FBU believe that the Labour government’s Employment Rights Bill is critical to growing the economy, as a properly paid workforce that is better protected against unfair dismissal and has more secure employment is essential to delivering greater growth.

“With the Bill due to pass through parliament in a matter of weeks, the government must ensure the legislation on workers’ rights is in place much faster than the planned timeframe of autumn 2026.

“The ban on exploitative zero-hour contacts and additional protection against unfair dismissal must come into force by this summer at the very latest.

“However, the full delivery of the Labour manifesto commitment on workers’ rights must be reflected in substantial pay rises for firefighters and all other workers.

“The statutory living wage must also be increased to well over £15 per hour by the time the employment rights bill becomes law.

“The Labour government will only achieve its ambitious growth plans if it acts swiftly to place more money in the pockets of workers in secure jobs.”

FBU’s General Secretary has warned government against Thatcher behaviour: Summary

Newly elected Fire Brigades Union General Secretary, Steve Wright has stated that the FBU believe the Labour government’s Employment Rights Bill is critical to growing the economy.

Dräger reaffirms commitment to Aberdeen operations

by Projects
Dräger (or Draeger) Marine and Offshore, a division of The Dräger Group, has confirmed a new phase of investment in its Aberdeen office.

The latest phase of investment will focus on significantly expanding the company’s rental fleet of offshore safety equipment, which includes its fire and rescue apparatus. The company’s safety products are employed by many operators in the North Sea, and its Aberdeen base is home to the UK’s largest direct to customer rental fleet of Dräger equipment with over 1600 items.

The company has also announced the appointment of David Donaldson to head up its Marine and Offshore UK office, based in Aberdeen. Twenty five staff are based at the Aberdeen office, which in addition to its rental fleet, is also home to an international offshore safety training academy and state of the art service workshop. Dräger is the only safety manufacturer with a base in Aberdeen, and the firm also has premises at Grangemouth.

Donaldson, who brings to the company over 30 years’ experience working in the offshore, oil and gas industries, said: “Dräger has had a presence in Aberdeen for almost ten years, and the company has weathered many challenges through this time. The ongoing investment in Aberdeen reaffirms our commitment to the local business community, as well as our staff, who have been working hard to maintain our customers’ critical safety operations throughout lockdown.”

As well as continuing to service offshore equipment such as rigs throughout lockdown, Dräger staff have also adapted safety training courses to be delivered online to enable its customers to continue operationally-critical work during the pandemic.

The adoption of new technology has resulted in Dräger Marine and Offshore winning a new contract to install the largest wireless gas detection system ever employed by a North Sea operator. Work will commence on the project, which includes the installation of over 120 wireless gas detectors, in September, and will be fully operational by November.

Donaldson concluded: “Despite the great challenges that face the oil and gas industry as a result of Covid-19, there is growing optimism for the future, particularly amongst medium-sized organisations that are large and robust enough to weather the storm, but small and nimble enough to respond to new and emerging opportunities that the current crisis is presenting. We see real opportunity in this area of the market, and look forward to playing our part in supporting future growth here as business starts to resume.”

www.draeger.com/