Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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RMT union would says it would consider a deal with Transport for London similar to that struck with Network Rail, which is offering up to £500 for staff working extra shifts A strike-free Olympics on the London Underground would cost around £500 per tube employee, the RMT trade union indicated on Tuesday, as hopes rose that a settlement could be reached to prevent disruption at next year’s games. Britain’s largest rail union has already secured an Olympics deal with Network Rail including payments of up to £500 for staff performing extra shifts. It includes an agreement , described by industry sources as a no-strike deal in all but name, that disputes during the games period will go to the ACAS conciliation service with no industrial action while discussions take place. Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, said on Tuesday that the union would seriously consider a similar offer to its thousands of LU members. “We will be looking for the same if not better on London Underground,” he said. Peter Hendy, head of the mayor’s Transport for London authority, which runs the tube, told the Evening Standard that the Network Rail deal was “sensible”. The Network Rail deal also includes a no-sacking clause during the Olympics and Paralympics next summer. A spokesperson for Transport for London said: “We are continuing our negotiations with all our trade unions towards a multi-year pay and conditions deal that would cover the period of the Olympics.” Speaking at a London Assembly hearing on Tuesday, Crow said LU had agreed to set up an independent panel that would garner suggestions on improving industrial relations on the tube. “It is … some kind of panel where selected people on behalf of London Underground and trade unions can give recommendations on how best industrial relations can improve.” Any deal over the Olympics is likely to be wrapped up in an over-arching pay agreement with the RMT. The union has rejected a five-year pay deal including a 4% pay rise this year followed by increases of inflation + 0.25% for each of the following years. Last week LU raised its offer to a 4.5% pay rise this year. The RMT also wants the re-introduction of a consultative trade union committee at LU and the re-establishment of a transport wages board. Crow added that the RMT and other unions wanted a “dialogue” with the London mayor, Boris Johnson, while acknowledging that the mayor would not engage in negotiations. Crow said the RMT wanted to “have his ear every now and again”. Travel & leisure Trade unions Transport Bob Crow London Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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Libyan’s secret police compounds among sites hit in Nato strikes hours after ICC prosecutor calls for arrest, says UK military Hours after the international criminal court chief prosecutor called for the arrest of Muammar Gaddafi and his closet advisers for mass murder, Britain stepped up its strikes on what military officials described as secret police compounds in Tripoli. The submarine HMS Triumph fired Tomahawk cruise missiles and Tornado jets dropped bombs on a number of targets in Libya’s capital. Tomahawks’ electronic systems can distinguish between different buildings and are therefore suitable against urban targets, according to defence officials. Danish planes also attacked targets in Tripoli in a series of attacks British defence officials made clear were also designed to signal that Nato was determined to extend its range of targets in a military campaign which, after nearly two months, shows little sign of leading to the collapse of the Libyan regime. Major General John Lorimer, chief military spokesman at the Ministry of Defence, said the bombed targets “lay at the heart of the apparatus used by the regime to brutalise the civilian population”. He added: “One of the intelligence facilities which was hit is known to play a significant role in the collection of information by Colonel Gaddafi’s secret police, while the other was a headquarters for the external security organisation, commanded by Abdullah Senussi.” Senussi, the intelligence chief, along with the Libyan leader and his son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, was accused on Monday of crimes against humanity by the ICC chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who called for their arrest for orchestrating a campaign of mass murder. British targets on Monday night included the executive protection force, which Lorimer described as “the bodyguard for the inner circle of the colonel’s regime … entrusted with other sensitive tasks”. He said vehicles at the training base have been identified as having been involved in the violent suppression of public demonstrations in Tripoli on 4 March. The latest Nato strikes came days after General Sir David Richards, Britain’s chief of defence staff, called on member countries to increase their range of targets to include the regime’s infrastructure, command and control centres, and communications networks. The defence secretary, Liam Fox, told the Commons on Monday that Nato bombing strikes would not end until Gaddafi stopped “slaughtering” his own people. There are 23 RAF aircraft and two Royal Navy warships committed to Operation Ellamy, the MoD’s codename for operations in Libya. Muammar Gaddafi Arab and Middle East unrest Libya Middle East Africa Nato Military International criminal court Human rights Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk
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