GMB welcomes APPG report demanding gig economy companies cough up tax

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GMB Union has welcomed an All Party Parliamentary Group report exposing how gig economy employers currently avoid paying their fair share of tax.

The APPG demands the government rigorously enforces the law to prevent bogus self-employment, takes international action to tax gig economy earnings in the UK and demands HMRC imposes the law across all companies regardless of how big they are.GMB is at the forefront of a long running battle against bogus self employment in the so called gig economy.GMB has won workers' rights cases against against Uber, Addison Lee and - most recently - Hermes.

GMB has also announced legal action against three Amazon delivery companies over workers status on the charge of bogus self employment.Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary, said:“This report shows that not only is insecure work bad for workers, it’s daylight robbery of our tax system - companies like Uber are responsible for hundreds of millions of lost taxes that could be spent on hospitals, schools, roads, our care system, local government.“GMB has been taking the fight to exploitative gig economy employers in the workplace and in the courts, and we’re winning. “Questions have to be asked about why HMRC is not pursuing missing taxes with the same vigour, while the rest of us are told austerity has to continue.”

July 02, 2018 at 05:13PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

4* Tuscany escape in August from £173pp: 4-7nt stay - incl. flights, breakfast & rooftop pool

Mateys, we've spotted some great rates on peak summer season holidays in one of our favourite destinations; Tuscany. This August escape to one of Italy's most popular spa towns -- Montecatini -- is available from a number of UK airports and starts from just £173 per person, based on 2 sharing. It includes flights, 4… Niamh_UK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Silent Electric motor blamed after skateboarder left fighting for his life following collision with Toyota Prius minicab in Mayfair London

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A skateboarder was left fighting for his life after failing to hear the electric motor of a hybrid Toyota Prius approaching.

Theo Fallstrom, 24, was left in a critical condition after suffering a brain haemorrhage during the collision. He also suffered a broken shoulder and damage to his ear.

Theo was only saved by the quick response of London's air ambulance team who arrived at the scene in Mayfair within minutes.

Medics Dr David Cooper and paramedic Rob Twitchen put Mr Fallstrom in an induced coma to protect his brain and he was taken to the major trauma centre at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington.

Mr Fallstrom has now praised the amazing efforts and response from London's Air Ambulance service. Without their quick medical attention Theo would of most certainly of died from his injuries.

The collision took place on Albemarle Street, Mayfair at around midnight last August as Theo was heading home. He said he was unable to hear the approach of the Prius minicab because of it's quiet electric motor.

The driver of the minicab, who was on his way to pick up a fare, said he did not see Mr Fallstrom who slammed head first into his windscreen. The collision was declared a non-fault accident, but concerns have no been raised about the safety of such vehicle's which have almost silent motors.

July 02, 2018 at 04:29PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Skateboader Left Critical after Failing To Hear Approaching Electric Uber Prius

A skateboarder was left critically injured in a road crash after failing to hear an approaching electric minicab. 

Theo Fallstrom, 24, suffered a brain haemorrhage, broken left shoulder and damaged right ear in the collision with the hybrid Toyota Prius in Mayfair. But he was saved by medics from London Ambulance Service and London Air Ambulance who arrived in minutes.

Today his mother called air ambulance medics “the SAS of first responders”.

Mr Fallstrom had been skating home at around midnight in Albemarle Street and had been unable to hear the car, powered by its quiet electric motor.

LAS was on the scene in three minutes, followed by an air ambulance fast- response car four minutes later. Its medics Dr David Cooper and paramedic Rob Twitchen put Mr Fallstrom in an induced coma to protect his brain and he was taken to the major trauma centre at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington.

He spent about three weeks in a coma and more than a month of rehabilitation at Wellington Hospital, St John’s Wood, where he had to relearn to talk and walk. His mother Leonie, from Holland Park, told his story at London Air Ambulance summer gala last week.

After the accident on August 20 last year, Mr Fallstrom was bleeding from his ear, flailing around and punching out due to the brain damage. Ms Fallstrom said: “He didn’t hear the electric Prius. The driver on his way to collect a fare didn’t see him.” Describing the effect on the windscreen of him slamming into it she added: “Theo hit with such force he scored a bullseye.

“He needed to be put in a coma, and fast. [The medics] called for silence and performed the complex task. London’s Air Ambulance are the SAS of first responders. These absolutely incredible people and their speed and expertise.”

Theo, a chef at Daylesford organic shop in Marylebone, cannot remember the accident. It was regarded as a “no fault collision”. Theo said: “I feel put back together. If it wasn’t for their speed and skill I wouldn’t be here or quite possibly not able to speak or walk.” It costs £8 million a year to keep LAA’s two helicopters and fleet of fast cars in operation and most is raised from donations. 

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Last minute Gran Canaria getaway from £182pp - 7nts hotel, flights, bags & transfers (2-3 share)

Pirates, there is still time to grab a bargain holiday this July, check out this Gran Canaria getaway we have found at this great price. The holiday is cheapest based on 3 sharing and it is still an awesome price at £220 per person for a couple sharing. Holiday details Travel duration: 7 nights Example… Lola POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Rhodes 5* All Inclusive family from £334pp - incl. flights & hotel

Arrr pirates! Rhodes is one of our favourite Greek islands and for this holiday you will be staying at the 5* Mitsis Rodos Maris Resort & Spa, situated right by the beachfront in Kiotari, with all inclusive included in your stay. Holiday details Travel duration: 7 nights (longer or shorter stays possible) Example date: 19th… Cee POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Flights to lovely Luxembourg from only £19 return (summer dates)

Pirates, we have come across these really cheap flights that depart from London for under £20 return - wow! The flights are in August when the weather should be great and there are great rates in September too. Flight details Direct flights to Luxembourg Departures from London Stansted Example date: 16th - 18th August Dates… Lola POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Spring break in Majorca: 4nts B&B in 4* spa resort from £193pp incl. flights

Escape the inevitable grey skies of the UK spring time and instead jet off to the Balearics to enjoy some early season sun at this stunning 4* spa resort on the island of Majorca. The PortBlue Club Pollentia doesn't only offer a number of great facilities surrounded by palm trees, but there are also stunning… GemUK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

It's All Been A Game Of Connection. After Our Dunkirk Moment, We Fight Them On The Streets.

Remember the Leytonstone Uber driver slasher attack?

Turned out he'd been sectioned under the mental Health act, had been on medication for mental health problems....but TfL gave him a private hire license to driver for Uber. After initial reports of the attack, subsequent news has been removed from Peres and TV news channels!

Then the story broke in the press, about Uber drivers buying fake medical pass certificates online.

Reports of an illegal immigrant Uber driver with fake documents, who ran down 11 pedestrians outside the Natural History Museum...sanitised from national media other than the headline "It wasn't a terror related attack"!!!

Then last week, after admitting in court they processed 2 million illegal jobs a week for almost 6 years (that's approx 624,000,000 jobs in total)...after the hacking of customer accounts, after using GreyBall to avoid detection from regulatory agencies, after the biggest data lost in history and after admitting they failed to pass on customer complaints of driver sexual assaults to the Police...Uber are given new 15 month licence by a judge with links to David Cameron's chumocracy!!! 

Now we're informed that an Uber driver terrorist, who wanted to be a martyr, attacks police outside Buckingham palace with Samurai sword, shouting "Allahu Akba...shoot me"......and after 19 hours of deliberation, the jury can't decide if he's guilty of an offence.

Helen chapman who covered Uber's back after finding they had been licensed illegally, then swept under the carpet the fake medical, the 13,000 fake criminal record check DBS....promoted from General Manager to Director, just before she leaves on maternity leave....

But then failure has always been rewarded by TfL. 

Look at the packages received by recent director departures....its scandalous. 

Performance related bonuses they call it....we know it as back handlers and pay offs. Some of the more recent departures should have wound up in court facing malfeasance charges. 

Has London Fallen???

TfL certainly has.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

The catastrophic events of the last few weeks has seen the London Taxi trade go through its Dunkirk moment. 

We must now realise that our problem will not be solved by our current trade leaders, men without a plan are not a solution but part of the problem. 

Waiting and seeing, hoping to rely on legislation laid down for our protection by parliament, was the worse strategy trade orgs could ever have employed. 

They just ignored (changed) legislation and ran roughshod over the British legal system, directed by high ranking  government officials.

Our troubles will not be solved politically, or through the court. Don't even think of compensation....it won't happen.

The unfolding events of the past few weeks have been orchestrated to climax just as we see our work levels reaching a seasonal peek. Drivers have been silenced as tourists fill the capital for Queens and Wimblebon. Followed by the arrival of our guests from the Middle East. 

But what happens in September when they all leave? 

We've just gone through one of the worste kippers the trade has ever seen. Yes there will always be the carpet brigade, the lucky few, but generally it has been awful out there. We've seen over 1,500 drivers leave the trade. 

They're taking away our streets, taking away our ranks and taking away our sole right to ply for hire. But there's one thing they can't take away from us and that's our Dunkirk spirit. The spirit to reform and fight back.

The London Taxi trade has the ability to bring this city to its knees. We can shut it down costing businesses many millions of pounds on a daily basis....it may sound futile to some, but it's all we have left. 

After Dunkirk, Churchill stood up and said "we will fight them on the beaches, we will fight them on the streets....well that's all we have left....the streets and that's where we must take this fight.

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Winter all inclusive family holiday in Marrakech from £229pp - 7nts 4* aqua park hotel & flights

Ahoy there pirates, we have come across this great holiday in Marrakech staying in a 4* hotel with it's own aqua park. You will stay on an all inclusive board basis meaning you will receive all meals, snacks and drinks in the price. The best price is for a family of 4 and you can… Lola POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Bucket list destination: Fly from Ireland to Alaska from £466 return (fly to Dublin from £22 o/w)

Discover the incredible landscape of wild Alaska later this year with these incredibly cheap flights to Anchorage from Dublin. These wild surroundings are perfect for those Pirates looking for a holiday that is a bit different. Fantastic for nature lovers, you'll forget you're even in the USA! Don't live in Ireland? No worries, we have… GemUK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Council set to spend six hundred thousand pounds on charging points although drivers are reluctant to purchase new Electric Taxi

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Although there are only two electric taxis and two electric private hire vehicles in the city, Cambridge Council have budgeted over £600,000 on twenty electric charging points to be used within the trade. There has already been two charging points installed in the city centre in a bid to entice drivers to purchase one of the new electric taxis which will set them back a whopping £60,000, but drivers have been reluctant to make the change over. The new charging points will all be in place by 2020 according to a report in Cambridge Live. Some taxi drivers have said it's ridiculous to expect Hackney Carriage licence holders to commit to such a huge expense when there are so many private hire drivers who have obtained licences from other "out of town" authorities who do not have a stringent application process in place. With more and more drivers all trying to earn a living in the same city across the U.K., it's no wonder not many taxi drivers are willing to make the £60,000 plunge into the world of the electric vehicles.

July 02, 2018 at 10:37AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Gorgeous 7nt Mykonos getaway from £318pp incl. flights & 4* chic apartment - room upgrades avail.

Mykonos is fast becoming one of the trendiest places to visit in Greece, why not see what all the fuss is about with this chic self catering getaway to the 4* Olive Mykonos Villas? This beautifully decorated accommodation is split into a range of suites, self catering apartments and private villas so you can pick… GemUK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Want to win a holiday worth £4,400? Download our NEW app & enter our 'Appy Travels' competition

Pirates, want to win a holiday of a lifetime worth £4,400 (€5,000)? Enter our new 'Appy Travels' competition to be in with a chance of just that. All you have to do is download our new HolidayPirates app (if you haven't already), log in and create a brand new travel alert called 'APP' to be… Niamh_UK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Friday night stays at Village hotels stays from £29.50pp -incl. 2 course meal & free Prosecco

Ahoy Pirates, Village hotels have another banging sale this time you can stay on Friday nights throughout the year and you will even receive a 2 course dinner and a chilled glass of Prosecco each. Prices start from just £59 which works out at only £29.50 each based on 2 sharing, be quick though pirates… Lola POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Grab some Thai sun from £788pp - incl. flights, 7nts hotel & breakfast - solo option available

Pirates, get your dancing shoes on because we're heading out to Thailand's party capital, Patong, this winter. Give yourself and early Christmas present this year and jet off to Phuket in December to enjoy temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s. You'll be staying at the 3* Kee Resort and Spa on a bed… GemUK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

ABD: Degrading the Road Network in the City of London

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Last Friday Friday the Alliance of British Drivers attended a Transport Strategy Meeting hosted by the City of London Corporation. The Corporation covers the square mile and acts as one of the London boroughs in most respects. They are currently drawing up their 25-year Transport Strategy, are holding a number of consultation events and have done surveys. The consultation is still open so if you work, live or visit the City, make sure you respond.The meeting was hosted by Bruce McVean, Strategic Transportation Group Manager, and there were less than a dozen people attending most of whom seemed very unlike the typical City office worker who dominate the streets of London during the day, i.e. it was a very unrepresentative sample of those who might be affected by the proposed plans. The number of City residents attending also seemed minimal which is not surprising as there are so few of them.Bruce mentioned that a new “Road Danger Reduction and Active Travel Plan” was out for consultation which was news to me, but you can click here for more details.Bruce talked about the “draft outcomes” as they have clearly already come to some conclusions. Some of the evidence already obtained suggests that 60% of people think that pedestrian space is too small a share of street space and that cycling is under-prioritised. Bearing in mind that the vast majority of those surveyed or who have responded to the consultations will be pedestrians or cyclists this is perhaps not surprising. Should they not have asked a similar question of road users? Such as do you think roads are overcrowded and would you like more road space allocated to vehicles? One can guess the answer they would have obtained. Everybody wants “more” without consideration of any rational or economic allocation.Bear in mind that private cars are a vanishing species in the City. The roads are occupied mainly by buses, taxis and private hire vehicles, and goods vehicles. In fact 93% of travel in the City is already by public transport, walking and cycling. The Mayor of London’s target is 80% so the City already exceeds that, but Bruce said the Mayor would like it to be 99%! If the Mayor gets his way there would be no private cars or cabs in the City at all!Some 90% of on-street journeys in the City are already partly or completely walked – this reflects the reality of city commuting where several hundreds of thousands of people arrive at the main-line stations and walk to their office.I took the same conventional route to his meeting in the City of London Guildhall where the meeting was held from Cannon Street and walked through Bank junction. Still lots of vehicles ignoring the closure and no doubt collecting a fine as a result. Bruce suggested this closure was a major success when it does not provide any more space for pedestrians as a full redesign of the junction would have done. Neither does it fully solve the road safety problems at the junction as there are still likely conflicts between buses, cyclists and pedestrians. It looks like a proper solution is being kicked into the long grass while major damage to the road network is being implemented.Bruce indicated that there will be 90,000 more workers in the City in the next few years which may be true and will certainly put an extra load on the streets. Pedestrian space at certain locations is already very crowded (e.g. at Bank). I asked whether the Corporation knew where cyclists were coming from and who they are. It seems the Corporation do not know but are currently doing a study on that. I asked because I was sceptical whether cycling could help other than the minority of people coming from nearby boroughs and hence there may not be the growth in demand for cycling anticipated. A member of the audience suggested there might be a growth in “cargo cycles” as an alternative to LGVs.The “draft outcomes” already determined indicate that “people walking will have their needs prioritised” and that there will be “motor traffic reduction”. The latter and the change to lower emission vehicles will reduce air pollution (which is still a problem in the City which I noticed on my short walk even though the streets I walked through actually had very few vehicles on them at 2.30 pm – I just don’t understand why many people who responded to the survey felt that streets were “dominated by motor vehicles” – that’s not my experience on most City streets).The proposal is to use street space “more fairly and effectively”, and that includes the suggestion that “transformational change will be accelerated through temporary interventions and trialling projects prior to making permanent changes”. In other words more closures like Bank junction and closures perhaps of some streets at lunchtime as indicated in the aforementioned document.As I said to Bruce at the end of the meeting, the likely strategy seems to have been developed by deciding what they wanted to do and then doing a consultation based on asking the questions needed to get apparent support for it. The discussions at the previous Workshop event I attended do not seem to have been taken on board at all.It is certainly a priority to improve pedestrian space where it is currently congested (such as Bank) but that needs to be done without damaging the road network. I opposed temporary or timed closures because these create major difficulties for road users. Vehicle users should not suddenly find that their planned route is blocked and even Sat Nav devices get baffled by such timed closures.Removing vehicles altogether from the City is also not a viable suggestion. There is still a need for buses, construction traffic, goods deliveries and service operators’ vehicles. Even private cars and taxis provide a valuable service to a few people (and they are already very few – reducing them further won’t make much difference). I consider the suggestion that cargo bikes could take over LGV deliveries as a very inefficient use of labour and is unlikely to be cost effective.But you can see from this brief description of this event the way the winds are blowing. The City is following the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and other London boroughs are likely to follow suit. The road network will be degraded in the alleged interests of cyclists, pedestrians and environmental dogma.As regards the “Road Danger Reduction….” Document, the objective is zero KSIs (“Vision Zero” as it is called). A laudable if perhaps impossible objective unless all vehicles are removed and we revert to a pre-industrial age (cargo bikes are one example, perhaps rickshaws already common in the West End, and Sedan chairs will be next). But at least the Corporation have got around to working with the Police on a “Causal Factors Programme”. That involves looking at the causes of collisions and where they take place which may enable dangerous behaviours and locations to be tackled. This is similar to what other London boroughs have been doling for years. A statistical analysis approach of where, when and why accidents take place is one of the best approaches to improving road safety. That is of course different to the “driven by political gestures” approach such as the wide-area 20 mph scheme imposed on the whole of the City which has proved totally ineffective in reducing accidents. KSIs have not been falling in the City, not helped by increases in both pedestrian and cyclist numbers who are the main casualties. But one suggestion is to “research opportunities for timed closures to certain classes of traffic” which would be a retrograde step.Behavioural change is one approach being suggested. This arises from such problems as pedestrians stepping into the street without looking or under the influence of alcohol, and pedal cyclists taking unnecessary risks in their hurry to progress. The latter will be targeted by a “City Etiquette” campaign so that they take more notice of pedestrians. Education of all road users is one of the main themes, and people opening vehicle doors without looking is another problem that may be amenable to education.In summary, there are some useful ideas on the document, but it’s not likely to make major inroads into the road safety statistics unless more money is spent on road engineering. It’s not always an easy task to reconfigure roads in the City – Cheapside is a good example of what can be achieved. But schemes like Bank junction are surely ones to avoid.

July 02, 2018 at 09:02AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

"Accepting jobs on a mobile phone while driving is distracting and dangerous and must be addressed now" says Caroline Pidgeon AM

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Uber’s appeal hearing against TfL’s decision to refuse to renew its operator’s licence last September on grounds of “public safety and security.” should be underway as you read this. TfL’s concerns include Uber’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences, how drivers’ medical certificates are obtained, how criminal checks are carried out and its use of technology which allegedly helps it to evade law enforcement officials.

Yet, despite so many aspects of how Uber operates being examined, there is one aspect which has largely been neglected, and that is whether reading and interacting with apps while driving is actually safe.

It was the Sunday Times that powerfully demonstrated this issue to me in a report by Matt Rudd, who became the first journalist to go undercover as an Uber driver in Britain.

He described the very quick decision any Uber driver has to make: “Beep. The next customer flashes up. You have 10 seconds to comply.”

So, while a vehicle is moving, not only does the driver have to read a text message, but also make a decision and then respond.

If a motorist reads a text message on a hand- held mobile phone or responds to a text message they would be committing a serious driving offence that carries six penalty points and a fine of up to £1,000.

However, for some reason the same enforcement doesn’t apply to interacting with an app in a moving vehicle. Simply because the mobile phone is in a cradle does not change the fact that there are real risks of a driver being distracted if they are reading messages and having to quickly respond to them while driving.

Irrespective of the outcome of Uber’s appeal it is time that there was legal clarification on this issue. Perhaps new legislation is needed to keep up with the growth in apps being used – although arguably enforcement powers already exist – they merely need to be used.

It would also help if the Department of Transport started to take this issue seriously. To be fair to TfL, it did ask the Department for Transport to include the use of cradled technology in its “mobile phone and seat belt” survey undertaken late last year. Unfortunately, the DfT refused this modest request – yet another appalling decision by its head of department, Chris Grayling.

Driving a vehicle requires the full attention of any driver. Keeping your eyes on the road and not on your mobile phone is vital. It is time that this blatant disregard for passenger and other road users’ safety was addressed.

July 02, 2018 at 08:59AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Sleek Ibiza 4* break 3nts from £283pp - incl. flights, beach hotel & breakfast

Arrr mateys! For this Ibiza break you will be staying at the sleek 4* Barcelo Portinatx Adults Only Hotel just 20 meters from a sandy cove, offering a pool overlooking the horizon, an outdoor wellness centre next to the sea and a totally relaxing atmosphere. Breakfast is included in this holiday as well. We opted… Cee POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Stunning half board Fuerteventura winter sun from £384pp incl. flights & newly refurbished hotel

If you've got your summer holiday in the bag then look towards the winter for a sunny escape. Beat the post festive blues with a cheeky trip to the Canaries in January in the newly refurbed Ereza Mar. The 4* hotel boasts a view over the ocean from it's outdoor pool and sun terrace, making… GemUK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT