The City pays £60,000 to an external organisation to ensure that no one sleeps on the streets of Derby. So why do we have Rough Sleepers? Every Council in the UK is […]
Parents shout “Banwait Out” in support of Teaching Assistants pay dispute
For the second time in one week, and with more parents involved , including a number of Teaching Assistants, they collected in the Council Offices and protested against the pay cuts for […]
Why is Banwait lying about the Teaching Assistant/Support Staff pay dispute?
I reported previously that Parents of children affected by the Teaching Assistant / Support Staff strike are becoming more vocal and active. A number I have spoken to have phoned and emailed […]
Parents protest in Council House in support of Teaching Assistants over pay dispute
Today was the start of the lunchtime strikes by the Teaching Assistants and School Support staff. This left many parents, especially those with severely disabled children, in a real practical dilemma. The […]
Silk Mill March, Rally and People’s Festival 2016 – Remembering the “lock out”
In 1833 the employees of the Silk Mill were famously united in opposition to the forced pay-cuts to the workers of the Mill. The industrial unrest, which was one of the earliest […]
Why is Derby Labour Party Political Agent involved in confidential Council meetings?
You might wonder why James Shires, the Derby Labour Party Political Agent attends confidential Council meetings? He has not been elected by the people, he is not an employee, he is a […]
STRIKE! Teaching Assistants/Support staff fighting for fairness
At 10.29am there was a handful of us standing on the Council House steps – waiting with anticipation, seeing the odd Councillor scuttle in through the main doors. And then, like the […]
Teaching Support Staff Strike : Perhaps the Council should start listening to the Parents!
Parents are worried, angry, upset, anxious and are now speaking out. Yes, they will be disrupted by the strike action, but they are behind the TAs, and other school support staff, and […]
Fly infestation public meeting: no apologies just contempt
Article on the organisations involved Last night a packed Lonny Wilsoncroft Centre in the New Zealand area of Derby waited with some expectation of news about the future of the terrible flies problem […]
A Muslim family’s view of Ramadan; the Islamic month of fasting.
What is Ramadan? What does it mean, and what happens during the month? For many of us outside of the Muslim faith it can be a bit of a mystery. Rather than […]
Teaching Assistants dismissed, and forced by Derby City Council to “accept” Pay cuts
Last night, all of the Teaching Assistants (TAs) in Derby who had not already accepted Derby City Council’s new Terms and Conditions were dismissed. This resulted from the Council’s inability to negotiate […]