Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
The strikes set to blight the tube network later this month have been cancelled as the RMT Union discussed the terms with management of the London Underground.
The disagreement was over the four-day week – it would be the same hours just compressed into less days.
The strikes in April and beyond are still set to take place as the concerns are not resolved, and further dates of action have been pencilled in on Tuesday 16th and Thursday 18th June.
Speaking of the conversations, the RMT general secretary, Eddie Dempsey, says that the union “forced management into a position where they are now willing to seriously engage with the issues our members want addressing. Further talks will take place and the dispute remains live”.
A spokesperson for the London Underground is pleased that some strike dates were removed: “This is good news for London, and we will continue to work constructively with the trade unions to avoid disruption and address concerns”.
Crazy News
A study says that spring cleaning is an achievement worth celebrating, and a company have created a novelty vacuum cleaner that will help pour some celebratory drinks.
Sparkling House Wine was launched from a partnership between AO and Ryedale Vineyards in York, as it was announced that half of people say that the yearly tidy is on their list of achievements.
The dry-blend is limited edition and comes with a vacuum cleaner which is actually a holder and pourer of the bottle, alongside a handle, hose, wheels and an inspired pouring attachment to match the part.
Some respondents would compare the cleaning job similar to watching their team win, landing a new job or car, or even seeing their child’s first steps. Almost 25% would begin getting ready between one to three months in advance and need several days to finish the job. The majority would prefer to get it done and over with in a day. In addition, almost a third say that they exercise in the days before the task, while more than half would end the spring clean with a drink.
A limited number of bottles went live on Rydale’s website on Wednesday.
Happy News
The ASDA store in Belvedere has three generations of the same family working alongside each other. Sixteen relatives work the shop floor together – seven mums alongside their children.
One of the families begins with 56-year-old grandmother Hayler Carr, and her daughters Kerry, 37, Kasey, 27, and Jessica, 18. Kerry’s daughter 19-year-old Rhyleigh Pioli is also part of the clan. Amongst them, they tackle various departments including the frozen, home shopping, George clothing and the overnight areas.
Speaking of working together, Kerry says: “It's brilliant having my family work with me. If I need a day off, they'll always cover my shifts, as they love their mum! Sometimes we work the same shifts and we see each other, which is nice”.
Other families working in the store include Cheryl Smith who is the fresh section lead and her daughter Katie at home shopping; bakery colleague Maggie Alimo and her home shopping driver son Charlie; Amanda Bradley on the checkouts with her daughters Chanel and Tia; George assistant Valerie Cox and her daughter Tanya Carver; and community champion Kuia Newman works with her daughter Sian Martin who is a home shopping picker.
Kuia adds: “It's nice that we work together, but we don't see an awful lot of each other at work as she starts at 4am and I'm doing my community work. It's a nice family environment here and it's lovely having so many mums working alongside their children”.
Store manager, Sandy Sanga says: “We've always been proud of the community spirit within our stores, but the team at Belvedere takes 'family values' to a whole new level! Having three generations working side by side doesn't just make for a great story, it creates a supportive, tight-knit family environment that our customers can really feel when they walk through the doors. We're thrilled to celebrate these six incredible mums who prove that some of the best colleagues are often the ones you grew up with”.
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