(Tuesday 14 April 2009)
Ground the Super Puma L2s
Still they fly. Last week I wrote about North Sea helicopter company Bond suspending Super Puma L2 operations for a mere 48 hours "out of respect" for 16 killed after one of its aircraft plunged out of the sky on April 1.
Bond resumed operations even before all the bodies and flight data information had been recovered from the wreckage and before any report on the accident could be done.
On Friday April 10 the initial report of the air accident investigation branch (AAIB) concluded that the helicopter had crashed following a catastrophic failure of the main rotor gearbox, which resulted in the "detachment of the main rotor head from the helicopter and was rapidly followed by main rotor blade strikes on the pylon and tail boom, which became severed from the fuselage."
The aircraft immediately lost all power of flight and plunged into the sea.
The 16 men aboard had no chance. Imagine being trapped in a metal box accelerating down towards the North Sea from 2,000 feet.
It's a chilling thought that the two pilots and 14 oil workers would have known exactly what was about to happen in the final seconds before they died.
Workers going offshore now live with the real possibility of catastrophe every time they get on a Super Puma L2.
But the AAIB has not called for all these aircraft to be grounded pending a full investigation of why this catastrophe happened, merely for extra checks to be made.
The RMT union, which includes the OILC offshore workers branch, is calling for Super Pumas to be grounded.
Following the publication of the AAIB report, general secretary Bob Crow said: "Our position is pretty clear. They should be grounded for a full inspection to take place before our members are absolutely satisfied that those Super Pumas are OK to fly. As far as we're concerned, we're saying to our members: 'If you don't feel safe about going into those Puma helicopters, then they should refuse to work on the grounds of health and safety'."
Yet still they fly.
There is always massive pressure from the oil companies on all agencies, including those we rely on to ensure safety. The profit motive is more important to oil bosses than any concern for the lives of the people who make that profit for them.
Politicians of all parties and the Scottish and Westminster governments should be joining the oil workers' union to call for the grounding of the Super Puma L2s until we can find out what caused the crash.
Against sexism at St Andrews university
The annual Kate Kennedy procession will take place at the quaint Fife university town of St Andrews on Saturday.
The jolly romp down the high street named after a "niece" or possibly daughter of 15th century Bishop Kennedy of St Andrews celebrates the coming of spring and aims to improve relations between town and gown.
Each year, a male first-year student is chosen to dress up as the reputedly beautiful Kate and lead a parade of characters from the history of the town and university.
But this year, the exclusive, men-only Kate Kennedy Club which organises the event is the target of a feminist campaign by none other than the new female principal of the posh university.
Dr Louise Richardson has stated that the university will not participate in the procession this year and will no longer officially recognise the Kate Kennedy Club.
"The official endorsement of any club or society which excludes people because of their gender or race," Dr Richardson announced, "would be completely at odds with the values of this university and our commitment to foster an open and inclusive international community of scholars and students in St Andrews."
Well said, that woman.
Meanwhile, Dr Richardson is also involved with the fight against sexist traditional practices in the Fife town's other famous institution.
The previous two (male) principals of the university were given honorary membership of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.
But Dr Richardson, the first-ever female principal, has not been offered the same, despite a public controversy over the issue and even a call by First Minister Alex Salmond.
The Royal and Ancient, which was established in 1754, has never had a female member, though it has admitted women to its clubhouse during big competitions. Big deal.
St Andrews is due to host next year's Open Championship. Let's have a campaign to kick the sexists out of golf before then.
Teaching the rich and powerful a lesson
I think it's time we started to revive the tradition of issuing rotten fruit to ordinary people to throw at the useless rich as they pass by.
At the end of a long line of infuriating tycoons including Sir Fred Goodwin is self-styled philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter, who has called for Scottish teachers to be put on performance-related pay - and be sacked if they don't meet targets.
Writing in Scottish business magazine Insider this month, Hunter argues for his idea because "great teachers and institutions would rise or fall on performance, as judged by their customers and independent analysis."
Hunter made his pile from selling sportswear and now, a bit like Prince Charles, he has a gofer to do everything for him, including speak.
His spokesman Ewan Hunter - no relation - explains his master's article thus. "Teachers who are not performing ... we need to find a constructive way for them to leave the profession.
"We can't jeopardise the life of a young child by a poor teacher. Thankfully, Scotland doesn't have many. Sir Tom hugely admires and respects the profession."
So why does Sir Tom feel qualified to pontificate about teachers? Well, basically, he's rich.
As such, he was unsurprisingly feted by the previous Labour-led Scottish Executive and he put some money into a programme called Schools of Ambition, which was later canned by the incoming SNP government.
As well as the rotten fruit, we should ban the rich from making stupid public pronouncements and instead force them on to a performance-related pay scheme of punitive taxation. That would learn them.
NUJ fights for jobs
The 48-hour strike over the weekend by the NUJ at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail in Glasgow was the latest battle in the continuing war against redundancies and cuts in the Scottish media.
Over 200 NUJ members passed a motion of no confidence in the Scottish management of Trinity Mirror, which owns the once market-leading titles.
A mass meeting in Glasgow before the strike expressed disgust about the way that individuals had been told they were compulsorily redundant. Union members called for the reinstatement of more than 20 journalists selected for redundancy and demanded the union pursue every means at its disposal to challenge the dismissals.
NUJ Scottish organiser Paul Holleran backed the call and told the meeting: "We will step up industrial action, taking more strike action next week as well as pursuing all legal action possible, both collectively and on behalf of individuals.
"It is also time for the politicians to put more pressure on the people at the top of the table at the Record and Mail and demand reinstatement of our members."
Donations to the Record and Mail NUJ chapel should be made payable to the Alan Hutcheson Fund and sent to NUJ Scotland, Third Floor, 114 Union Street, Glasgow G1 3QQ.
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