Russia

16.04.18

First Blog in a while!

The Prime Minister is expected to face fierce criticism in the Commons today as she defends her decision to bomb Syria without consulting MPs. Theresa May will reiterate her belief that the overnight strikes on chemical weapons plants was in Britain’s “national interest”. Opposition members, including Jeremy Corbyn, have questioned why Mrs May gave the go-ahead to the strikes without Parliamentary approval.

On a slightly different note – Is drinking wine good or bad for you?
Bon viveurs have been left reeling by reports that drinking ten glasses of wine a week can shorten life expectancy by two years.
Or to put it another way, you lose “15 minutes of life for each unit above the safe amount, the equivalent of smoking a cigarette”, says The Daily Telegraph’s science editor Sarah Knapton.

The warning comes in a study led by the University of Cambridge and the British Heart Foundation that makes for sobering reading.

In construction news this week…

BAM wins £90m King’s Cross office deal for Argent. Bam Construction has secured another major office scheme for developer Argent in the wake of Carillion’s collapse.

Carillion collapse hits 2018 commercial property lending. The collapse of Carillion is being blamed for a unexpected 4% fall in lending to the commercial property sector in January to £4.1bn.

SME contractors agree 3.1% pay rise deal. Employers and unions have agreed a one-year pay rise deal of 3.1% under the Building and Allied Trades Joint Industrial Council (BATJIC) agreement.

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

H&S Awareness (required for the green Labourers CSCS card) – 25th April 2018

SSSTS Refresher – 27th April 2018

UKATA Asbestos Awareness – 30th April 2018

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

9.05.17

Will Russia’s absence spoil Ukraine’s Eurovision party?

Performers from 42 countries strode down a long red carpet near Ukraine’s parliament this week, as a curtain-raiser to this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

But one nation, Russia, was missing.

For the first time in Eurovision history, the host nation barred another country’s singer!

In 2015, in violation of Ukrainian border rules, Russia’s Julia Samoilova performed in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia a year earlier.

Russian MP Vitaly Milonov has said “I think it’s a stupid reaction. They’re even afraid of such a small girl to enter Kiev.”

You can follow coverage of Eurovision here and find out more on the Ukraine/Russia stand off here.

In construction news this week…

Cemex drivers vote for strike action over pay. Major projects like Mersey Gateway and Heathrow could be hit by shortages of construction materials after HGV drivers at Cemex UK voted for industrial action in a dispute over pay.

Small contractors have 15% of turnover tied-up in late payments. A shock survey of SME contractors shows construction companies have an average of 15.4% of their annual turnover hit by late payment.

Race starts for £20m Silverstone motor racing museum. Contractors are being called to the grid to bid for a £20m motor racing museum at Silverstone race track in Northampton.

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

Health & Safety Awareness – 16th May (ask us about completing your CSCS test after the course)!
UKATA Asbestos Awareness – 18th May

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

13.04.17

It’s Been a While!

So, it’s been a couple of weeks since we last wrote a blog and an awful lot has been happening!

Everyone has heard about the terrible United Airline drama, with the Doctor being violently dragged down the aisle. The Dr Dao has now spoken out about the incident for the first time and his family have issued an official statement, which you can read here.

Trump and Putin aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye at the moment, with Trump admitting “Russia relations have reached a low point” – Who knows if this is part of Putin and Trumps big plan though! More on these details here.

Millions of householders admit to struggling with even some of the most basic household tasks, according to a new study from insurer Aviva. Research carried out as part of the company’s latest Home report discovered one in five people aren’t confident changing a light bulb (21%) while a similar number (19%) admit they don’t know how to boil an egg (oh dear)!

In construction news this week…

Business park plan approved for Kellingley Colliery. Developer Harworth has got outline planning for a major commercial redevelopment of the former Kellingley Colliery in Yorkshire.

Route picked for £6bn Lower Thames Crossing. The Government has plumped for a preferred route for a new multi-billion pound Lower Thames Crossing between Essex and Kent.

Falling pipe leaves worker paralysed. An Essex gas infrastructure specialist has been fined £200,000 after an employee suffered serious injuries when a pipe fell into the trench he was working in.

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

SSSTS – 20th & 21st April 2017
IPAF 3a & 3b – 21st April 2017
SMSTS – 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th April 2017 (day release)

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Have a lovely Bank Holiday Weekend!! 🙂