Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East and Africa
11 February 2021
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Energy engineers at British Gas continue strikes
Engineers at energy company British Gas, part of the Centrica group, are continuing their programme of strikes. British Gas supplies gas and electric energy and services equipment and has around 20,000 employees.
A four-day strike is due to begin today, with further four-day actions planned for February 19 and 26. The GMB union members are opposing “fire and rehire” plans by British Gas to undermine workers’ conditions and cut pay by 20 percent.
Around 7,500 workers are involved, including 4,000 service and repair gas engineers, 1,700 smart metering engineers, 600 central heating installers, 540 electrical engineers and 170 specialist business gas engineers. The strikes have led to a backlog of 170,000 boiler repairs and the delay of 200,000 service visits.
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Certainly, venom from wasps sounds scary. But a new study shows that new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis may involve wasp venom (WV). At least in rats, wasp venom, like scorpion venom, actually improves rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.
Researchers say that a compound in the venom of the wasp may help to treat rheumatoid arthritis. In a new study, researchers have revealed how wasp venom stopped the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in rat models of the disease.
They indicated that various doses of wasp venom significantly improve swelling and movement. More importantly, the venom can reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis in these animal models, even reversing damage from the disease in some cases. The study appeared in the journal, Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
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It is apparent that the lingering crisis between the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the breakaway Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) has degenerated into a new dimension as both unions now engage in a war of words.
NUT which has been the umbrella body for all public primary and secondary school teachers in the country for almost 90 years, is insisting that it will continue to be in control of all teachers.
It insisted that the teachers in primary and secondary schools are better protected and covered by the union, and therefore no reason for any group under it to pull away.
Air France passengers now have access to secure COVID-19 test mobile app tribuneonlineng.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tribuneonlineng.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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While the world is reeling from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola has again emerged, simultaneously, in both Central and West Africa. In this report by Sade Oguntola, experts highlight what Nigeria must do to respond quickly and effectively to the outbreak before it becomes large-scale epidemics.
With the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent surpassing 3.8 million, a fresh outbreak of Ebola in Guinea and Congo is becoming a source of concern to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the European Union.