TAPS AFF STRIKE
Water workers ballot over action on £3000 pay cut
THREE major unions are to ballot Scottish Water workers for strike action over a £3000 pay cut.
GMB Scotland, Unite Scotland and Unison Scotland have joined forces for the consultative ballot which opened yesterday and are demanding a return to negotiations in a pay and bonuses row.
The unions say the issue could result in workers losing up to £3000 – with some already having lost £500 to £1000 “through the removal of the supplement payment which averages overtime hours worked over a year”.
Scottish Water has imposed a system which the unions say “reduces the supplemental payment and workers will now not be paid for working any additional hours” – leading to the consultation over strikes.
GMB Scotland organiser Gary Cook described it as “shameful opportunism in the grip of a public health crisis.
He added: “This is the kind of behaviour you would expect from a rogue employer, not a statutory corporation, and our unions have been left with no choice but to ballot our members.”
The issue affects about 90 people from a total of 4000 staff.
A Scottish Water spokesman said: “We place a high priority on the recognition and wellbeing of our employees in delivering a vital service daily to five million people.”
A RACING fan is planning the holiday of a lifetime for his mum after landing a whopping £250,000 at the Cheltenham Festival from a £5 bet.
Paul Dean, 40, who has been fascinated with racing since the age of five, could have won much more with his five-fold accumulator.
But he opted to partially cash out the prize on Wednesday after four winners came in, hedging his bet to guarantee a hefty profit.
And it proved another brilliant decision after his last pick, favourite Envoi Allen, dramatically fell during the 1.20 at Cheltenham.
If that had won Paul, of Stocktonon-Tees, would have walked away with £322,000. But he is more than happy to take away £250,000.
He said: “I am over the moon and just so happy I had the money secured but could enjoy the last race thanks to Betfair letting me cash out.”
The win has been a long time coming for Paul, whose first horse came in last June at Royal Ascot.
That was Golden Horde, winning the Commonwealth Cup at 12/1, before a day later, Hello Youmzain at 10/1 reigned supreme in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
At Cheltenham, his winners were Shishkin at 4/1 and Bob Olinger at 25/1. He now plans to visit his favourite place in the world, New York City, and wants to take his parents to gambling capital Las Vegas.
Paul said he never really intended to push it to the last race but was confident his horses would win.
He said: “I am actually quite calm watching the races, I know they are going to win, I study the form in great detail, sometimes eight hours a day.”
I am calm watching the races, I know the horses are going to win PAUL DEAN RACING FAN WHO WON £250,000
AFTER 14 years on screen, the most famous family on the planet are calling “Kut” on their TV show.
The final run of the smash-hit reality series Keeping Up With the Kardashians will air from today and promises more “khaos”.
But despite the fights, cheating and even DNA tests, Khloe Kardashian says she has never thought about quitting the show that gave them global stardom.
The 36-year-old, who is believed to have been blindsided by the decision to end filming, said she had no plans to leave the show.
She was happy to be one of the family members with the most screentime but admits the birth of her daughter, True Thompson, in April 2018 has made her rethink her priorities.
Khloe said: “Filming KUWTK was such an amazing experience and I’m so sad to see it come to an end.
“I wouldn’t say I ever considered quitting, but after having True I had to learn to balance my time more as she is the most important person.”
Thanks to social media, the end of the show won’t mean the Kardhashians are stepping back from the limelight. But no longer will we get to see their daily lives played out in intimate detail.
The original series started in 2007 and focused on sisters Kim, 40, who was famous because of a sex tape, Kourtney, 41, and Khloe.
They were the daughters of celebrity laywer Robert, best known as the defence attorney during ex-American football star OJ Simpson’s 1995 murder trial. He and wife Kris also had a son, Robert.
After Robert died in 2003, Kris married Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner, now Caitlyn Jenner. They went on to have two children – Kendall, 25, and Kylie, 23 – who were just 12 and 10 when the series began. Khloe admits the show’s success owes a lot to luck as another E! show fell through and the channel needed something to replace it. She said: “It was supposed to be a filler show without a second season, so when we were filming we didn’t think anything of it. That’s what made it so much fun.” Khloe – the favourite sister for many fans because of her sense of humour – was cruelly labelled the ugly duckling in early series. She was even bashed by Eninem in his song Berzerk – “All I know is I fell asleep and woke up in that Monte Carlo; with the ugly Kardashian; Lamar, oh sorry yo, we done both set the bar low.” While already a rich family, their wealth soared thanks to the show and spin-offs such as Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, and Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons. The flash cars and huge houses – and the family fights, tears and tantrums – captured viewers’ attention Series one saw Kim hit Khloe with a bag after they fought over Kim buying a Bentley. The argument was so memorable the Jonas Brothers recreated it on TikTok. Another jawdropping moment came in series three when Khloe was about to be jailed for driving under the influence. On the car journey to jail with Khloe, Kim took selfies – to the fury of momager Kris, 65. Khloe met and married NBA star Lamar Odom, tying the knot a month