Tube workers reject Olympics offer

Leaders of London Underground workers have rejected a pay offer for working during the Olympic Games worth up to £500, it was announced.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which represents thousands of Tube staff, said the money was not an adequate reward for being on duty during the event, which will see a huge increase in passengers across the capital for weeks.

The RMT said the offer had been slightly improved to £100 dependent on meeting "customer satisfaction" targets, and extra per shift which could add another £400.

Leaders of Tube workers said a bonus of up to
500 pounds was not an adequate reward
 for being on duty during the Olympics

The union pointed to other deals, including one of £1,100 atDocklands Light Railway which the RMT said could be worth double that amount, and £600 atLondon Overground.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "RMT is rejecting this latest Olympics and Paralympics pay offer from LU and we will be meeting with the company again to press our case for a flat-rate, across-the-board payment which recognises the contribution of all staff throughout the high-pressure extended Olympics and Paralympics period and which is free from a whole barrage of strings and caveats.

"Other employers, notably London Overground, Network Rail and most recently DLR, have come up with serious offers and agreements and we expect London Underground to do the same.

"It is well-documented that transport will be the biggest logistical challenge throughout the Olympics period, with massive pressure on staff and services from moving millions of extra passenger journeys around Greater London and the South East.

"All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing."

"Vindicated" India renews call for London to drop Dow

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Friday renewed its demand that London 2012 terminates itssponsorship deal with Dow Chemicals, feeling vindicated by the resignation of a Games watchdog panel member over the tie-up.

Meredith Alexander quit the Commission for a Sustainable London2012 on Wednesday, saying she did not want to be part of a body that "became an apologist" for Dow Chemicals, the U.S. firm linked to India's 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

Meredith Alexander, former member of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, speaks to a reporter at the headquarters of Amnesty International in London January 25, 2012. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

Dow bought the Bhopal plant owner Union Carbide in 1999.

Alexander said a number of other panel members were also "deeply disturbed" by the company's sponsorship of a temporary decorative wrap around London's Olympic Stadium.

Her resignation prompted IOA chief Vijay Kumar Malhotra to send a second letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge exactly six months before the Games, saying there was no need to carry "this toxic legacy."

"...the resignation of Ms Meredith Alexander from the Games Ethics Committee - the Commission for Sustainable London 2012 - has vindicated IOA's stand of opposing Dow's sponsorship," Malhotra wrote in his letter, copies of which were distributed to Indian media.

"I am sure that you are well aware of the growing opposition to this sponsorship the world over with NGOs (non-governmental organisations), intellectuals like Noam Chomsky, Members of British Parliament and civil society openly coming out against it.

"On behalf of the IOA I again urge you to take steps to remove Dow as sponsor and settle the matter as early as possible," Malhotra added.

Activists say 25,000 people died in the years that followed the gas leak at a pesticides factory in the central Indian city of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

Campaigners have demanded Dow boosts a 1989 compensation package for those affected by the disaster.

Dow, also an IOC worldwide partner, has denied any responsibility for the accident and says Union Carbide had settled its liabilities with the Indian government.

A number of former Olympians have slammed the London sponsorship deal while Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has urged the government to boycott the Games over the issue.

However, Malhotra has ruled out the possibility.

Malhotra said he has sent a copy of his letter to London Games chief Sebastian Coe as well, while also conveying the IOA's position to the British High Commissioner in India last week.

Games watchdog member quits over Dow deal

A member of the body that oversees the sustainability of the London Olympics has resigned in protest at a sponsorship deal with Dow Chemical because of the American company's ties to the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster that killed thousands in India.

The Games' organisers chose Dow to make the hundreds of plastic panels that will decorate the outside of the main stadium in a contract that has angered many Indians, including current and former Olympic athletes.

Activists say 25,000 people died in the years that followed the gas leak at a pesticides factory in the central Indian city of Bhopal. Dow bought the plant's owner in 1999 and campaigners have demanded that it boosts a 1989 compensation package for those affected by the disaster.

Meredith Alexander, who sat on the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, said she had decided to quit the independent body because she "didn't want to be party to a defence of Dow."

"People should be free to enjoy London 2012 without this toxic legacy on their conscience," she said in a statement released by rights group Amnesty International, which has supported her cause.

"It is appalling that 27 years on, the site has still not been cleaned up and thousands upon thousands of people are still suffering."

Meredith Alexander, former member of the
Commission for a Sustainable London 2012

No one at the Olympics organising body could immediately be reached for comment. Dow has denied any responsibility for the accident and says the former owner, Union Carbide, had settled its liabilities with the Indian government.

Amnesty said the Games' organisers should admit they were wrong in awarding the contract to Dow, who are also a worldwide partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"This high profile resignation means the London 2012 organisers can no longer ignore human rights concerns about Dow, a company that has refused to meet its responsibilities in relation to the victims of Bhopal," Amnesty's Seema Joshi said in a statement.

Tents banned for Olympics over ‘Occupy’ fears

Tents banned for Olympics over ‘Occupy’ fears

Tents and camping equipment have been banned from the London Olympics over fears that ‘Occupy’ style protests will disrupt the games, home secretary Theresa May announced today.

Home Secretary Theresa May announces the measure at the RUSI olympic security conference.

While speaking on the plan for Olympic security, May confirmed that there is to be a blanket rule outlawing tents and camping equipment to “prevent encampment protests similar to those seen in recent months in the capital”. 

Those attending events at the games will be subject to screening for camping 
equipment with “swift police action” for anyone attempting to sidestep the measure.

Describing encampment protests as “emerging threats”, the home secretary said: “Our approach to such protests will now be based on three aspects.

“Strict security and screening measures to help stop the necessary equipment being brought into Olympic venues, encouraging an immediate response from LOCOG to any encampment that does get through and rapid follow up action by the police using all available powers to remove encampments and equipment.”

The home secretary said the plan is “not intrusive” but there have been concerns over its implementation over the summer.  

“This is the latest in a long line of worrying developments,” said Occupy London supporter Laura Taylor. “It is now clear that the right to assemble and make your voice heard is being treated as a threat to be controlled rather than an essential element of a free society - one that should be celebrated as testament to the strength of our democracy.

“The 2012 Olympics are being held in London, not in Beijing,” she added. “It would be awful if by the time the summer comes round it's harder to tell the difference.”

Occupy London are set to appeal a High Court eviction order which was handed down on 19 January. Protesters have been encamped at St Paul’s Cathedral since 15 October.

© YahooNews

FAKE BOMB BREACHES OLYMPIC SECURITY

Police carrying out security tests ahead of the Olympics managed to smuggle a fake bomb on to the main site, it was reported today.

A dummy device is believed to have made it past security staff at the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, on at least one occasion as security measures were scrutinised.

A spokesman for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) refused to comment on the incident but added: "Testing is standard practice in all major security operations.

"Such tests have a key role in developing our capability to ensure that London 2012 is safe and secure and that we are best prepared to detect potential threats before and during the Games.

"Members of the public with tickets should be reassured that such exercises are being staged to ensure their safety, our number one priority."

The Metropolitan Police also said it would not comment on the security breach.

London 2012 has been put at severe terror threat level, the second highest classification.

The Olympics is a symbolic target and this year's Games also marks the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics where the Black September terror group killed 11 Israelis.

Risks from protest groups or natural disasters are also part of the detailed safety planning.

Last month the Ministry of Defence confirmed that 13,500 military personnel, more than the 10,000 that were deployed to Afghanistan, will be part of the 23,700 security force for the Games.

The deployment across all military services includes 3,500, rising to a peak of 7,500, who will provide venue security.

Around 5,000 servicemen and women will support the police and other civil authorities, providing specialist capabilities such as bomb disposal and dog teams.

Another 1,000 will provide logistical support.

There will also be a 1,000-strong unarmed contingency force for deployment in the event of an "Olympics-related civil emergency".

The overall 23,700-strong security force will include a mix of military, private security guards and at least 3,000 unpaid London 2012 volunteers who will be used at the start of the security process.

PA 2012