Podcasts about p o ferries

 Amy: Hello and welcome to the Employment Law Focus podcast. I'm Amy Stokes. Charlie: And I'm Charlie Ray  Amy: and we're both employment law partners at TLT and today we're going to be discussing the Employment Rights Bill and well all 150 pages of it, well not quite but what we've done is we have discussed amongst ourselves Charlie and I and pulled out our top 10 takeaways from it.  By way of background, this was introduced to Parliament on the 10th of October and is the first phase of delivering the government's plan to make work pay. It brings in 28 individual employment law reforms. And the bill is a wish list of reforms, and it builds in some of the labour manifesto but a watered down version so it's not quite set in stone. Despite the headlines in the papers, it's a while before any of these changes are going to happen. Much of the details are going to be provided via regulations which won't be passed until consultation with stakeholders has concluded. Four of those consultations were very quickly turned around and have actually already started. Those include on zero hours contracts and their application to agency workers, beefing up the remedies for collective redundancy consultation, all the updates to trade union legislation and also statutory sick pay.  The government doesn't expect to start consultation however for the rest of the reforms until 2025, with the result that most reforms in the bill will not take place until we anticipate at least 2026, although there's been no commitment on that just yet. The bills also got to go through both houses of parliament before it gains royal assent and therefore may be changed along the way after the consultations as well.  So the bottom line is really that the proposals in the bill might well change and employers are going to have plenty of time to feed into the proposals and to prepare for them.  What Charlie and I have done to prepare for this podcast today is that we've picked out what we think are the most interesting elements of the bill, the reforms to the bill, primarily to employers. And we're going to run through them, not in the order of importance, just kind of in a more general order, just to give you a flavour of what they are. So, we'll talk through the background to them, the detail of the reforms, to give you a bit of an explainer on those. And then we're going to give you some of our insights from practice about what we think the real impact of those are going to be.  So, Charlie, do you want to kick us off with your first one?  Charlie: Yeah, we're going to start with probably what's been the main headline grabber from the bill, which is the proposal to remove the unfair dismissal qualifying period. Now, as we know, at the moment, we've had for some time a two -year qualifying period to be able to claim ordinary unfair dismissal. That doesn't take into account automatic unfair dismissals like whistleblowing, for example, where you don't need the two-year service, but for most unfair dismissal claims, two years service is required. So the idea is that it's going to become a day one right, and that so long as you started work from day one, you will have the right to claim unfair dismissal. The government are proposing to consult on introducing a new statutory probation period. So, the idea is that during that probation period, an employee could be dismissed using a lighter touch process, where if the dismissal is because of capability, or conduct, or contravention of illegal duty, or potentially for some other substantial reason, which are all reasons that we're familiar with now, that that would be a valid reason for an employer to terminate at the end of this probation period.  We need some detail on this, obviously, and one suggestion is that a redundancy dismissal wouldn't be subject to this lighter touch dismissal as a result of the statutory probation period. So it will be interesting to see how that one plays out. The suggestion is that the government's preference is to have a nine -month probation period in this so -called initial period of employment and I think the indication is that they would expect an employer to at least hold a meeting with the employee to explain the concerns about say their performance if that's the reason before making a decision to dismiss. So, it's going to be interesting to see how the government will develop that.  Amy: Yeah it's really interesting actually Charlie, I think that there's going to be the consultation on that's going to bring out some interesting points. But actually, it sounds like it's going to have a really big impact on employers. What do you think in practice that's really going to be?  Charlie: Certainly one of the implications is likely to be that more litigation may follow as a result of widening out the net to who it covers. I saw a statistic that suggests that this will grant unfair dismissal rights to another 9 million employees. So, straight away, the prospect of litigation is going to be increased. There's a question that I've seen floated as to how long an employer would need to be able to make a decision about whether an employee should stay in the role beyond this initial employment period.  And nine months, is that long enough? I think many employers would probably be hard pressed to think that nine months isn't long enough to make a decision about whether an employee is suitable for their role. What I think it will be in practice is that employers are going to have to tighten up their processes.  I mean, many employers at the minute do follow quite good probationary review processes where issues that might lead to an employee failing their probation period are flagged in good time and discussed, and therefore no surprise to the employee if they fail their probation period as a result of it. But not all employers do that.  And so, I think if you're going to take advantage of this new statutory probation period, it's going to mean employers have to tighten up their processes in handling probation reviews and probation decisions. I think it's also going to mean employers are going to need to ensure that they follow their redundancy processes in all cases because of the suggestion that redundancies wouldn't be part of this probationary review dismissal option. So, yeah, I think it's going to be quite a big change for employers this, if it comes in the way suggested. So, yeah, keep your eye on that one.  Amy: Yeah, and plenty of time to plan as well. I think that's a key point. As you say, some employers are already utilizing probation periods pretty well. So actually looking at that and expanding that practice more widely, I think is important. So, Thanks, Charlie.  So the first one from me moving on is the very hotly anticipated reform in relation to fire and rehire. It gets all the headlines that the way that it's been described. It's hit the press enormously given the large scale and perceived abuse of this by some employers. And so just to explain, firing rehire is essentially a tool, and actually in some cases a very useful tool, that employers use to change terms and conditions in the event that employees won't agree to those through a consultation process.  Importantly, the employees retain their continuous service, so that's the rehire piece. It's not just fire, it's rehiring the retain that continuous service. And it's often after a consultation period with unions or staff reps, and in my experience, and I'm sure yours as well, Charlie, it's very much used as a last resort. It was to be banned initially but then Labour realised that if they only addressed fire and rehire businesses are simply just going to fire employees and then rehire different employees which is what P &O Ferries did and that was all over the press as well.  What the bill proposes is that dismissals for refusing to agree to a variation will be automatically unfair where either the employee or another employee will be re -employed or employed to carry out substantially the same work. An exception there is going to be where essentially a business is on its knees and about to fall over. And so to use the proper term for that, it's where the employee can show evidence of financial difficulties, which or carry on the activities of the business and that in all of the circumstances, it could not avoid the need to make the variation.  Charlie: Yeah, I mean, what do we make of that defence, Amy? Is that going to be a way, do we think, of keeping in the right to fire and rehire through the back door or is it going to be difficult to meet that defence? What do we think?  Amy: Yeah, it's an interesting one. So, we thought that this would be a complete ban on it, and theyobviously introduced that defence. And the financial difficulties defence seems quite a hard one to run, given that an employer essentially needs to show that in all of the circumstances, the employer could not reasonably have avoided the need to make that variation. So they're going to need to be in some serious financial difficulty to satisfy that test, so in liquidation or in solvency.  So I think it's going to be really narrow, but I think the important kind of take away from this is, as I mentioned at the beginning, this does fall short of a total ban on fire and re-hire hire, which is what Labour had initially committed to do. However, it may as well be a ban with the enormously high bar that's been set to that exception. As we say with all of these, the devil's going to be in the detail. And I do think that these provisions will be contested by some employees in the consultation, there certainly needs to be a bit more clarification given on that financial difficulties, defence as well. Employers are undoubtedly going to have to produce accounts and all that kind of stuff as well, which would be quite interesting.  Charlie: Yeah, no, it certainly is. And actually, another area that we heard might have been banned is the third topic we're going to look at, which is the ending of exploitative zero hours contracts. And that's the phraseology that was being used by the Labour Party prior to the election, that they wanted to end the use of exploitative contracts that are zero hours ones. And many had speculated that meant they were going to ban them all together. And the bill makes clear that's not what they're planning to do. Instead, what it's going to do is propose to put an obligation on employees to have to offer these so -called guaranteed hours contracts to those who are on mainly zero hours contracts, but also those who are on minimum hours contracts as well to reflect the hours that they're regularly working over a reference period. And we're understanding that reference period is likely to be 12 weeks.  So that's going to be quite an interesting change for employers that use zero hours contracts, that the stats show over a million individuals are engaged on these type of contracts in the UK. So, it'll affect a lot of people. The idea of this offer is one that the worker wouldn't have to accept it. So what we might find, and this is where some of the detail will be quite interesting, is that if hours become more regular over time or increase over time, whether subsequent reference periods are going to mean that the workers are going to have the chance to be offered, again, the opportunity to have one of these guaranteed hours contracts reflecting what they might think is a better offer and is there going to be this ongoing obligation to update offers? I guess the expectation is that if the offer is then accepted that then they go on to one of these guaranteed hours contracts and they're no longer on the same basis that they were prior to that as an ordinary zero hours worker. So, going to be interested to see how that detail plays out. I think And this will affect quite a lot of businesses, particularly those in say the hospitality industry which traditionally uses a lot of these zero hours worker contracts. There's going to be consultation on this with employers and trade unions about how these review periods are going to work. And the government have said, it's interesting actually, they said that where they think that the work is genuinely temporary, there's not going to be any expectation on employers to offer these permanent contracts. But I've seen a lot of commentary that suggests that this might encourage businesses to use fixed term contracts more, albeit how that'll interact with the removal of the qualification period for unfair dismissal will be interesting to see.  A separate point actually of interest is that the bill also proposes a right for eligible workers to receive reasonable notice of changes to their working hours. And also a big change, I think, the idea that they can be eligible for compensation if their shift is cancelled or ended early. And there'll be a lot of detail in there then about what is going to trigger this right compensation, what's reasonable notice? All of those sorts of areas are the devil in the detail that you described at the start of the podcast, Amy. But yeah, lots of changes here, aren't there?  Amy: There are really. And as you mentioned, the details quite significant there, and there's going to be a lot more discussion in relation to it. And it seems really complicated as one of the most complicated reforms that we've looked at when we've worked through it. Do we think it's really going to achieve what the government's aims are on zero -hours contracts and the exploitative nature of them. What's your view on that, Charlie?  Charlie: Yeah, I mean, these are really complicated rules. It made my head hurt trying to get my understanding of what's going to be proposed and how the detail will be played out. I've seen loads of articles that go on for quite some time examining the what -ifs and the suggestion that there's going to be quite a few unintended consequences. So What we think might happen is that employers might be less likely to offer zero or low hours contracts or might offer fewer shifts to those on those contracts in order to avoid the prospect of then having to offer guaranteed hours contracts that might not reflect a pattern that they can then fulfil.  Equally, there's lots of areas of concern about seasonal contracts, those that work in agriculture or in hospitality, where there are seasonal fluctuations. It's not clear how these rules are gonna address the prospect that there could be peaks and troughs in work. And so if an individual is entitled to say, well, I want my guaranteed hours contract to reflect that peak time. And yet then the business might not be able to fulfil it. So, the impact is gonna, I think, depend on how some of these key details get consulted on and what the government decided to do in respect of them. Things like what's the definition of a low hour is going to be, what's the regularity of hours required, what's the level of compensation for a breach of the advanced notice duty. A lot of the detail isn't there yet, but for businesses that use zero hours contracts, this I think will be a big change.  Amy: The drafts people are going to have a good time with that one, aren't they. So, yeah, watch this space, I think, on that one.  Charlie: Agreed. Amy: So, moving on to the next reform, which is the reforms to the sexual harassment, the duty to prevent sexual harassment. We had a new duty which came in on the 26th of October. And the new duty is that the employer will take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and what the reform is doing is proposing to change that to take all reasonable steps rather than just taking reasonable steps. So, it's the inclusion of the word "all" which is important here as well.  The new duty might include things like carrying out assessments, publishing plans or policies, reporting sexual harassment and handling complaints, but actually it's a much higher bar than the current duty that we're dealing with at the moment, so that's quite an important... There were previously going to include it as all reasonable steps, and then they removed the ‘all', and then obviously now they're proposing to add that back in again. It's amazing what a small single word can do in the circumstances to increase the duty so significantly. In addition to that, they're also talking about reintroducing a duty to prevent third -party harassment. That was a previous duty that we had a few years ago and then it was repealed and they're talking about bringing that in. Whether that's a duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent third -party harassment or just to take reasonable steps remains to be seen and is subject to consultation.  This is going to have a real impact, particularly in the leisure and hospitality industry where you're working with customers potentially under the influence of alcohol and things like that as well, it's going to be quite a tricky duty to comply with and I think that was part of the reason why it was repealed previously. So that's certainly an important point and a takeaway, I think, from that element of the bill. And then in addition to that, the reforms provide that disclosures relating to sexual harassment will be protected as qualifying whistleblowing disclosures. Currently, they're not specifically protected in that way. It would have to fall normally under kind of victimization elements, but actually they're talking about increasing that and including it in a whistleblowing disclosure as well.  Charlie: Interesting, those aren't they Amy? I think, and in fact, it reminds me that we were talking only the other day about what our experience was of our clients preparing for the duty that came in only a few weeks ago to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. And what do you think about whether this change will alter the approach we've seen our clients taking so far?  Amy: Yes, it's interesting, really. Obviously, it's quite a surprise that suddenly it's brought back in again when the duty was only imposed a few weeks ago, really. And we've had a real wide change of how clients are prepared for this. Some have introduced training, have taken it extremely seriously, looked at their policies, reporting processes, all that kind of stuff. So they are essentially taking all reasonable steps already because of all of the different elements that they put in. And then other clients are quite comfortable with the current processes that they have in place. They've done very little. It's passed them by a little bit as well. I think that actually potentially that's part of the reason for reintroducing the all -reasonable steps piece, actually, to ensure that employers do take positive, proper positive steps in order to prepare for this, and I think that it will focus the mind, I think, in relation to what employers are doing there.  Certainly, it's going to increase the potential for employment tribunal claims, particularly with the whistleblowing piece, although question whether that's already protected in a different way. But certainly the third party harassment side in the hospitality industry, there has been some concern in relation to that already and it's a real hot topic about how that extension of the duty will be managed by those types of employers.  Charlie: Yeah, okay, no interesting stuff. And another change that we wanted to have a look at is the proposed changes to the Right to request flexible working. Many of our listeners will know that at the moment Employees can make a flexible working request up to two times per year and that the employee would have to deal with that request reasonably and Can then potentially refuse the request if they decide that that's what they want to do for one of those eight reasons Which are pretty wide reasons as we know The proposal here is that the government wants to try and tighten up what the rules say about refusing a request and the proposal is that employers would be able to refuse a flexible working request on specified grounds, which are the same grounds that we currently have actually, but that they'd only be able to do so if it was reasonable to rely on that ground and that in addition an employer would need to explain in writing to the employee, why their refusal is reasonable in the employer's view. So more narrow changes there, I think, to this.  Amy: Yeah, Is there much change here at all? What do you think, Charlie? I don't know.  Charlie: Yeah, it's a fair question. I think what we probably remember is that the government, when they were talking about this change prior to the election, we're using phraseology along the lines of that they wanted to make flexible working the default position for all and that only if an employer could prove that it's an unreasonable request could they get out of the obligation to allow a flexible working request. I mean, the argument I've been reading about is that the bill doesn't really go as far to do to do that at all. As all of these things are, it's subject to consultation. If all we're going to see is an adding of the requirement that the reason has to be reasonable and has to be expressed as to why that's reasonable, but it's based on the same grounds and the same obligation to follow it reasonably as a process and the same potential compensation. Ultimately, it might just ball down to employers just need to give clearer reasons as to why they're turning it down. So a lot of the talk prior to the election was about how they're going to introduce a right to a four -day working week. I saw that narrated quite a bit and this certainly doesn't get anywhere near that. So yeah, to your question, is there a lot of change here? Probably not on this one. Amy: So, I'm now going to move on to my next one, and I think you need to strap yourselves into this one because this is trade union reforms now, and there's quite a lot to go. We could have done the whole podcast on this really, so what I'm aiming to do really is just take you through the headlines of that and then talk about the key impact and insights that this proposed reform might have. So there are several provisions that have been badged as empowering workers to organised collectively through trade unions. And essentially, the Labour government are badging in the press that this is removing the red tape on trade union activity. So just to give you a little bit of the detail, and I think it's important that you understand this, is that they are intending on repealing much of the trade union act from 2016. And this includes, importantly, the requirements for at least 50 % of union members to participate in a ballot for industrial action for that industrial action to then be legal. They're also talking about repealing the requirements for 40% support amongst union members to proceed with industrial action in vital public services. And then this is a key one, reducing the notice for that needs to be given for industrial action from 14 days, which is what it is currently, once there is a successful ballot and they need to give 14 days notice of any actual strike action, they've been talking about reducing that down to seven days, so not a lot of time there at all for businesses to prepare for industrial action.  And then also kind of linked to that, they are talking about currently there is a six month mandate in place, so where there is a successful ballot for strike action, that mandate remains in place for six months. That's in consultation to increase it to a 12 -month period. So if there is a dispute, they could potentially call for strike action any time in 12 months rather than six at the moment.  So in addition to that, they're also looking at repealing the Strikes Minimum Service Act, and that was introduced not that long ago actually, to mitigate industrial action and the effect on critical sectors such as health services, education, transport, etc. And then in addition to that, there's some other reforms that I wanted to pull out. The first is that they are going to require employers to notify new employees of their right to join a union and regularly remind them of that. In addition, granting unions, and I think this is quite an important one, so granting unions the right to request workplace access to both recruit and organise, so that's not where there is a recognised trade union, that's any union can request right to a workplace. Currently they can't actually access that, they have no right of access, but they're talking about introducing the right to request, I think it's important to request that as well. And then they're also talking about simplifying the statutory recognition process, so statutory recognition of a trade union by removing the requirement for unions to secure backing of at least 40 % of the workforce in the bargaining unit in order to start that process.  The government have said that they are committed to a for consultation on this and actually that's already started and is one of the ones that's already started as well so I think that the general consensus is actually the trade union reform is going to be one of the first elements of the bill that will be introduced along with fire and rehire, just because I think that's a key part of the labour manifesto, obviously, with them being back for it so heavily by the trade unions. I think the key point here is the real impact that this is going to have on businesses. So whilst the collective voice of employees is of course important and a number of the employers that work with and focus heavily on maintaining positive industrial relations.  There is a concern that the repeal, in particular of the Trade Union Act, the reduced notice period for strikes, that could actually hinder employers' ability to manage effectively during a period of strike or industrial action. And the minimum service levels as well being repealed, there's all sorts of chatter and I've seen both sides of this in relation to that, about whether it's going to increase the burden on the public and employers and all this kind of stuff. But actually, when it was introduced, it was deeply unpopular and the consensus was, and the CIPD actually put forward a point on this as well, that they actually thought that the Minimum Services Act damaged the relationship between employers and unions as well and created this mistrust. And also, it was really of in terms of which employees were to provide that minimum service and all that kind of stuff. So it was actually quite unpopular really.  Charlie: A lot to get our heads around there, isn't there? I wonder whether employers that do unions a bit, but not a lot, but whether that's going to have quite an impact on them if all of these changes are made. There'll be a lot to change in their approach. Amy: You're absolutely right, Charlie. And I think that that's, We have these clients, don't we, that regularly deal with unions, and I do a lot of work in the union field. That's kind of my specialism, but I think that the key thing is those smaller employees that are not unionized already, the right of access for trade unions to recruit, it's certainly going to lead to further requests for recognition. And actually, because it's really unknown that some of these are smaller employees. There's a real kind of reluctance to engage with unions. There's a there is a lot of concern that surrounds that. And actually, if it is looking, and I do think that going forward, if these proposals are implemented, because of the how much easier it will be to obtain statutory recognition, there is a piece for employees that are approaching that process of statutory recognition to look at a voluntary arrangements in place, so doing a bit of work in terms of kind of trying to work with unions already, or actually implementing staff representative organisations and working more effectively with them as well, just to ensure that there is engagement and looking at it in a positive way. And just a kind of closing point on this. For those employers who have heavily unionised workforces, a lot of the clients that we work with at the moment are looking at their contingency plans for dealing with industrial action, what those might look like, because undoubtedly this is going to lead to more industrial action if it is implemented. So considering now kind of comms strategies for that, what you'll do, how you'll manage it, all that kind of stuff as well, I think is a really key takeaway from this one.  Charlie: Yeah, there are big changes there. An ally to engaging with unions actually, our seventh highlight is about collective redundancy consultation. And many of us will remember, gosh, it was it's almost 10 years ago now, the decisions in the Woolworth case when Woolworths became insolvent.  And as part of the redundancy consultation exercise, each store was deemed to be treated as a separate establishment, which meant that employees who were employed in a store that had fewer than 20 employees weren't entitled to a redundancy protective award. We've lived with that position ever since so that redundancies at an establishment are what might trigger the potentially 20 or more up to 99 and then when you get beyond 100 you're into a 45 -day consultation rather than the 30 -day consultation that applies when you're under 100. So that's the position we've left with since the Woolworth decision and that we've abided by.  So the proposal is going to remove the requirement that redundancies need to be at one establishment in relation to the duty to consult representatives and the duty to notify the Secretary of State. And what it will mean is that employers who are making redundancies, and we remember that the definition of redundancy goes beyond just the pure definition of redundancy under the Employment Rights Act, so it could encapsulate, say, any changes to terms and conditions, subject to what you were talking about earlier, Amy, and that they're going to need to top up the numbers of employees who are affected by these proposals over a rolling 90 -day period. And if they trigger the 20 or more, then that would trigger the obligation to carry out the collective consultation requirements. So a big change for employers, this is already subject to consultation as we do this podcast that opened on the 21st of October.  It goes on to ask for views on increasing the maximum protective award from the current 90 days up to 180 days, or even to removing it altogether, which would be a massive change from what we've been used to in this sphere. In addition, there's this suggestion that an employee or employees, as might well be the case, in a collector situation, might be able to apply for an interim relief application that would give them the right to continue to be paid until their case is heard, which at current rates could well be, say, a year or even more hence. So big changes here in this area. Amy: There really are and it's just picking up on one of the points that you made about the protective award. It's the only compensation award which is punitive in nature. Everything else is based on losses or injury to feelings or something like that and employment tribunals, but so increasing it is going to have a significant impact and removing it all together. I don't even know where you would start with that. Charlie: It is, I completely So that would be a profound change and a much bigger risk to employers if, say, the protected award was uncapped and not subject to a limit. I mean, it already can tot up to quite a big number, and as you say, being a putative award, they tend to say, well, we'll start at the top of the range and reduce it if we think you've done things that And, you know, it can actually, when you're looking at the numbers involved, it can be quite a big liability for businesses. And what I can see is that this is going to just create potential more banana skins for businesses if they're going to have to look at 90 -day rolling periods. You take a multiple site larger business, they're going to need to look potentially across their whole business and see whether they trigger the numbers. And a lot of businesses might not have the systems in place to ensure that that gets picked up all the time. So big changes would be needed for businesses if this is what happens.  Amy: Absolutely. And I don't think, I like the use of the word banana skins, by the way, Charlie, that certainly we should use that more often is that it's creating more banana skins for businesses. But yeah, interesting point and probably something that's not going to be that welcomed by employers, I would say potentially either. Yeah, like a few of the changes we're describing, that this is not one that employers are likely to find very welcome.  Amy: No, just a couple of kind of notes to point. So, the eighth one that we've picked out is actually the single enforcement body. We don't have a lot of information on this, we just thought it was quite interesting. And so, what they're allowing, the bill allows for the establishment of a new fair work agency. And what this is going to do is enable enforcement of labour market legislation, which includes legislation relating to holiday pay and SSP by the Secretary of State. It's anticipated that this agency is going to bring together all the different government agencies and enforcement bodies with the aim to create what they say is a stronger, recognizable single organization that people know where to go to for help. And just to point just an observation on this really, it talks about people to know where to go to help.  And obviously they mean employers there and they're looking at kind of enforcement of different elements of it. But actually also from our perspective kind of feeding into the consultation, looking at whether there should be better support for employers as well, particularly smaller employers who really want to comply with the law. And it's very complicated. There's lots of banana skins, as Charlie mentioned before, but actually ensuring that they have the assistance where they want to have that compliance to actually work with them. So, we very much welcome the single enforcement body, but actually looking at it from a kind of wider perspective so that all stakeholders who will engage with them are properly involved because it's not always the case at the moment with some of the enforcement bodies that we have currently.  Charlie: Yeah and let's look at our ninth highlight which is some of the day one leave rights and the new bereavement leave entitlements. So the plan is that the government wants to remove the qualifying period for unpaid parental leave which presently is that eight weeks entitlement to leave up to a child's 18th birthday and the two week statutory paternity leave rights. The idea is that they will make those day one rights for employees. And in addition to that, another point to flag is the new day one right to bereavement leave. So this is any employee that's going to be bereaved. And the current thinking is that it would be up to two weeks bereavement leave paid at statutory rates. If it's a child that the individual is bereaved for and one week if it's not a child. So we'll need to get more detail around this. The relationship, for example, with the deceased isn't clear at the moment and things like, you know, how to exercise the right to the entitlement or no doubt be fleshed out in regulations as time goes on. But some changes there that I So, some of the clients that we work with already allow some of those rights in a more enhanced way than they already existed. That might not be seen as a big change for many businesses.  Amy: Yeah, I think you're right there, Charlie. It kind of reflects the direction of travel that we're seeing at the moment, aren't we, in terms of kind of support for employees and all that kind of stuff as well, certainly. I don't think that's going to be one of the biggest changes out of all of the bills.  So, The final takeaway that Charlie and I had from the bill is actually what's not in the bill. It's not an element of it, it's what wasn't there. And I think we've touched on a couple of these already in terms of the kind of fire and rehire and zero hours, we expected there to be more in relation to that than they actually ended up being as well. But also in relation to that, and alongside the bill, there was a next steps document which had been published and outlined, amongst other things, how the government was going to deal with the promises that it made in its manifesto that have not been covered off in the bill.  So just to pick out a couple of those things that weren't in there and how they're going to be dealt with. And the first one is this right to switch off, the right to disconnect, which is another one that's hit the press. And obviously, I think it's the French, isn't it, Charlie, that they have this right to disconnect as well currently so kind of following on from what they had introduced and what this means essentially is that employees are prevented from being contacted out of hours and they're talking about introducing that still but by way of a statutory code of practice, so slightly different in terms of how that will be introduced. And then the much anticipated and very important element that relates to the Equality, Race and Disability bill. And what that is, is that we'll make it mandatory for large employees to report on their ethnicity and disability pay gaps, much in the same way as they already have to report on their gender pay gaps, which I think is a welcome addition in there as well. And they're also starting a consultation, they're committed to starting a consultation on a move towards the single status of worker and talking about transitioning towards a simpler two -part framework for employment status.  This has been in discussion for years and years now because employment status is super complicated, overly complicated. The legislation isn't fit for purpose. It's confusing for everybody involved in it and kind of links with all the zero hours stuff and all these other bits as well. I do wonder whether that was kind of put into the too hard box. They were rushing to get through the parts of the bill, they were rushing to get through all of that. And potentially that was put into a bit of a too hard box, I'm not sure, really. Certainly something that requires further consideration, along with reviewing the TUPE legislation as well, which has been in discussion really since Brexit, so that's quite an important element that needs some exploration and there will be a consultation on those.  Charlie: Gosh, so that's our 10, isn't it, isn't it Amy? We could have picked another 10 if we'd wanted to talk about because there's so much in the bill. It was being trailed as the biggest reform to employment rights in a generation and I think it's fair to say it probably meets that brief, doesn't it?  There's so much in there that's being proposed as new ways of interpreting a lot of the existing and new rights. So one of the things that I think you and I have both said, haven't we, is that the likelihood is this is going to place an increased strain on the Employment Tribunal Service and on ACAS, and it's unclear how an already stretched service is going to be able to cope withwhat's likely to be an increase in demand, isn't it?  Amy: Yeah, absolutely, Charlie. I mean, just to put it into context, I has a hearing listed in one of the London tribunals who are particularly overwhelmed at the moment. It was listed last week and that was listed for March 2027. It's a 15 -day hearing, so it's a long hearing, but the dismissal took place in 2021. So, it's just a huge amount of time and it's in no one's interest in those circumstances, not the employee, not the employer. Nobody involved in that process for things to take so long to get to a conclusion. So, we've already got a hugely overwhelmed tribunal system, so it'd be interesting to see what funding is proposed to the system to support them in dealing with the undoubtedly significant load that they will be having to deal with as part of that. Whether the single enforcement body will have some kind of involvement in that for certain types of enforcement of rights they might be taken away from the tribunal and put into that, we don't know. Again, over to consultation, it'd be interesting to see what happens with that. But certainly, there's additional work to be done on the periphery to ensure that this bill, if it's going to be the biggest shake -up, then it needs to have a system that reflects that as well. So the enforcement piece is really important and making sure that's fit for purpose.  Charlie: Yeah, no, that's a definite case of watch this space. And I think there's many people that might be a bit worried about the extent to which the system can cope. Anyway, let's wrap up because we've covered a lot here and I think our only reminders and maybe main takeaways are we don't know when these changes are going to take place. We're expecting them to be in 2026. So, what that means is employers, businesses, employees have got time to adjust to what's coming down the path and there's going to be a lot of consultations we think next year into 2025. That will put a lot of flesh on the bone.  That will pick out a lot of the points that we've been covering in some of the topics we've talked about today. So I think we'd encourage all of our clients and contacts to keep an eye on the developments. We at TLT will certainly be updating through our regular updates and through these podcasts on any of the changes that we see starting to take shape in due course. If you don't, subscribe to our updates. There's a note notes on this podcast as to how you can do so if you wish to. But other than that, thanks for listening. Amy and I have enjoyed chatting through all of these 10 topics today and we'll look forward to hopefully have you as a listener on our next series of these podcasts.  Amy: Yeah, thanks very much. See you at the next one. The information in this podcast is for general guidance only and represents our understanding of the relevant law and practice at the time of recording. We recommend you seek specific advice for specific cases. Please visit our website for our full terms and conditions.

From the Netherlands to South America and back again  In this episode, I am in conversation with Dita Bruijn, the Director North Sea of P&O Ferries. Dita is a true global maritime professional with an exciting career in the liner business who has now taken on the challenge of working with ferries. She is very interested in the digital transformation the maritime industry is experiencing.    Dita Bruijn is passionate about shipping. You can hear that from her way of describing the industry to young people who she is engaging with, showing them the exciting stuff you, as a young person, can work with.    Please let me know what you think about episode 205, and give Dita a shoutout for being such a great role model for the industry!   Thanks for listening.  

In this week's Talking Travel Feature, Harry discusses the long-awaited announcement of the opening of the Elizabeth line, and the resumption of services by P&O Ferries across the Channel.

A Kent actor has spoken exclusively to the KentOnline Podcast about the abuses he suffered as a child at the hands of a man considered a family friend. Stuart Antony from Gravesend, who's appeared in EastEnders and The Bill, reported his abuser to police in 2016. He's waived his right to anonymity after 62-year-old Billy Nutt from Week Street in Maidstone was jailed for 18 years. Also in today's podcast, for the first time since they sacked almost 800 staff nearly six weeks ago, P&O Ferries have resumed sailings from Dover. Workers have been replaced with lower paid agency staff. Hear today from the RMT Union and the transport secretary. A Kent mum who's been told there's no place for her son at a local school says she's prepared to go to court. 11 year-old Sam Horsley from Hartley has autism and needs to go to a specialist secondary in September. A Kent PCSO is being remembered a year after she was killed while walking her dog. Julia James was attacked in woodland not far from her home in Snowdown between Canterbury and Dover. And in sport, Gillingham are still in with a chance of avoiding relegation from league one. We've got details of why fans were nervously watching Fleetwood Town's result last night.

A union boss has spoken of his concerns about safety after it was confirmed P&O Ferries will resume sailings from Dover this week. It's more than five weeks since the company unexpectedly sacked almost 800 workers. Those staff have been replaced with lower paid agency crew. Darren Proctor from the RMT Union fears their schedule could lead to a fatality. Also in today's podcast, hear from our reporter Sean McPolin who has been at the scene of a stabbing in Maidstone. A Medway charity has seen a huge increase in the number of people needing help to afford food. As the cost of living crisis continues, we've been speaking to the founder of Gillingham Street Angels after they were named overall winners at the Pride in Medway awards. It looks like an independent regulator will oversee English football, after the government gave its backing to key proposals from a fan-led review led by a Kent MP. 10 recommendations will be endorsed, including measures to give supporters more say. Chatham and Aylesford's Tracey Crouch has been overseeing the review. It's hoped the Great British Rail Sale will boost tourism in Kent over the next month. Half price tickets can be used from today as part of a scheme to encourage people to use the trains again after Covid. In sport, Gillingham's future in league one is looking rather uncertain after they suffered a 3-1 defeat at the weekend. They're back in the drop zone on goal difference following Saturday's trip to take on Portsmouth at Fratton Park - hear from manager Neil Harris.

The government is being urged to come up with a solution to Operation Brock on the M20 which has entered a third week. Lorries are having to park on the coastbound carriageway while they wait to cross the Channel. Capacity is reduced as P&O Ferries remain unable to sail following safety checks. Staying with transport news and there's a warning for drivers about planned weekend closures of the M2. Also in today's podcast, find out why armed police have been in Dartford and Folkestone. The owner of a wine bar in Rochester fears he was the victim of a 'vendetta' over noise complaints - which have now been withdrawn. Hear from Sanjay Raval who runs the City Wall in the High Street. Thousands of children and their parents in Kent have been finding out which primary school they'll be going to in September. Hear from a legal expert on what to do if you didn't get your first choice. An 11-year-old boy who recently managed to flee war-torn Ukraine has been the guest of honour at Gillingham's Priestfield stadium. On the pitch, there was frustration as their game with Fleetwood Town ended goalless. Hear from manager Neil Harris.

We start this week's episode of Work Stoppage checking in on the fallout from P&O Ferries illegally laying off their entire workforce without warning.  Three weeks later and their fleet is still out of service, leading to massive shipping and travel delays in the UK. Next we discuss the end of the striking IBEW workers at WTTW, where the three week strike seems to have ended largely in defeat with a concession filled contract.  25,000 healthcare workers in Finland are on strike, demanding fair wages and an end to short staffing.  We cover the police raid on the headquarters of the Unione Sindacale di Base in Italy after they have led several anti-imperialist protests. Then we discuss the potential move by the NLRB to ban captive audience meetings and what the general outlook of the labor movement should be to NLRB rulings.  We had another major victory for organizing in higher education this week, as 4000 MIT graduate students voted to unionize with the UE.  Finally, we do our weekly check-in with Starbucks Workers United, where workers have won an incredible nine more union elections over the past week, bringing their total to 18 recognized union stores. If you like the show, please support us at patreon.com/workstoppage.  We couldn't do the show without your support, and patrons get access to evergreen Overtime episodes and periodic Shop Floor Discussion episodes on current issues too long to cover in our regular episodes. Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX Follow the pod @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter, John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee.

Speakers Corner Steve is back with us for our weekend look through some of the news stories we couldn't ignore! Expect straight talking and free speech in abundance as we discuss Prince Harry shamefully missing his grandfathers memorial service, Brexit Britain and London ranks No 1 in global ranking of cities, criminal investigations begin after shock sacking of 800 staff by P&O Ferries, migrant workers in Qatar forced to pay out huge amounts in fees, another kick in the teeth for the brave grooming gang survivors in Rotherham as head detective cleared of any wrong doing, voting fraud warning in London borough of Tower Hamlets which has a history of election scandal. In the Ukraine Russia conflict Putin bans any mention of Roman Abramovich after the alleged poisoning of the billionaire, Russian troops flee Chernobyl with radiation sickness, Poland will end Russian energy imports by the end of the year and urges The EU to do the same and finally, British pub chain owner Tim Martin wants to turn Buckingham Palace into a Wetherspoons and says The Queen will always be welcome to pop in for a drink! Steve has been a regular face at the world famous Speakers Corner in Hyde Park for the past 20 years and is a passionate advocate of free speech. He stands against extremism and racism of all kinds. He positions himself in the middle politically, holding a mix of Right and Left wing views. Originally from the South Coast of England, Steve is a lifelong Atheist, an all round good egg and was also an active Brexiteer !! Follow Steve on Twitter https://twitter.com/SteveRightNLeft and on GETTR https://gettr.com/user/steve4reformuk Originally broadcast 2.4.22 Audio Podcast version available at ⁣https://heartsofoak.podbean.com/ and all major podcast directories. To sign up for our weekly email, find our social media, podcasts, video, livestreaming platforms and more go to https://heartsofoak.org/connect/ Please like, subscribe & share! Links to the stories from this episode London clings onto top spot in global cities ranking. The city came out on top for innovation in the Schroders index, reflecting its place as the favoured home of more ‘unicorn' companies - a startup company with a value of over $1 billion - than https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1588375/Brexit-news-london-schroders-index-top-spot-ranking-global-cities Prince Harry savaged as he skips Prince Philip memorial service reunion with Queen PRINCE HARRY has been accused of doing 'nothing but feeding his chickens' in California as he missed the memorial service for his grandfather, Prince Philip in London today. https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1587857/prince-harry-news-savaged-no-attendance-prince-philip-memorial-vn Criminal and civil investigations opened into P&O Ferries mass sacking of 800 staff - LBC The Insolvency Service has started formal criminal and civil investigations into the decision by P&O Ferries to sack nearly 800 workers, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has said. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote on Twitter: "The Insolvency Service has reviewed P&O Ferries' actions and placed ... https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/criminal-civil-investigations-p-and-o-ferries-sack-800-staff Revealed: migrant workers in Qatar forced to pay billions in recruitment fees. The total cost incurred by Qatar's low-wage migrant workforce is likely to be far higher because workers from other labour-sending countries in south Asia and Africa also pay high fees. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/31/migrant-workers-in-qatar-forced-to-pay-billions-in-recruitment-fees-world-cup Rotherham: Grooming gang detective cleared of misconduct https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-60940507 Voting fraud warning in Tower Hamlets ahead of local elections. A warning has been sounded over voting fraud in a London borough previously rocked by an election scandal. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/voting-fraud-tower-hamlets-local-elections-lutfur-rahman-kemi-badenoch-b991148.html Putin BANS any mention of Roman Abramovich on state media after the billionaire was poisoned. The move to write the Chelsea owner, 55, out of TV and news agency reports comes after the billionaire was 'poisoned' with a suspected chemical warfare agent in Kyiv early March. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10668793/Putin-BANS-mention-Roman-Abramovich-state-media-billionaire-poisoned.html Russian soldiers fled Chernobyl with radiation sickness, says Ukraine Russian forces occupying the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have left the site after receiving high doses of radiation from digging into contaminated soil, Ukrainian officials have claimed. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/russian-soldiers-fled-chernobyl-radiation-sickness-ukraine-b991862.html 'We waited for you!': Locals cheer for troops in Ukraine's Chernihiv. Footage purports to show a Ukrainian brigade equipped with a tank and several rocket-propelled grenade launchers marching through a small village outside the city of Chernihiv. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10676643/Heroes-welcome-advancing-Ukrainian-troops-village-occupied-Russians-weeks.html Poland to EU: Follow our lead on scrapping Russian energy Poland will end all imports of Russian energy by the end of this year, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Wednesday, calling the step “the most radical plan” of any EU country. "We're calling for everyone in Europe to follow our footsteps," Morawiecki said. https://www.politico.eu/article/follow-my-lead-on-scrapping-russian-energy-poland-tells-the-eu/ And finally (not an April fools joke): Tim Martin wants to turn Buckingham Palace into a Wetherspoons now Queen has left - LBC The chain has a reputation for converting unconventional buildings into pubs, such as an old cinemas, ballrooms and opera houses. http://www.lbc.co.uk/news/tim-martin-buckingham-palace-wetherspoons

Since firing 800 of its employees with no warning, P&O Ferries has faced mounting pressure from the government and calls for CEO Peter Hebblethwaite to resign. How did this happen? And what's on the horizon for the embattled company?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Ben Clatworthy, Transport Correspondent, The Times.Host: Calum Macdonald.Clips: The Telegraph, BBC News, Sky News, ITV, DP World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The family of an Aylesford woman say their grief is 'unbearable and unimaginable' after she died in a crash in Sussex. Aimee Williams was one of two people killed when three vehicles collided on Monday. Hear their tribute in full. Also in today's podcast, the transport secretary says P&O Ferries will be forced to "rethink" its decision to sack 800 employees. Grant Shapps wants ports, including Dover, to refuse access to ships carrying workers paid below the minimum wage. Hear what he's had to say in the commons. It's the final day to be able to get hold of free Covid tests in Kent. From tomorrow, if you think you've got coronavirus and want to do a test, you'll have to pay for a lateral flow kit - we've been speaking to Medway GP Dr Julian Spinks. Find out why people living in part of Canterbury are keeping their doors shut. We have the latest on the crazy weather to hit Kent. And, Oti Mabuse has been chatting about her show that's coming to the county this summer. 'I am here' is a direct translation of the former Strictly pro's name and pays tribute to where she grew up in South Africa.

It's now 11 days since P&O Ferries sailings between Dover and Calais were suspended after they sacked almost 800 staff. Today, two of the company's rivals are having talks with minister amid concerns of chaos at ports over Easter. Hear from our business editor Chris Britcher on how legislation is being used in a bid to force the company to rehire their workers. Also in today's podcast, a crunch meeting this week could decide if a project dubbed Kent's answer to Disneyland will ever be built. It's 10 years since the idea of London Resort on the Swanscombe peninsula was first announced - we've been speaking to Dartford MP Gareth Johnson. People living on an estate in Maidstone are angry about an experimental closure of a busy junction. Cranborne Avenue on the Shepway estate, leads onto the A229 Loose Road but the route is being blocked to traffic - hear from residents. A Kent woman has told the podcast she wishes new changes to divorce laws had happened earlier. From next Wednesday, couples will be allowed to leave each other without forcing blame - meaning they can split more amicably. 'Shelley' says it would have made her divorce process a lot easier. And, hear from the Gillingham boss and one of the weekend goalscorers following their 2-1 win over Accrington Stanley. The result means the Gills are now four points clear of the league one relegation zone.

P&O Ferries and the 800 workers they let go without notice or consultation. Did they break the law, have they committed a criminal offence and what does the statute say the consequences of their actions are. Also, Kehoe has a new part-time job.

The transport secretary has called on the boss of P&O Ferries to step down immediately. It's just over a week since sailings between Dover and Calais were suddenly suspended and 800 workers sacked without notice. Hear what Grant Shapps has had to say. Also in today's podcast, a Maidstone based physio has been suspended after having an affair with a patient. A Canterbury nurse who's preparing to welcome two Ukrainian refugees to her home, says the process of helping them reach the UK could be made simpler. The government set up a website earlier this month for anyone willing to offer accommodation to register their interest. Hear from Heidi Whittaker who's making her spare room available. Young people in Kent due to finish school this summer are being encouraged to look at careers in the digital industry. Figures show over half of 16-24-year-old's think a job in the sector is complicated and young women in particular reckon that's the case. We've spoken to the founder of Maidstone based Reflect Digital. Celeb chef Mark Sargeant has revealed he's going to be opening a new restaurant in Folkestone. And, we chat to the Gillingham goalkeeper ahead of their trip to Accrington Stanley this weekend.

This week, Jared along with Geoffrey and Sam discuss the sacking of 800 workers by P&O ferries, the case of child Q, the new charges brought against Wayne Cousins and some updates on the situation in Ukraine. All the views expressed on this podcast are the speakers own and do not reflect the views of East Norfolk as an institution. Edited by Dylan.

BEERG's Tom Hayes chats with David Hopper and Vince Toman of Lewis Silkin about the controversy arising for P&O ferries decision to make 800 UK based seafarers redundant. The discussion was recorded on March 25th one day after a UK Parliamentary committee hearing where MPs took the P&O management to task over their actions and questioned UK ministers on their response, specifically lacunas in the UK's laws, which the UK government says it will speedily address.

After some discussion about the transition to new leadership at the Teamsters, our first story on this week's episode of Work Stoppage covers the recent walkouts at 3 Amazon facilities carried out by Amazonians United.  Then we hit the weekly quota of Starbucks coverage discussing the return of Howard Schultz as CEO, the refusal of the company to stop its aggressive union busting campaign, and a strike by Starbucks workers in Kansas City.  Next we discuss an awful story out of the UK, where 800 workers at one of the country's largest ferry companies, P&O Ferries, were summarily fired by a 3 minute zoom recording with no prior warning.  Also this week, 500 workers at the Richmond oil refinery in the Bay Area have gone on strike over wages not covering soaring costs of living.  Airport workers in Italy refused to continue work this week after discovering that so called “humanitarian aid” they were loading onto a transport plane was in fact weapons being sent by NATO, prompting protests from the workers and their union.  Finally, teachers and education workers in San Francisco staged a 3 day sit in at the headquarters of the Unified School District to protest unpaid wages during a payroll system changeover. Video of P&O boss laying off workers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04lx6GiFyyE  If you like the show, please support us at patreon.com/workstoppage.  We couldn't do the show without your support, and patrons get access to evergreen Overtime episodes and periodic Shop Floor Discussion episodes on current issues too long to cover in our regular episodes. Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX Follow the pod @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter, John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee.

In our weekly employment podcast, David Hossack and Lindsey Cartwright discuss the recent high profile mass dismissals involving employees of P&O Ferries and consider the legal issues involved.

On this episode of Dewbs & Co. former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib, Professor of Political Economy & International Relations Lee Jones and teacher and author Kevin Rooney join Michelle Dewbury to take on the top stories in an authentic, unvarnished and unashamedly way on the side of the unheard.They look back on a month since Russia invaded Ukraine as further spending on weapons and aid is announced, as well as P&O Ferries boss admitting that he did break employment law in the way that he sacked 800 workers. Also, Dewbs & Co. discuss Prince William apologising for slavery during his visit to Jamaica and Professor Chris Whitty's call for the public to keep testing for coronavirus. All that on today's episode of Dewbs & Co. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our weekly employment podcast, David Hossack and Lindsey Cartwright discuss the recent high profile mass dismissals involving employees of P&O Ferries and consider the legal issues involved.

P&O Ferries caused outrage last week (17 March) when it sacked 800 crew members to replace them with “cheap agency workers from eastern Europe” overnight. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull East, Karl Turner, who has been on King George Dock advocating for local workers who lost their jobs. They discuss the stand-off between the company and workers who refused to leave their ships, working conditions for foreign agency staff who can be paid as little as £1.81 an hour, and why this could lead to another “disaster” at sea. If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.ukPodcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for 12 weeks for just £1 a week. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A driver has been taken to hospital after a bus crashed into houses in Tunbridge Wells. Emergency crews were called to Greggs Wood Road at about 8pm yesterday. Hear from our reporter Sean McPolin who's spoken to a neighbour who heard it happen. Also in today's podcast, P&O Ferries have been given until 5pm to explain why 800 workers were sacked without notice. Hear from some of Kent's MPs who've been debating the issue in the Commons. A Sittingbourne woman has spoken about the moment her step-son pretended to be asleep as a burglar stood at his bedroom door. Their home was targeted by so-called creeper burglars who took keys and stole the family's car. Businesses on one of Kent's high streets have signed up to be safe spaces to help women and girls feel safer. Anyone who's been a victim of a crime, or is feeling uneasy or lost can go there to be looked after until experts are called if necessary. Hear from Kent's police and crime commissioner who bid for funding so it could happen. And, find out which Olympic star will be getting an honorary degree from the University of Kent at a ceremony this evening.

Episode 92In episode 92 – Chris answers a listener's question around the topical subject of why P&O Ferries may look similar but are in fact not connected to P&O Cruises (UK or Australia). P&O Cruises is part of the Carnival Corporation, whilst P&O Ferries falls under a Dubai-based company DP World. And of course, we round out the show with the latest cruise news… and what a week it has been in cruise news.Image Credit: Pride of Dover, P&O Ferries, DP WorldSupport the showListen, Like, Subscribe & Review on your favourite podcast directory.Share the podcast with someone you think will enjoy the showBuy Me A Coffee – This podcast is only possible thanks to our supporters, simply buying a coffee keeps us on air. It is just like shouting your mate a coffee, and we consider our listeners close mates. https://bit.ly/2T2FYGXSustainable Fashion – choose a TBCP design or design your own… all using organic cotton, green energy and zero plastic https://bit.ly/32G7RdhSupport Chris in his walk from Cape to Cape: All donations support zero2hero empowering young people to deal with mental health.  https://donate.mycause.com.au/cause/263123?donateToMember=156839Cruise NewsAustralian Cruise Ban to officially end on 17 Apr 22. P&O Cruises Australia Sets Course to Resume Cruising in May with New 2022 ProgramP&O Cruises Australia has flagged a return to cruising at the end of May, with the launch of a new 2022 program of sailings from Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.The move follows the Federal Government's decision to lift the cruise ban from April 17 – a major development and the first critical step to enable cruising and its contribution to the national economy to resume after the two-year suspension of operations.Under the new program, Australian cruising will now resume when Pacific Explorer sails from Sydney on May 31 on a four-night roundtrip cruise to Brisbane, where the ship is scheduled to make the first call at the city's new cruise terminal on June 2. Pacific Explorer will then sail from Sydney on a series of Queensland and South Pacific cruises until late October, replacing Pacific Adventure's scheduled program. While most cruise itineraries will remain unaltered by the change of ships, a 10-night cruise to Vanuatu departing June 1 has been replaced with three shorter domestic cruises.Pacific Adventure will now begin her maiden season of cruises from Sydney on October 22, when Pacific Explorer will sail to Adelaide for a new mini-season of four cruises. Pacific Explorer will redeploy to Melbourne in November for three months, before returning to Adelaide in February 2023 for a longer season of nine cruises.Meanwhile, the Brisbane debut of Pacific Encounter has been rescheduled from June 4 to August 20, 2022, prompting the cancellation of 15 cruises.Princess Announces Restart Plans in Australia – Coral Princess to Sail from QueenslandPrincess Cruises today announced its planned resumption of cruising in Australia, with Coral Princess set to debut in Brisbane on June 16 for her inaugural season Down Under.In a move worth an estimated $60 million dollars to the Queensland economy, the 2000-guest ship will be homeported in Brisbane for 11 new departures ranging from 3-12 nights between June and August before returning for another 10 cruises this summer from November.The MedallionClass ship will make 48 calls to the State's ports this year, including her first visits to Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays, Cairns and Port Douglas.Meanwhile Coral Princess' sister ships, Grand Princess and Majestic Princess, will make a further six calls to Queensland ports as part of their scheduled Australian season sailing from Sydney and Melbourne.Highlights of the new winter program include:Six short getaway cruises from Brisbane and Sydney – perfect seacations for those with busy schedules.Five 7-day Queensland roundtrip cruises from Brisbane, sailing to Cairns, Port Douglas, and Airlie Beach (for the Whitsundays).A new 7-day New South Wales Coast roundtrip from Brisbane, with a maiden call to Eden (Sapphire Coast), Sydney, and Newcastle.A new 12-day Queensland and New South Wales voyage, sailing roundtrip from Brisbane.A new 12-day Queensland and the Conflict Islands voyage, roundtrip Sydney or Brisbane, crossing the Coral Sea to visit the stunning and remote Conflict Islands in Papua New Guinea.The winter program will be open for sale from 9am AEDT on 24 March, 2022Two Quantum Class Ships to Call Australia Home Royal Caribbean International will make its long-awaited return to Australia with two Quantum class ships sailing from Brisbane and Sydney from Oct 2022.The milestone is more than two years in the making, with both Ovation of the Seas (pictured) and Quantum of the Seas to offer a range of adventures.This season, cruisers will be able to take in the sights from North Star – the highest viewing deck on a cruise ship; or the RipCord by iFLY skydiving experience. Travellers can also catch a wave on the FlowRider surf simulator, or take to new heights on the RCI rock climbing wall.Holland America Line Speeds Up Embarkation Process with mBark Facial Recognition and VeriFLY Vaccine Verification ProgramHolland America Line is enhancing the preboarding guest experience and making embarkation easier by adding the use of mBark facial recognition and the VeriFLY vaccine verification program in all U.S., Canadian and European homeportsmBark is a mobile system that enables guests to check in for their cruise in less than 10 seconds, while the VeriFLY digital wallet for COVID-19 credentials offers a proven solution for proof of vaccination and test results.With mBark facial recognition, guests who load their photo and all necessary pretravel information to Holland America Line's website prior to embarkation will be able to use the touchless system. Following a quick face scan, guests can move through the check-in process in about 10 seconds, significantly reducing embarkation time. SKO Systems, based in London, England, designed and implemented mBark for Holland America Line.VeriFLY gives guests the option to upload the required information to the app, including proof of vaccination and test results, providing a way to go through the screening process prior to arrival at the terminal. Once registration is complete, guests simply need to show the VeriFLY QR code or “pass” (digital or printed) to the check-in agent. VeriFLY has a successful record of serving dozens of airlines, cruise lines, hotels and a variety of industries. The VeriFLY app is available for download at Google Play and the Apple App Store.Global pop superstar Katy Perry names Godmother of Norwegian PrimaNorwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel, announced today that world famous pop icon and “American Idol” judge Katy Perry will serve as the godmother to its record-breaking and innovative newest ship, Norwegian Prima, debuting August 2022.As godmother, Perry will not only fulfil the longstanding maritime tradition of blessing and officially naming Norwegian Prima, the first of six vessels in the Prima Class, but she will perform during the christening ceremony before Norwegian Prima sets sail on its inaugural voyages from Reykjavík, Iceland, where the vessel will be the first major cruise ship christened in the Icelandic capital.A vital and familiar element of any ship launch and dating back centuries, the highly regarded tradition of appointing a ship's godmother is a fundamental nautical custom during which the selected godmother officiates a ceremonial breaking of a champagne bottle on the ship's bow to bid the vessel and its traveller's good fortune.“My most favorite way to vacation with my family is on the water. Every morning that you wake up, you get to experience an incredible new view,” said Katy Perry “I love that I get to christen her with my good vibrations, and I'm so excited for this new, beautiful, high-end, high-tech ship to take the seas, and provide once-in-a-lifetime vacations for so many families.”Launching August 2022, Norwegian Prima will offer inaugural voyages to Northern Europe from Southampton, England; Amsterdam; and Reykjavík, Iceland beginning 12 August.; Bermuda sailings from New York City beginning 6 October. and Caribbean itineraries from Galveston, Texas and Miami beginning 27 October.  To commemorate this exciting partnership and celebrating other entertainment headliners that will be featured on Norwegian Prima, NCL has put together a celebratory Spotify playlist.MSC Grandiosa now dedicated to the Norwegian Fjords for Summer 2022MSC Cruises' has announced that MSC Grandiosa will now be fully dedicated to the Norwegian Fjords for the entire Northern Hemisphere summer 2022 season. This sees one of MSC Cruises' most modern and environmentally advanced ships offering stand-out seven-night itineraries in one of the most stunning regions in Northern Europe. As a result, MSC Cruises will offer an unparalleled choice of itineraries to guests wanting to discover this unique part of the world this Northern Hemisphere summer, as MSC Preziosa and MSC Poesia also offer additional seven-night options next to MSC Grandiosa across the Norwegian Fjords regionMSC Grandiosa will perform spectacular seven-night itineraries from Kiel, Germany calling at the colourful capital city of Denmark, Copenhagen. The ship then heads north to Norway, calling at the breath-taking village of Hellesylt while experiencing the splendour of Sunnylvsfjord, sail through Aurlandsfjord on the way to the panoramic port town of Alesund and stunning Flam village.MSC Cruises had previously confirmed that the Line would suspend calls to St Petersburg, Russia and as such, MSC Grandiosa will now be fully dedicated to the Fjords region while MSC Poesia and MSC Preziosa will still call in the Baltics but with St Petersburg replaced with other popular destinations in the region like Stockholm, Tallinn and Visby.Cunard's London Theatre at Sea voyage to be Headlined by Olivier Award Winning Actress Sharon D. Clarke MBELuxury cruise line Cunard will stage its first London Theatre at Sea with the Olivier Awards voyage, curated by Society of London Theatre's Chief Executive, Julian Bird, this May.Sailing from New York to London on board flagship Queen Mary 2, the exclusive voyage will feature performances from some of the theatre world's finest talent, including Oliver Award for Best Actress winner, Sharon D. Clarke MBE, Olivier Award for Best Actor winner Matt Henry MBE, film, theatre and television actress and producer, Susie McKenna and Conductor and Orchestrator Larry Blank.The seven-night crossing, which departs New York on May 15, 2022, will be supported with a roster of workshops, talks and Q&As from industry insiders.Guests will be able to take part in acting masterclasses with performers and learn the tricks of the trade from luminaries such as Andreane Neofitou, the costume designer behind Les Misérables and Miss Saigon.For the first time, Cunard will be introducing an “Oliviers Gala Evening,” which will feature entertainment from headliners throughout the evening, as well as a never-seen-before show, “Olivier Awards in Concert” that has been created for this voyage by Society of London Theatre's Julian Bird. The concert will take place in the Royal Court Theatre and pay homage to the Olivier Awards' last 45 years in a dazzling one-off production with cast and orchestra.Global Adventurer, Mountaineer & Polar-Explorer, Alison Levine name Godmother of Seabourn Venture. Seabourn, the ultra-luxury expedition experience, is delighted to announce that global adventurer, mountaineer and polar-explorer Alison Levine will serve as Godmother of Seabourn Venture, the first of the line's two new ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition vessels. Levine will be on board and in the spotlight for the traditional naming and christening of the ship, which is set to launch in July 2022.Levine is an idyllic choice for Godmother of Seabourn Venture, which is being built to seek out adventure and natural wonders around the world. A native of Phoenix, she served as team captain of the first American Women's Everest Expedition in 2002, and in 2010 completed her bid for the Explorer's Grand Slam which includes climbing the Seven Summits – the highest peak on each continent – as well as skiing to the North and South Poles.Levine has also seen success in the business world. She earned her MBA from Duke University and worked in the pharmaceutical industry as well as on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs. After turns as deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger's successful bid to become Governor of California and as an adjunct professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, she went on to become one of the world's most in-demand leadership consultants and keynote speakers. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller, “On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and Other Extreme Environments”, which chronicles the lessons she learned on her various expeditions. In 2019 she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award she shares with seven U.S. Presidents and numerous Nobel Prize winners.Levine has also shared her experiences, insights and tales of adventure with guests of Seabourn through Seabourn Conversations, the line's popular onboard enrichment program, aboard Seabourn Sojourn in December 2019. It was her first-ever cruise – a trip she never thought she would do – but she admits she is hooked and looks forward to more travels by ship in the future. Seabourn Venture and its sister expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, will feature 132 luxurious oceanfront veranda suites and take travelers to some of the most awe-inspiring places in the world, some of which are only accessed by ship. Viking Expands European River Fleet with Naming of Eight New Ships and Marks Beginning of 2022 River SeasonViking welcomed eight new river ships to its award-winning fleet during a celebration in Paris. Of the eight new Viking Longships®, four ships – Viking Fjorgyn, Viking Kari, Viking Radgrid and Viking Skaga – are built specifically to navigate the Seine River and bring guests to the heart of Paris with an exclusive docking location at Port de Grenelle, just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. The four additional ships – Viking Egdir, Viking Gersemi, Viking Gymir and Viking Hervor – will sail Viking's popular itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.The naming of the new river ships comes as Viking continues its 25th anniversary and a year of multiple milestones. In January 2022, the company launched Viking Expeditions and its first Polar Class vessel, the Viking Octantis®. By the end of the year, Viking will have also welcomed a second identical expedition ship, as well as two new identical ocean ships, new purpose-built vessels for the Nile and Mekong rivers and new Mississippi River voyages.Viking Naming CeremonyIn keeping with maritime tradition that dates back thousands of years, Viking invited eight distinguished cultural partners and important members of the company's extended family to serve as ceremonial godmothers of the new ships. The honored godmothers include:Alma Deutscher, Godmother of Viking Gymir – A musical phenomenon, Alma captivates the classical world with her talents as a violinist, pianist, composer and conductor, and at just 17 years old was hailed as the “new Mozart” at an early age. She recently appeared on an episode of Viking's award-winning enrichment channel, Viking.TV (Anne Diamond Welcomes Back Composer and Musician Alma Deutscher), where she discussed her upcoming concert series, which will be exclusive for Viking guests on select river voyages visiting Vienna.Helen Deutscher, Godmother of Viking Egdir – A violinist, pianist and vocalist, Helen is an accomplished musician who honed her musical and performance skills at the Music Gymnasium in Vienna and as a member of the Vienna State Opera's children's chorus; she has also performed in several productions of her sister Miss Alma Deutscher's opera, Cinderella. Helen and Alma recently appeared together on an episode of Viking.TV (Anne Diamond Interviews Classical Musicians, Alma & Helen Deutscher) where they discussed their remarkable lives and many musical milestones.Dr. Janie Deutscher, Godmother of Viking Radgrid – An author and educator, Dr. Deutscher is also an accomplished musician and earned an organ scholarship to Oxford University where she later taught medieval literature; in recent years, she has concentrated on homeschooling and supporting the musical ambitions of her two daughters, Alma and Helen, godmothers of Viking Gymir and Viking Egdir, respectfully.Brenda Hunsberger, Godmother of Viking Hervor – For more than four decades, Ms. Hunsberger, Senior Vice President of Travel Services with AAA Club Alliance, has worked in the industry as an accomplished travel agent; she believes in the power of travel to transform perspectives and change lives.Karryn Christopher, Godmother of Viking Gersemi – Ms. Christopher is Executive Vice President of Preferred Partnerships & Marketing for Signature Travel Network, a member-owned travel cooperative established in 1956, where she has led the transformation of the company's sales and marketing division.Ghislaine Wood, Godmother of Viking Fjorgyn – As the Deputy Director of the University of East Anglia's Sainsbury Centre, one of the most important public university art galleries in Great Britain, Ms. Wood carefully curates exhibitions, including the upcoming “Visions of Ancient Egypt,” which was developed in partnership with Viking; opening in September 2022, the exhibit will honor the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb. Ms. Wood discussed her work at the Sainsbury Centre in a recent episode of Viking.TV (Explore Alaskan Objects at the Sainsbury Centre with Ghislaine Wood), including the origins of their Alaska collection which examines how indigenous Alaskan communities developed technologies and tools to adapt to their environment.Muriel Wilson, Godmother of Viking Skaga – As the Director of Event Strategy & Sponsorships for Virtuoso, Ltd., Ms. Wilson has been a distinguished staff member of the global network of agencies for more than 40 years and leverages her deep knowledge of the industry to develop quality hospitality and travel experiences for Virtuoso's travel advisors and preferred partners.Kari Garmann, Godmother of Viking Kari – Former member of The Parliament of Norway and Oslo City Council, Ms. Garmann has made valuable contributions to Norway in the areas of government, business and banking throughout her career.The naming event was executed by connecting the new ships via satellite across two European cities: Paris and Amsterdam. The Viking Fjorgyn, Viking Kari, Viking Radgrid and Viking Skaga were docked in Paris at the Port de Grenelle, where they were named by their godmothers. The other four ships – Viking Egdir, Viking Gersemi, Viking Gymir and Viking Hervor – were docked in Amsterdam and named by their godmothers, who also joined the celebration in Paris. In keeping with another maritime tradition, a bottle of Gammel Opland aquavit was broken on the bow of each new shipMSC Group breaks ground in Miami for North Americas largest cruise terminal New $350 million terminal to provide seamless guest experience for up to 36,000 passengers a dayTerminal will be capable to host three latest-generation ships simultaneouslyMSC Cruises to deploy some of its most environmentally advanced vessels in MiamiThe Cruise Division of MSC Group broke ground on 10 March for its new $350 million mega cruise terminal in Miami which when it opens will be North America's largest.The four-storey building with four embarkation decks will be able to accommodate up to 36,000 passenger movements a day, and feature enough berthing space to serve three latest generation ships simultaneously.The project will allow MSC Cruises to further its presence in the North American market and attract more international travellers for holidays at sea in the Caribbean.  The Cruise Division of MSC Group and Italian ship builder Fincantieri announced a partnership in July 2021 whereby Fincantieri Infrastructure would construct the state-of-the-art facility which will feature a striking design by award-winning global architecture firm Arquitectonica.The new terminal will be able to accommodate MSC Cruises' largest and most environmentally advanced cruise ships, including its current flagship, MSC Seashore, and the line's future liquified natural gas-(LNG) powered World Class ships.  Most ships at berth at the new Miami terminal will be able to plug in to the local power grid, in line with PortMiami's plans to enable shore power connectivity.And more...Join the show:If you have a cruise tip, burning question or want to record a cruise review get in touch with us via the website https://thebigcruisepodcast.com/join-the-show/ Guests: Chris Frame: https://bit.ly/3a4aBCg   Chris's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisFrameOfficialPeter Kollar: https://www.cruising.org.au/Home Listen & Subscribe: Amazon Podcasts: https://amzn.to/3w40cDcApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2XvD7tF Audible: https://adbl.co/3nDvuNgCastbox: https://bit.ly/2xkGBEI Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/2RuY04u I heart Radio:  https://ihr.fm/3mVIEUASpotify: https://spoti.fi/3caCwl8 Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2JWE8Tz Pocket casts: https://bit.ly/2JY4J2M Tune in: https://bit.ly/2V0Jrrs Podcast Addict: https://bit.ly/2BF6LnE Hosted on Acast. 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Hon har inte ens varit i trafik i en månad, men lär redan nu ligga ganska långt upp på listan över världens mest fotograferade fartyg. Det handlar om VIKING GLORY som fick bli målet när Fartygspodden gav sig ut på vårens första riktiga fartygsfotografering. Det snackar vi om i veckans avsnitt, men också om skandalen med P&O Ferries som utan förvarning sparkade 800 ombordanställda, om MSC GRANDIOSA som blir stammis i Norge och om rederiet som döpte åtta fartyg på samma gång. Välkomna ombord!   /Christopher & Patrik

Peter is on a solo mission tonight and is champing at the bit to get stuck into some of the news stories that have piqued our interest this week including...... Chaos and anger at UK ports directed at P&O Ferries, Met Police in the news for all the wrong reasons and in the Ukraine conflict Vitali Klitschko says he is ready to die for his city, are there early signs the Russian advance is stalling? and three Russian cosmonauts roll up in Space decked in the colours of Ukraine! Back in the UK eight men, and we use the term 'men' loosely, are charged with 82 offences in Grooming Gang infested Rochdale and on the Covid front the CDC removes 24% of child deaths due to error!, mRNA can jab you thin? and it is revealed the fourth dose of the Covid 'vaccine' offers bugger all protection against the Covid 'virus'! Originally broadcast as a live video news review 19.3.22 *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art https://theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com/ and follow him on GETTR https://gettr.com/user/BoschFawstin To sign up for our weekly email, find our social media, podcasts, video, livestreaming platforms and more go to https://heartsofoak.org/connect/ Please like, subscribe & share! Links to the stories discussed this episode Angry protests against P&O Ferries have taken place at ports across the UK https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/mar/18/angry-protests-against-po-ferries-take-place-at-ports-across-uk Met Police says it will APPEAL High Court ruling after two senior judges found the force breached the rights of Sarah Everard vigil organisers https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10628597/Met-appeal-against-ruling-rights-Sarah-Everard-vigil-organisers-breached.html Strip-searched Hackney schoolgirl to sue Met Police https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60797237 Vitali Klitschko tells ITV News he would rather die in Kyiv than give city to Russians https://www.itv.com/news/2022-03-18/vitali-klitschko-says-he-would-rather-die-in-kyiv-than-give-city-to-russians Ukraine invasion crumbling fast as Russia is forced to defend supply lines and loses air control despite heavy Lviv bombing https://www.cityam.com/one-stage-before-retreat-invasion-stalls-as-russia-is-forced-to-defend-supply-lines-and-is-losing-control-of-ukraine-skies/ Three Russian cosmonauts wear colours of Ukrainian flag as they arrive on space station https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-three-russian-cosmonauts-wear-26505649 Ukraine war mapped https://news.sky.com/story/war-in-ukraine-the-week-mapped-12569511 Eight men charged with 82 offences in connection with Rochdale child sexual exploitation probe https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/19998124.amp/ VIDEO: Lia Thomas Trans swimmer Covid after hours CDC Removes 24 Percent Of Child COVID-19 Deaths, Blames Coding Error https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/cdc-removes-24-percent-child-covid-19-deaths-thousands-others Now Covid jab technology can cut your cholesterol! Scientists are using RNA therapies to develop new treatments for some genetic diseases https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10612325/Now-Covid-jab-technology-cut-cholesterol.html#amp_agsa_csa=49326498&_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16475946295546&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fhealth%2Farticle-10612325%2FNow-Covid-jab-technology-cut-cholesterol.html Fourth vaccine offers little protection against COVID-19 - study https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus/article-701520

In this episode we start off by examining the P&O Ferries dispute before turning to look at the latest on inflation and the idea that we are in a "long depression" since 2008. You can find out more about the P&O workers dispute on the link below. https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/pando-crisis/

Shock and disbelief as P&O Ferries sacks 800 crew members and suspends its services. In a statement, P&O confirmed the workers would be made redundant immediately as a result of “unsustainable” financial losses. The move has been condemned by unions as “a betrayal of British workers”.The Independent's Travel Correspondent, Simon Calder, joins us from Dover to discuss the aftermath. Today we talk about:Reaction from Dover (0:43)The confirmation that 800 staff members have been sacked (2:02)How will P&O Ferries manage the backlash? (6:13) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On todays podcast, we get the latest on P&O Ferries as hundreds of staff are told they're being made redundant. Services between Dover and Calais have been cancelled today. We speak to a van driver who was stuck in France this morning.   Also today, a Dartford's MP has withdrawn his support for plans to build a huge theme park on the Swanscombe peninsula.   A person's been treated by paramedics after a boat caught alight in Medway. One man has told the KentOnline podcast it could've been avoided.   And, an historic steam train has been travelling through Kent today.

Unions are threatening legal action against P&O Ferries after making 800 workers redundant earlier today. The company suspended its sailings after making all UK seafaring employees redundant with immediate effect. The former employees are to be replaced with cheaper agency workers in an effort to reduce the company's current annual losses of £100m. Like many transport companies, P&O Ferries suffered from a drastic reduction in passengers during the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesperson for the company said in a statement, “In its current state, P&O Ferries is not a viable business." I have come to Dover to find out how the situation unfolded for the unfortunate former staff members, and what is likely to come.Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Continuamos con la segunda parte de la interesante entrevista a Gabriel Porras, filósofo, podcaster y artista de voz. A partir de su importante trayectoria bilingüe, logró desarrollar sus propias técnicas y rutinas para cuidar la voz, el cuerpo y la mente, desde ejercicios faciales, yoga, respiraciónes y más. ¡Entérate de qué se trata su “elixir de la voz”! También conversamos sobre algunas curiosidades de las historias fundacionales de la civilización que comparte en su podcast “Murmullos Radiantes”.Gabriel fue reclutado por la BBC de Londres para trabajar como periodista, productor y presentador para BBC Mundo, hace más de 30 años, un momento clave en su carrera. Después de trabajar seis años en la emisora británica, decidió independizarse, estableciéndose como uno de los más exitosos y respetados locutores extranjeros en Londres.Fue ganador del Premio Lavat 2020 al Mejor Narrador, y del premio Outstanding Spoken Word en los premios SOVAS del mismo año. Ha sido Nominado dos veces a los Premios One Voice en las categorías de Animación y Audiolibros. Actualmente es miembro del equipo editorial de The Buzz, la única revista del mundo dedicada al voice over, publicada en inglés y español.Ha realizado estudios avanzados en Filosofía, Música, Clásicos, Teología, Apologética, Islamismo y Ateísmo.Su primer trabajo en la radio le permitió combinar sus conocimientos de filosofía y su amor por la música para la conducción de un programa de radio.Gabriel tiene varios récords mundiales: su serie radial de Efemérides para la BBC estuvo al aire cada día de cada año durante más de quince años consecutivos; en televisión, presentó la Cabalgata Deportiva Gillette durante más de veinte años, la serie de automovilismo Mobil 1 The Grid durante doce años hasta hoy, y su programa El Oído Aventurado ha sido transmitido por Radio Mexiquense durante más de treinta años. Su amplia gama y experiencia le han permitido cubrir muchos papeles, desde ser presentador principal de las Olimpiadas de Londres 2012 hasta crear la voz de personajes como Hulk, Pantera Negra y Rhino para Hasbro Toys. Ha grabado campañas publicitarias de televisión, radio, internet y cine para más de cien compañías de alto perfil como Apple, Gillette, British Airways, Rolex, P&O Ferries, EMI, Toyota, Microsoft, Pokerstars, Old El Paso, y esta navidad fue la voz elegida para el lanzamiento de la esperada consola de juegos Playstation 5 de Sony en toda Latinoamérica y EEUU.Encuentras a Gabriel en redes sociales como @artofvoicing , recuerda buscar su podcast “Murmullos Radiantes” en las plataformas digitales. **Visita www.lapizarrapodcast.com para suscribirte a la comunidad de La Pizarra, selecciona el nivel de tu membresía para recibir material exclusivo y tener acceso a varios beneficios.No olvides descargar la aplicación La Pizarra Podcast en la App store y Google Play.*¿Quieres que tus gráficas resalten en las redes sociales? Canva Pro es una herramienta que te permite crear lo que sea en pocos minutos con miles de hermosas imágenes y plantillas, prueba Canva Pro gratis por 30 días en: https://partner.com/lapizarra *El secreto del éxito de tu negocio está en el seguimiento que le das a tus clientes, optimízalo con un CRM. Maneja tu base de datos y dale seguimiento a tus clientes y proyectos con Monday.com, pruébalo gratis por 14 días en: https://mondaycom.grsm.io/lapizarra*¡No olvides suscribirte a La Pizarra para tener acceso a todos los episodios, descárgalos y compártelos en redes sociales, tus comentarios son bien recibidos!** Visita https://www.nickymondellini.compara conocer el trabajo de la actriz, conductora y locutora Nicky Mondellini. Nicky Mondellini es una artista de talla internacional con más de treinta años de carrera artística, su voz es escuchada en comerciales de televisión, radio y plataformas digitales a nivel mundial.Su trabajo como actriz incluye más de doce telenovelas, varias obras de teatro clásico español y contemporáneo, cortometrajes y largometrajes, y la conducción de programas matutinos en México y Estados Unidos, además de comerciales de imagen y videos publicitarios y corporativos.Sigue a Nicky en:Instagram @nickymondellini Twitter @nicky3ch_nicky Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nickymondellinivoiceover LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/nickymondellinivoiceover

En la primera parte de esta entrevista, Gabriel Porras @artofvoicing,  habla con un punto de vista  filosófico sobre las historias fundacionales de la humanidad,las cuales narra en su podcast Murmullos Radiantes, mismo que realiza en además en inglés como Radiant Whispers.Gabriel es un filósofo y artista de voz, con una destacada trayectoria internacional, fue reclutado por la BBC de Londres para trabajar como periodista, productor y presentador para BBC Mundo. Después de servir seis años en la BBC se independizó y se ha establecido como uno de los más exitosos y respetados locutores extranjeros en Londres. Fue ganador del Premio Lavat al Mejor Narrador, así como también el premio de Spoken Word en los Voice Arts Awards en 2020, y ha sido Nominado dos veces a los Premios One Voice en las categorías de Animación y Audiolibros.Actualmente es miembro del equipo editorial de The Buzz, la única revista del mundo dedicada al Voiceover, publicada en inglés y español.Gabriel además ha realizado estudios avanzados en Filosofía, Música, Clásicos, Teología, Apologética, islamismo y Ateísmo. Su serie radial de Efemérides para la BBC estuvo al aire diariamente durante más de quince años consecutivos; en televisión, presentó la Cabalgata Deportiva Gillette durante más de veinte años, la serie de automovilismo Mobil 1 The Grid durante doce años hasta hoy, y su programa El Oído Aventurado ha sido transmitido por Radio Mexiquense durante más de treinta años. Su amplia gama y experiencia le han permitido cubrir muchos papeles, desde ser presentador principal de las Olimpiadas de Londres 2012 hasta crear la voz de personajes como Hulk, Pantera Negra y Rhino para Hasbro Toys. Gabriel ha grabado campañas publicitarias de televisión, radio, internet y cine para más de cien compañías de alto perfil como Apple, Gillette, British Airways, Rolex, P&O Ferries, EMI, Toyota, Microsoft, Pokerstars, Old El Paso, y  PlayStation 5 de Sony en toda Latinoamérica y EEUU.*Visita www.lapizarrapodcast.com para suscribirte a la comunidad de La Pizarra, selecciona el nivel de tu membresía para recibir material exclusivo y tener acceso a varios beneficios.**No olvides descargar la aplicación La Pizarra Podcast en la App store y Google Play.* ¿Quieres que tus gráficas y videos resalten en  redes sociales? Canva Pro es una herramienta que te permite crear desde tarjetas de presentación hasta presentaciones corporativas en pocos minutos con miles de hermosas imágenes y plantillas, prueba Canva Pro gratis por 30 días en: https://partner.com/lapizarra * El secreto del éxito de tu negocio está en el seguimiento que le das a tus clientes, optimízalo con un CRM. Maneja tu base de datos y dale seguimiento a tus clientes y proyectos con Monday.com, pruébalo gratis por 14 días en: https://mondaycom.grsm.io/lapizarra * ¡No olvides suscribirte a La Pizarra para tener acceso a todos los episodios, descárgalos y compártelos en redes sociales, tus comentarios son bien recibidos!  ** Visita https://www.nickymondellini.com para conocer el trabajo de la actriz, conductora y locutora Nicky Mondellini.Nicky Mondellini es una artista de talla internacional con más de treinta años de carrera artística, su voz es escuchada en comerciales de televisión, radio y plataformas digitales a nivel mundial. Su trabajo como actriz incluye más de doce telenovelas, varias obras de teatro clásico español y contemporáneo, cortometrajes y largometrajes, y la conducción de programas matutinos en México y Estados Unidos, además de comerciales de imagen y videos publicitarios y corporativos. Sigue a Nicky en: Instagram @nickymondellini Twitter @nicky3ch_nicky Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nickymondellinivoiceover LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/nickymondellinivoiceover  

Bio: Darren has a background in commercial management, being an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers following sixteen years in Retail Banking. This culminated as a Senior Personal Banking Manager within the Guildford Group of Branches, which was comprised of 9 branches and 140 staff. A career change into IT in the late 1990s has led to a number of roles within IT including three Head of Department positions covering the complete spectrum of IT. Also, as an accomplished Project Manager and a Prince2 Practitioner he has a phenomenal record in delivering complex programmes and business transformations and an impressive record of negotiating and implementing multi-million pound contracts including Outsourcing, Off-shoring and ERP systems. He is also a Chartered IT Professional. Darren is now a Director of Radtac, a Global Agile Consultancy Business based in London. In addition, he is DSDM Atern Agile PM Practitioner, APMG Facilitation Practitioner, PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner, Certified Scrum Master, Kanban Practitioner. Darren is an active agile practitioner and coach and delivers training courses in Leading SAFe and more recently, Darren is now a SAFe Fellow, one of about 30 worldwide. He is also a SAFe Program Consultant Trainer (SPCT), contributor to the SAFe Reference Guide 4.5 and founder of the London SAFe Meet-up Group. Finally, he is the Treasurer of BCS Kent Branch and co-founder of the Kent Scrum User Group. Also a co-author of the BCS Book “Agile Foundations – Principles Practices and Frameworks”, a reviewer of "Valuing Agile; the financial management of agile projects".    Books/ Resources:  Tribal Unity by Em Campbell-Pretty  Leading Change by John P. Kotter  The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organisations by Gene Kim et al  Agile Foundations – Principles, Practices and Frameworks y Peter Measey, Darren Wilmshurst and Radtac  SAFe Reference Guide 4.5 by Dean Leffingwell SAFe 5.0 Distilled; Achieving Business Agility with the Scaled Agile Framework by Richard Knaster and Dean Leffingwell *  NOTE: * As of the time of publishing this episode, the most-current version of SAFe is 5.0 and so I would recommend getting this version.   Websites:  The Agile Manifesto: https://agilemanifesto.org/  SAFe Principles: https://www.scaledagileframework.com/safe-lean-agile-principles/   Darren's social media profiles: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-wilmshurst-89b0931/  Twitter handle (for fellow Arsenal fans!): @dazzawilmshurst   Interview Transcript: Ula Ojiaku: [00:27] My guest for this episode is Darren Wilmshurst. He is the director and head of consulting at Radtac. Darren is a Scaled Agile Framework Fellow, an achievement realized by less than 30 people globally. He's also an SPCT - that is, a SAFe Program Consultant Trainer. Darren trained me as an SPC, and I am honored to call him my mentor as well. This episode, be aware, was recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic so parts of our conversation about travel around the world, conducting a big room planning with all team members physically in the same space might not reflect the current pandemic situation as people aren't traveling as much. And of course, there's social distancing in place, and people are working more remotely than ever. The release of this episode coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Agile Manifesto. Darren and I talked about the Agile Manifesto. And in my opinion, the pearls of wisdom that he shared about applying the values and principles are as valid as ever. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, my conversation with Darren Wilmshurst. Enjoy!   Main Interview Ula Ojiaku: [01:51] Thank you so much, Darren, for making the time for this conversation. Darren: [01:55] Real pleasure to join you today. Thank you for inviting me. Ula Ojiaku: [01:58] Darren, why don't you start off by telling us a bit about yourself? Darren: [02:02] Oh, yeah that will be good, I have a probably interesting background. Because I spent 16 years in retail banking, I was a bank manager. And banking was all good until the first week of November 1997. Not that I remember the (exact) date. But that was the date that the bank decided to automate my job. So, some bank managers were really good at lending. Some bank managers are really bad at lending. And they wanted to manage the credit risk to 1% of the portfolio. And they can't do that with individual discretion. So, on that date, everything was credit scored. If you wanted an overdraft, (a) personal loan or mortgage, everything was credit scored. I went from being a bank manager of nine branches and 140 staff to being a sales manager, selling financial products, and not something I really wanted to do. So, I made the entirely logical leap from being a bank manager into IT, because that's where my job got (absorbed). I started off as a business analyst, I did some testing, test management, did project management, and then I joined an outfit called, P&O Ferries. And I did a number of ‘Head of …' roles: Head of Programme Management, Head of Development, Head of Delivery as well as Head of Operations, Infrastructure Networks and that sort of stuff. As well, I was just really fortunate to work with some really inspired CIOs during that time, who introduced me to agile probably back in 2003, 2004. And I was just given the environment to experiment with lots of adoption to patterns and practices as well, some that went well, some didn't, we learnt loads as well. But I found it was really hard initially. I think we did our first sort of agile project about 2004. And I'd gone away and read a book and gone to a conference and got inspired by this new way of working. But I came back to the office and (it appeared) my colleagues had read a different book! And we ended up in almost like these ‘agile wars', you know, where we're arguing about whether we all call it a sprint and iteration increments a time box, and I got really fed up with that. So, I got an outfit called Radtac to help me; a guy called Peter Measey. I just need to help us to get to a common foundation. And the first thing we did was just an education event where we got all the guys in the rooms, ‘look, this is the way we're going to work, this is what we're gonna call stuff, we're gonna at least get a common taxonomy in terms of what we mean by these things.' And that made a difference as well, then, you know, implementing it was still hard. So again, got Radtac to help with some of the practices and help them refine those as well. And then I got to a point, I don't know, about seven years ago, where I'd spent almost 30 years in the corporate world and just wanted to do something a bit different, wanted to go and explore my passion a bit more, not about agile, but more about trying to make organizations more effective. And funnily enough, I spoke to Peter Measey again at Radtac, and joined them back in 2012, as a director, and to grow their consultancy practice. So, I went from the corporate role to the dark side of consulting, and that was quite a change. For me, personally, I'd lived, about 25 minutes from my work. And that was right from the time I left my house to when I had coffee on my desk in my office. And now suddenly, I was traveling around the country and around the world. And my children were quite young that time (11 & 13) and that was quite hard in the first six months. I wasn't quite sure this was for me, but I just wanted to explore that passion for that change was hard for me. And then I think I was working with a client down in Bristol, and they started talking about this thing called SAFe. And this guy called Dean Leffingwell. And I hadn't really heard much about it and what it was as well. And then almost coincidentally, I heard that Dean was running an SPC course in London in October 2013. And I thought, okay, I want to go to that. So, I went to that course - I was not convinced. I always remember Dean talking about this two-day PI planning event and he'd said, ‘we can get everybody in the room together.' And I said, ‘what, everybody?' And he looked at me quizzically ‘Yes, everybody, that's everybody that wants to know; not just the developers - Scrum Master, Product Owners…'  ‘All of them coordinating live - the planning  was with everyone in the room together?' ‘Yes.' So, two days, I think you'll never get that, you know, the conversations that you will need to have, in order to get two days to where people get together for planning out will never happen. So, I sort of remained skeptical. I started running some training courses in 2014. But the interest in the UK was quite low, to be honest. 2015 first off, much the same. And I think towards the end of 2015 people started saying ‘Actually, I'm really interested in the SAFe stuff.' So, we did more training courses. And then I did my first (SAFe ART) launch and that's where my skepticism turned into ‘Oh my - this is an amazing event!' because you know, getting all those people in the room together, when you create those social bonds, that networking, that alignment and where you resolve difficult problems together is huge. I became an advocate so much so I got asked to join the SAFe Program Consultant Trainer program. Ula Ojiaku: [07:07] You said that you were skeptical about bringing everybody in the room for two days. How did you get to convince your first clients to do that? Well, how was it for you? Darren: [07:20] I think I was lucky because my first client was coming, over to my public courses. I think it was like April, this delegation of about four of them. They said ‘we love this. We want to do it'. And they said, ‘we're going to start small, we're not going to start with no massive teams.' I think we started with four teams. And just on the tipping point, really just say, we want to prove it out. So, I need to start with four teams. And two teams were in India and two teams were in the UK. So, my first one was distributed, which was fine, but yes, I think for them, it was like they were sold on it. And they wanted to start small. I think it was easier for me in terms of they were already bought into it. And they wanted to run it and have smaller teams make it an interesting first planning event. But, you know, we had some issues running it distributed. I think it should have taken two and a half days. And it ended up taking three and a half days. Ula Ojiaku: [08:08] Oh, okay. Well, it was a first wasn't it? Darren: [08:13] Yeah. I think the issues with that one there was a couple of things was, first of all with, because it was my first PI planning, I think that's a real red line for me when we try to do asynchronous planning. Number one, you need to have a co facilitator in each location. I didn't, I was in the UK. I wasn't in India, and it was all new to them. And they really struggled as well. Secondly, we tried to do what I call asynchronous planning. So, in the morning, we did all the briefings. And we got to lunchtime. And then we started out in the UK, we started off draft plan in the afternoon, by which time they (the teams in India) had gone home. So, they came back in the morning, and they did their draft plans. And then we tried to bring them together. It just didn't work. I mean, the whole point of the planning is to understand the tensions and the dependencies between the teams. Of course, we're doing that asynchronously. So not only did they weren't sure what they were doing, when we tried to bring the draft plan together, they didn't work. So effectively, we lost that first round of planning. So, we said, okay, we need to find a way of overlapping. So, on day three, the UK guys came in a lot earlier. And we asked the guys in India to stay a little bit later to share the pain. And then we've got an overlap. And we've got our plans together. But we effectively lost that first round of panning because there was no support. And it wasn't synchronous. Ula Ojiaku: [09:26] So, on the third day, did you manage to find someone who would facilitate on your behalf in India or you still had to do that yourself? Darren: [09:35] Yeah, I did it myself. We had video links and stuff like that (to connect with the people in India). But I recognised that they were struggling. The second time around, we made sure that we had facilitators in both locations - really important. Ula Ojiaku: [09:58] That's quite interesting. If you don't mind, I'm just going to go back a bit to the point where you said your tipping point was after about 30 years in industry. You wanted a change, which was when you made the leap into consulting. There might be some people listening who are considering making that same leap. So, what made you decide to go for it? And what was the last straw that broke the camel's back (if there was any such thing)? Darren: [10:27] I don't think it was a midlife crisis. I wanted a new challenge. And it was at that time, I'm like, well, if I didn't do it now, it would never happen. I think I'd gone through, you know, so many organizational reorganizations and restructuring. I just, I couldn't face another one of those. (I thought to myself) ‘well, if I'm going to make the break, this is the time to do it as well.' And I had the opportunity with Radtac to join them and help grow that particular organization as well. So, I think it was an alignment of moons - I needed to change. I'd spent 30 years and in the corporate world and didn't really want to go through another reorganization. And this opportunity presents itself as ‘Okay, well, let's give it a go and see how it goes.' Ula Ojiaku: [11:04] Would you say there was an element of you know, wanting to be a bit more in control of your destiny and not just being at the whim of maybe reorganizations that tend to happen in larger organizations more having some sort of direct say in the direction of things with your career? Darren: [11:20] Probably not, I think because again, I was very senior manager at P&O Ferries. I reported the Board Director. I helped shape a lot the restructuring that happened within P&O Ferries as well. I had a lot of influence and with that organization, I just think it was just about really just exploring my passion and just trying to do something different. I always thought there's just something there's one more thing left in me and I thought this was it. Ula Ojiaku: [11:43] Okay. You said your children were young and the first six months you weren't sure in consulting whether it was for you. So, what made you change your mind? It's definitely evident that you're doing something you're passionate about. What made you decide, ‘Right! It is for me'? Darren: [12:00] Again, my children were like 11 and 13. Both of them are serious swimmers. My son was a national swimmer, he was training about 17 hours a week. So that's four mornings at five in the morning (and evenings as well). My wife was working full time as well. So, it's just it was just again, with me being away traveling and not knowing what time I'll be home. That was the bit that was difficult because at least at P&O Ferries, I know what time I left for work and what time I got home. I could be quite predictable, (but in the consulting situation) I was less predictable. So, we had a long conversation, and my wife decided to temporarily give up her job. And she's a teacher, in order to support me and the children as well. That was a life changing decision that we had to make as a family. So, I'm really grateful for my wife saying, ‘Okay, I'll take a little sabbatical to get us through this.' And we tried to get some normality back to our lives as well. Ula Ojiaku: [12:50] It's really refreshing to hear this because it almost seems like - looking outwardly - everyone has it all, you know. You have to make some sacrifices, compromises to be able to achieve a goal. Darren: [13:03]  It's a good question. Because a lot of people say to me, I'd love to become a consultant. And I talk to them about that. ‘Well, you need to recognize that, you know, you could be anywhere now - what's your flexibility?' I could be in the UK, I could be overseas, if it's (my client appointment is) on a Monday, I'm probably flying on a Saturday or Sunday to get to locations. So, I'm there on Monday morning as well, it sounds so glamorous that you know, I travel the world and people see you know that you travel all the time. But funny story was I was due to go to Dubai. And my wife was teaching at the time. And it was the last week of the school term. And my wife was going to finish on the 13th. I was going to Dubai the following Monday. So, I texted her at work and said, ‘Look, you know, I'm going to Dubai next week, do you fancy coming with me?' And she texts back to me saying ‘No, I want a new kitchen!' Okay. About 15 minutes later, she gets back saying ‘No, no, no, no, no, I'm coming!' She came home and said ‘I was in the staff room when I got your text. And I laughed. And when my colleagues asked why, I told them you'd asked if I wanted to go to Dubai next week, and they said, ‘what did you say?' She said, ‘I'd said I wanted a new kitchen?' Yeah. (Long story short) She came with me (to Dubai). We flew out on the Monday -arrived in the afternoon for a two-day training event. I went into the office that Monday afternoon, just to check the office. And then I got up at seven. I was in the office at eight again, I forget how many hours I had three or four hours behind. So, it's like quite early in the morning - training from eight to six before going back to the hotel. And Jo goes, ‘wow, is that what you do?' Yeah, yeah (I say). ‘So, you got really early in the office training all day. So, what do you do now?' I'll have a meal for one in a restaurant, then I'll come back to my room. I do my emails. And I go to bed. Yeah. And I get up the following morning, exactly the same - finish at six, got home, pack my bag, have a meal, go to the airport, fly home ... And that's what you do. I said that's exactly what I did. It looks glamorous, but it's literally planes, hotels, offices. I hate eating on my own. If I'm on my own, I'm not a great explorer either. So, I know some of my colleagues are really good at going out and seeing the sights. So, if you're training all day, you've still got other responsibilities that you need to catch up with as well. So… Ula Ojiaku: [15:17] I can imagine as a head of consulting, it's not just the training, you still have to attend to other official type things. Yeah. Darren: [15:25] Good work for the company that I have to do stuff like that. Ula Ojiaku: [15:28] Oh, wow, I get the impression you are someone who's always out to learn to improve yourself. So, you're not resting on your oars even though you are at this level. Have you at any point in time felt like ‘I think I've learnt enough'? Darren: [15:41] It's also the reverse. I was never a reader. I've always been a numbers person. So, I went to university to study maths. I was one of those kids at primary school where you'd be given a book at the beginning of the week to go away and read it. I get to the end of the week; I'd hand back my book to Miss (his teacher) who'd ask ‘have you read the book Darren?' And I'd go, ‘Yes, Miss…' - I hadn't. And I've never been a great reader. I just wasn't. What I do is probably over the last six years now I've read more than I've ever read. And even so, when I go on holiday, my daughter teases me because, you know, I don't take fiction books on holiday or biography books. I take business books on holiday. Ula Ojiaku: [16:21] I do that as well (laughs) Darren: [16:22] I have a picture my daughter took of me lying in a pool reading a business book. And every time I go on a course, someone will always recommend a new book I haven't read; so I have a backlog of books that I still need to buy and read as well. And there's a couple of books I'm rereading at the moment because… Some of my colleagues are good at the audiobooks; I need to see it. I'm a real visual reader. Ula Ojiaku: [16:46] Okay, okay. Darren: [16:47] …(still on his preference for physical books) …I'm getting down. I'm just highlighting, you know, the bits that character. This is a nugget as well. So, I can flick through that book and, and use those quotes as anecdotes during the trainings that I do as well, so. Ula Ojiaku: [16:58] Okay, so when you mean the visual, would an Amazon Kindle do for you or not? It has to be like a physical book, right? I like physical books; I mean and given that I tend to commute a bit, as well listening to audiobooks. But yeah, I've learned to blend all of them in depending on where I find myself. If you were to gift a book to someone who's aspiring to develop as a lean agile professional, which one would you, one or two, would you gift to the person or recommend to the person? Darren: [17:40] There's essentially a part of them beyond the roadblock is you sometimes just don't get chance to take time out and reflect and write. And I'm a bit frustrated at the moment that I haven't written a blog for a while and stuff like that. So, at the end of April, I'm going to do like a little mini retreat, I'm going off to Finland with Virpi, a fellow SPCT. And we're gonna have a little SAFe retreat, and we want to go away and write a couple of blogs and stuff like that as well. And one of the blogs I want to write is my top three books, top three videos, top three white papers. I think I'm almost there. One (of my top books) is the Tribal Unity by Em Pretty-Campbell. It's about how to get to how to go about forming teams and get them self-organizing. It's a short book. So, it's a really good brief read. Leading Change by Kotter, I think is another book that's just so critical. I think he wrote the book in 1995. I may have got that wrong. But he's rewritten the preface, because he's saying although this book was written over 20 years ago, it's still relevant. Now I find it amazing that the same challenge is still appearing now, even though they haven't learned from 20 years ago. And I think my favorite book of last year was The DevOps Handbook by Jez Humble and that was interesting for me, because for, two reasons. One, it's quite a thick book. Not, it's not small, but it's quite daunting to look at it. And also, you think, oh, I'm not particularly technical, but someone really encouraged me to say, ‘no, read it and actually read it in small batches, reach 25 pages a day.' What a good idea! And what I found was that it was just there was so much goodness in there in terms of there's some technical stuff that you can, you can skim over. But in terms of how to adopt it, some real stories about organizations that have done this as well. And for me understanding that actually, it's not just about automation, there's so much other stuff that you need to do in terms of re architecting and telemetry and stuff like that. Well, for me, that was my book next year. And if we're going to get to this organization where there needs to be more responsive, and they need to get their products to market quicker, they need to find a way to be able to do that without being on very slow, manual downstream processes and practices. Ula Ojiaku: [19:43] We're going to put the links to them (the books mentioned) in the show notes. And it's worth mentioning as well: I mean, you're a co-author of the BCS Agile Foundations book. Darren: [19:51] I think it was them BCS (who) approached us to run an effectively agnostic agile foundations course. We created the course and the exam materials for that. And then they said, ‘well, can you create a companion book for it as well?'  As Radtac, a small group of three to nine people that we were at a time, we wrote a book together. And again, we tried to follow our agile principles. So, we had a Trello board. And we agreed and we broke it down into chapters, and then and into sections and who wrote each of those sections. And it was an enlightening experience to do that. I was quite privileged to be one of the co-authors of that as well, I reviewed a book on Agile financial management which was quite cool as well, again, that was in an agile way, you can check it out every two weeks, we were spending every two weeks to do that, as well. And also, I was one of the accredited contributors to the SAFe Reference guide as well, of which I'm really proud of as well. Ula Ojiaku: [20:36] Your last response actually nicely segues into the second part of this conversation, which is to talk about one or two lean agile related topics. You said (something about) the importance of applying agile ways to businesses to make sure that they are delivering value to customers in the shortest possible time; you know, on a consistent and predictable basis. Could you elaborate on that? Why is it important in this day and age for businesses to be agile? Darren: [21:07] I think for me now we're seeing a lot of digital disruption. The one I want to talk about is Blockbuster. That's an old story now, I think Netflix came knocking on their door over 10 years ago and said ‘look, you know, you've got a great high street presence. We've got this idea about streaming videos online. Do you fancy buying us for some silly amount of money? Really small amount of money', and Blockbuster said ‘No, no, we're okay. We're doing great in the high street.' ‘The broadband speeds won't be big enough to stream videos that will never work. We're fine.' ‘Netflix came back a year later and (made the same offer to Blockbuster who refused). And Netflix well… amazing; Blockbuster is not around anymore. I've probably had two or three more recent examples of different digital disruption: HMV - they got placed out of bankruptcy five years ago, someone bailed them out. It looks like they're gonna fold again, and they went on to the high street and said, well, why don't you go into HMV and buy videos and CDs? And the answer was, ‘well, we stream it, we download it. We don't need to do this (buy physical CDs and DVDs) anymore.' My daughter's just doing a level a moment and she's gonna go off with some friends to Magaluf with her girlfriends - much to my horror. Oh, well. Ula Ojiaku: [22:13] Oh well, ‘bank of daddy' (laughing). Darren: [22:15] No, no she's paying for herself. So, traveling, she went on to a well-known high street travel agent and said, we want to go here, this is what we're gonna do and stuff like that. And they said that that's going to be about 750 pounds per person. ‘Thank you very much.' She came home, good girl, went online, got exactly the same deal same hotel, same flights, all inclusive. Plus, airport transfers, which wasn't included, plus some club tickets for 350 pounds per person. Ula Ojiaku: [22:42] Wow! Darren: [22:43] Wow. And then the final one is that we were thinking about selling our house. And we moved about nine years ago – it was the last time we had moved. So, we got a guy around to evaluate our house. So, we asked him ‘what's your fees?' expecting him to say, you know, it's about 2% plus VAT, and then we'll get into that haggling situation where I try and beat him down so we're at 1.75%. And he said to me, it's 1% Darren. That was it. Why is it 1%? He said, ‘Purple Bricks'. So, you know, I think you know, what we get into a situation where, you know, there's a lot of disruption. And these guys are firing up stuff much, much quicker, we need to be able to get out our products and our services to market faster. And also, to get that feedback. And we don't want to create, you know, work on a ‘great' product for three or four years, get the market and find out that it's not required.  that people won't buy or sell isn't already limited as well. And we need to find a way of having a hypothesis about our product or services and testing and getting feedback on it as quickly as possible. And potentially as well getting the value as soon as possible before someone else does. So, for me it's about that improvement process of making our work transparent getting inspected, if it's okay, we carry on if not we pivot without mercy or guilt. And having that short feedback cycle, as well try to shorten that feedback cycle as much as we can. Ula Ojiaku: [24:02] Am I right in the understanding that the feedback cycle would include the customer as early as possible in the process? Darren: [24:11] Most of the time that might be a proxy for the customer. But if we get to the real customer, then that's so much the better because that's the real acid test of ‘would you use this? Would you buy this? What would you pay for it? Oh, am I doing the right thing?' Ula Ojiaku: [24:24] Very interesting! The International Consortium for Agile maintain that there's a difference between being agile, and doing agile. In your view, which one should come first? Darren: [24:36]  I think there is difference. I go into organization and say there are no we're using JIRA. So, we must be agile.  Okay, you know, it's a tool. There are lots of tools out there that can help, but I'm not sure in terms of agile, okay, well, then we're doing this practice of doing a stand up every day, just as a practice. And as some of those practices will certainly help you in terms of ways of working. But for me, and I think those things, though, about doing agile, you know, the tooling and the practices, I think they're starting points, they're very visible, because you can see those things, you see that tooling to see those practices. But in terms of being agile, or adopting agile, they're less powerful. For me the values, the principles, and the mindsets, which are less visible, are more powerful in terms of the overall adoption as well. I've seen too many people that just use the tooling and feel like they're just cranking the handle with the practices, really understanding why they're doing it, that they're doing it not being it, I think it's not a case of one or the other, I think the two need go hand in hand. But you need to explain, okay, these are great ways of helping you in your ways of working. But you need to understand some of the other things that need to go without the values and principles and the mindset changes as well. Ula Ojiaku: [25:50] Okay. And when you talk about the values of principles, are you referring back to the one that originated from the Agile Manifesto in 2001, or is there any other…? Darren: [26:00] Yeah, I think you're right when I started out, they were the ones I used to reference the most. And they were written in 2001. They're still relevant today. I wish they would just turn off some of the software language a bit more. And I think it's much more applicable to the wider organization, not just software development, I recognize that these guys came from the software industry as well -so, I get that but it'd be nice to do that (tone down the software language of the Agile Manifesto). I'm a big fan of the SAFe principles. And when I go in now (to client meetings) to be exact, I don't really talk about agile, because a lot of them will have a preconception of what they think it is and what they've heard. So, I talk about the principles that we need to base our decisions on economics. And they go ‘Yeah, we do'. So now what are the best positioned to be able to evaluate lead, we think about the whole system end-to-end; system thinking rather than optimizing individual teams or departments, because that can sub optimize the whole system. When you think about systems as well, we're working in a very complex environment. So, we can't assume that we know everything upfront. So, we need to assume variability and some way to preserve options. But there's a cost of doing that as well. And we don't want to have too much work in our system, we need to make sure that you know that we've got good flow for our system, by putting too much work into our system, it clogs it all up. So, we do that as well. And then we'll talk about, you know, we still need to plan. So, we know, we need an arrangement as a working at scale, and how we do that. So, we need a, sort of, big planning event. We need to make sure that we invest a huge amount of money and time and to help people. And we need to make sure that we find a way that they are sufficiently motivated. They have enough purpose, autonomy and mastery in their job that they go, ‘this is a great place to work, I don't want to go anywhere else as well.' And part of that comes with, you know, empowering them and decentralizing control so that people have the freedom to make decisions. So that's this little narrative that I have, and that's very much aligned to those same principles that you and I did last December. (Darren was referring to the SPC course he'd taught in Dec 2018 which I, Ula had attended).   Ula Ojiaku: [27:57] Yes. This segues nicely into my next question. So, you said when you speak to executives, and I would assume large scale enterprises, about SAFe,  you talk about the value and the principles. Now, even in the name SAFe, which is Scaled Agile Framework, it's more about applying agile principles and methodologies and tools at scale. Darren: [28:20] Yeah. Ula Ojiaku: [28:21] Question now is, ‘can a small enterprise apply SAFe?' Darren: [28:27] Can you describe it? What do you mean by small enterprise? Ula Ojiaku: [28:30] An organization that has up to maybe 10s, or a 100s of employees and wouldn't have as large a scale of operations as multinationals? Darren: [28:39] I think the key thing is, what we need to consider is that we're, we're moving away from a project-based organization to a value stream-based organization. So, in the old world, again, again, my heritage was project/ programme management. But those are temporary organizations, so and we fund them accordingly as well. And that's a bit of a nightmare for me as well, because trying to understand how much money we need for a project is difficult to work out. Most projects of that traditional era, tend to be over budget, by almost 200%, I think, standard report, last one was about 188%, over budget over time, as well. So that's always difficult as well. And then you've tried to merge in multiple projects at the same time. And if a project is late, once you finally start this project over here, but you've got people over there that need to be over here. So, you end up with this, this constant trying to align your people to the right project all the time. So all I found I was doing with project was that I was cosntantly trying to move the people to the work and doing that all the time - just shuffling around all the time and the amount of task switching and the amount of overhead trying to do that as well was difficult. The project would be late, trying to get the funding was always difficult. So, we moved to a much more value stream-based approach where we said actually, what we're going to do is  create stable teams, and we're going to align our teams to a product or service. So, there will be long lived teams. And effectively what we do is fund that team, which is actually the capital cost of those people. And all that we have to do is we bring the work to the people rather than the other way around. And all I have to do or I have to coach is how to prioritize that work. And it's much easier to prioritize that work than anything else… That was a long prelude to the answer. (Laughs). Ula Ojiaku: [30:17] So useful; it is useful. Darren: [30:19] So, first of all, though, we're going to align teams to our products. Now, if we got a product that only requires another three to nine people, then we don't need a scaling framework. Actually, if you've got two or three teams all working on the same product, and probably we don't need a scaling framework. There are probably tools and techniques that we can take from SAFe but they can probably find a way to collaborate and align without a formal framework. The Tipping Point is once you get to 4-5 teams all working on the same thing, how do we make sure that they can collaborate and align (are going) in the same direction? And I think for me, that's the tipping point, it's not so much the size of the organization, have we got at least five teams all working on the same thing, a product or service that requires alignment? That's the tipping point for SAFe as well. So, it doesn't have to be in a large organization or small. That's the tipping point. And what I sometimes see is that okay, well, we've got 10 teams, we're going to use SAFe to help coordinate them. But they're all working on different things. If they're all working on different things, have different teams. Just have individual teams working on those individual projects. You don't need to coordinate them (if) there's no coupling or no dependencies, then why would you want to do that? And I sometimes see organizations using SAFe as a framework for organizational design. It's not (an organizational design framework). It's a framework to get alignment across multiple teams all working on the same value stream. Ula Ojiaku: [31:40] That's nicely put, and I believe it would clarify the false notion for some people in terms of using SAFe for uses that it wasn't intended for. It's more about delivering value and creating alignment across all levels in an enterprise. Radtac is a lean company from what I could see of the organization. However, for the size of your company, you are making a lot of impact in this sector. What would you say is your secret? Darren: [32:10] That's a great question! I suppose it's, ‘you're only as good as your last engagement.' I'd like to think that actually it's our reputation precedes us as well. A lot of work comes to us, we don't go to it. We don't have a business development function, because most of the work will come to us through our reputation. So, I think if we try to live by our own values, and both as, in terms of how we run our company, and how we work with our engagements; we try to deliver agile in an agile way. And if we're not adding value to an organization, then we don't need to be there anymore, as well. And also, the fact that we have a really odd business model in terms of my role in organizations to make myself redundant in the organisation because I need to make sure that I transfer the capability and knowledge to organization. The last thing I want to be is their ‘agile crutch' where you know, if I walk away, everything falls over.  So, I think that's probably an unusual for organizations. That said, I have a business model to make myself redundant; I have a business model to work in small batches; I have a business model to try and create value. If I'm not adding value, then I won't be here anymore. And I think that really resonates with organizations, and most of our business comes through referrals and direct recommendations as well. So yes, that's the secret. It doesn't seem like much but it feels like it's working! Ula Ojiaku: [33:31] No, it does say a lot, because I have worked in consulting as well – a while ago. And it's not what I, the impression I have of the consulting industry, which is more about you know, find more work, make yourself indispensable, weave yourself into, you know, the client's organization such that they can't do without you. So, it's liberating to see a different approach where your aim is to empower the organization so they can get on and continue without you. Darren: [34:01] And I think you're right, yeah, it's almost the opposite. I don't want to make myself indispensable. I want to be able to walk, well, allow them to grow and explore themselves as well. Yeah. But I find it that clients that I started working out with around September 2012 – they still come back and say, look Darren, we tried, it didn't work. So, I go back down and do some little check or audit check, or health check. And, say Okay, we'll try this and try that. So, I'm really privileged that over the last seven years, not only have I worked with some great companies, but I've worked with some really great people that I know.  Even though I would say that they are clients, they are friends, as well. Ula Ojiaku: [34:36] So now that's fantastic. And which brings me to… in terms of delivering client work, what I'm getting from you is that it's also important to cultivate good working relationships with them. Because it's not just about the work, it's about, you know, the people are trying to understand them, and making sure you're adapting yourself to them and making the whole engagement work for them on their terms. Darren: [34:59] You and I were both on the other side of the fence, you know, we worked in the corporate world. You know, I worked with lots of third parties and stuff like that, as well. And yeah, you know, you bought that capability. But you ‘bought' the people. People buy people and for me that that relationship with my client is really important as well. It needs to be open; it needs to be transparent, and be honest. And sometimes you can have difficult conversations as well. But for me, it's ‘people buy people' at the end of the day. Ula Ojiaku: [35:22] Thank you. That's something I definitely take to heart. So, a few more things than just to wrap up. Do you have any ask of the audience? You know, how? How can they get in touch with you if they want to say hello? Darren: [35:37] And I will say that the easiest way to get hold of me is on LinkedIn. I always used to say there's only one Darren Wilmshurst on LinkedIn. I'm not entirely sure that's true anymore. But there's only two or three of us anyway. So, Darren Wilmshurst, LinkedIn, just connect with me. That'd be really good to getting feedback on this today. That'd be great. Any questions do that as well just ping me in the links as well. If it gets too complicated, I might revert to email that might be easier sometimes. But yeah, just find me on LinkedIn. That's where I tend to be most active. So that's where I publish my blogs and stuff like that as well. Ula Ojiaku: [36:09] Fantastic. So, you're not on Twitter or any other social media? Darren: [36:13] I am on Twitter. I'm gonna ask others my age. I don't tweet as much. But eh, @dazzawilmshurst (is my Twitter handle) but generally speaking, LinkedIn, is your best bet to probably get through to  me. I think you've got an option to publish right through to Twitter as well. So, I tend to use Twitter to follow my other passion, which is Arsenal. Ula Ojiaku: [36:38] So, while there might be other Arsenal fans listening, you will never know, we wouldn't know until we do that. So, we will put the links in the show notes. So, thank you for that. It's really been a pleasure speaking with you and you know, learning from you, as usual. And thank you so much for making the time. Darren: [37:03] And thanks for inviting me. It's been great chatting to you, this morning as well. Thanks for coming on my course last year as well. It's great to have you on the course as well. Ula Ojiaku: [37:11] That (attending Darren's SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) course) was one of the best decisions I made last year. So, thank you!