:00:09. > :00:13.Welcome to Midlands Today. They headlines: Cost of the strike,
:00:13. > :00:18.market traders say they will lose �5 million if there is a walkout on
:00:18. > :00:24.Thursday. Our customers will just come and not know what is going on,
:00:24. > :00:30.especially the people that come on a Thursday. He saved by the surgeon,
:00:30. > :00:35.the teenager who was stabbed to trying to protect as stranger.
:00:35. > :00:39.At the moment and I am feeling quite well. A bad day on the High
:00:39. > :00:44.Street as another famous name faces administration.
:00:44. > :00:54.And European speedway is most exciting rider on his new role in
:00:54. > :01:05.
:01:05. > :01:09.Good evening. In less than 48 hours a strike by public sector workers
:01:09. > :01:11.will bring disruption right across the region. Members of the National
:01:11. > :01:15.Union of Teachers, The Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the
:01:15. > :01:19.Public and Commercial Services are striking against pension changes
:01:19. > :01:23.that will mean working longer and paying more.
:01:23. > :01:27.Passengers at Birmingham airport could face delays as customs and
:01:27. > :01:32.immigration officers walkout. Some courts are likely to close and
:01:32. > :01:36.driving Test could be cancelled. Meanwhile, traders at Birmingham
:01:36. > :01:40.wholesale markets say up to �5 million will be lost and tons of
:01:40. > :01:45.food wasted. If it is a separate dispute, but
:01:45. > :01:48.timed to coincide with the national strikes. Ben Godfrey has been
:01:48. > :01:54.finding out the impact could be devastating.
:01:54. > :01:57.It is thought 1000 traders use Birmingham wholesale market
:01:57. > :02:01.sourcing and then selling produce two businesses across the region,
:02:01. > :02:05.but the menu at your local restaurant could look lighter as
:02:05. > :02:11.strike action looms on Thursday. They have businesses to run and
:02:11. > :02:15.families to feed. Closing the market is not helping. We shall
:02:15. > :02:21.lose a day's work for no reason. surely they can put a skeleton
:02:21. > :02:27.staff on. This sprawling site is run by Birmingham City Sam --
:02:27. > :02:32.Birmingham City Council will also shut but Bullring 24 hours. That is
:02:32. > :02:36.because cleaners are to strike over pay and conditions and the so-
:02:36. > :02:46.called Birmingham contract. Trade union says staff are being
:02:46. > :02:48.
:02:48. > :02:55.asked to sign agreements that break The authority says the contract is
:02:55. > :03:01.fair and necessary. The market closure well, according to traders,
:03:01. > :03:06.result and �5 million loss in trade. Workers are unhappy because wage
:03:06. > :03:11.still has to be paid. There will be impact around to the Bullring.
:03:11. > :03:17.There will be 100 lorries with no way to go. Birmingham City Council
:03:17. > :03:21.say they have given traders advance warning. Consider this, they are
:03:21. > :03:26.already mangoes from Pakistan, flowers from the Channel Island,
:03:26. > :03:31.Mead from Ireland and fish from Spain.
:03:31. > :03:35.Traders say they only had about this this morning. They are now
:03:35. > :03:40.expecting lines of banners at bringing food from around the world
:03:40. > :03:46.if the traders will not be about to sell. They say, he would want to
:03:46. > :03:50.eat it? In the last hour, traders have
:03:50. > :03:53.obtained an injunction to try to prevent the closure of the
:03:53. > :03:59.wholesale market. Birmingham City Council says it is seeking legal
:03:59. > :04:03.opinion about its position. The greatest impact of Thursdays
:04:03. > :04:09.strikes will be on schools. The picture is still developing, but so
:04:09. > :04:12.far this is how it looks. And Worcestershire, 100 schools are
:04:12. > :04:16.to close. Birmingham says at least 200
:04:16. > :04:22.schools will close. Staffordshire, the figure so far is
:04:22. > :04:25.14. Although that is certain to rise as more headteachers notify
:04:25. > :04:29.the local authority of closure plans.
:04:29. > :04:33.There was no sitting on the fence this morning amongst parents
:04:33. > :04:37.outside this Stoke-on-Trent school. They were either for or against
:04:37. > :04:41.says a strike in almost equal measure.
:04:41. > :04:46.You can understand them, but look at the holidays they have. I do
:04:46. > :04:51.know teachers and I think they need to strike. It is the biggest
:04:51. > :04:55.national teachers' strike in 25 years. Packmoor Primary is one of
:04:55. > :05:00.the dozen schools affected. I do find it quite disrupting to the
:05:00. > :05:08.children. I can't see the government taking a backward step
:05:08. > :05:12.on it. It is a deep thing, isn't it? Money. These were the scenes in
:05:12. > :05:17.Birmingham today. Dozens protesting ahead of the strikes and in no mood
:05:17. > :05:22.for compromise. I am here today because David Cameron is the head
:05:22. > :05:25.of the government that is attacking our public services need less sleep.
:05:25. > :05:30.We need to make sure there are enough jobs and pensions for people
:05:30. > :05:36.to have a sustainable life. If we don't stand up and make a stand, we
:05:36. > :05:44.do not have a say. A lecturer believes the strikes could go on
:05:44. > :05:49.for months. If the teachers have a pay freeze and inflation is 5%,
:05:49. > :05:54.many workers will have had a pay cut by 12%. I believe that anger
:05:54. > :05:59.and anxiety will mount up. The government would do well to take
:05:59. > :06:04.note of what is happening. That Fairfax School, the strike started
:06:04. > :06:08.two days early. Teachers here are angry at plans to turn it into an
:06:08. > :06:15.academy, but these are the scenes that will be replicated across the
:06:15. > :06:22.region on Thursday. The local government secretary,
:06:22. > :06:32.Eric Pickles, said there was no reason for the strikes to go ahead.
:06:32. > :06:33.
:06:33. > :06:39.It seems to me to be not a sensible or serious thing to do. The we are
:06:39. > :06:43.there to do something to correct unfairness in this country. We
:06:43. > :06:49.can't continue as we are, thank goodness people are living longer
:06:49. > :06:54.so people will have to retire a little bit later.
:06:54. > :06:59.Byron joined now by the newly elected President of UNISON. UNISON
:06:59. > :07:04.is not involved in thus strikes on Thursday, it is very likely it will
:07:04. > :07:08.be later. Do you think you'll have support? I do believe we will. The
:07:08. > :07:13.public can see for themselves that the services that they want could
:07:13. > :07:18.be eroded or disappear, that is not what they want. I feel that they do
:07:18. > :07:24.want to support us. Thousands of people in the private sector have
:07:24. > :07:30.had their pay frozen, cut, they have sinned pensions changed,
:07:30. > :07:34.surely there is not going to be that much sympathy for you?
:07:34. > :07:38.The thing is, in that way, the private sector it is not a right,
:07:38. > :07:43.is it? We would love to support them in the way that they will
:07:43. > :07:47.support us. Just because one group has been eroded, you do not want to
:07:48. > :07:52.do it to the next. We support the private sector in fighting to keep
:07:53. > :07:56.pensions in the same way that we have. As you know, the nation's
:07:56. > :08:01.finances are in a mess. The coalition has did do something or
:08:01. > :08:06.we could end up like Greece. There are alternatives. There is the
:08:06. > :08:09.Robin tax. There is tax on the bankers bonus. Nobody has talked
:08:09. > :08:15.about how those bankers are still getting their money than they we
:08:15. > :08:20.have paid into it. This is what it is about, the deficit we are having
:08:20. > :08:25.to pay and the bankers getting away with it. How conscious are you that
:08:25. > :08:29.some Labour MPs are saying to be cautious? There always is a case of
:08:29. > :08:35.that because they have to be mindful of having public opinion.
:08:35. > :08:39.And responsibility? Yes, in the same way that we are. We are not
:08:39. > :08:49.doing this lightly. It is the last resort. People going on strike at
:08:49. > :08:53.this moment are realising they are striking and not getting paid. They
:08:53. > :08:58.really strongly believe that the pension, which we have all paid
:08:59. > :09:03.into, is going to disappear. Thank you very much.
:09:03. > :09:08.We would like to hear what you think about the strikes. Do you
:09:08. > :09:14.sympathise? Or de you feel they should carry on working and face up
:09:14. > :09:19.to what the government calls economic reality?
:09:19. > :09:25.For the very latest information on school closures in your area, tune
:09:25. > :09:31.into your local radio station. Good to have you with this. Later
:09:31. > :09:39.on the programme: Hundreds of thousands of precious books and
:09:39. > :09:44.artifacts packed up as Birmingham library gets ready for its big blue.
:09:44. > :09:47.Before that, an update on a story we told you last month about a
:09:47. > :09:52.former policeman and his son who was stabbed outside their home.
:09:52. > :09:56.They try to protect a stranger who ran their for help.
:09:56. > :10:02.Martin Thompson described the ordeal while his son Edward made
:10:02. > :10:06.ill in hospital. 18 year-old Edward has been recovering well. Even
:10:06. > :10:10.though he nearly lost his life, he told our reporter he would do the
:10:10. > :10:14.same thing again. 18 year-old Edward Thompson looks
:10:14. > :10:19.like any ordinary teenager. It is hard to believe five weeks ago he
:10:19. > :10:23.was fighting for his life. Edward and his dad are having a quiet
:10:23. > :10:26.evening in when a youth sought refuge in their home.
:10:26. > :10:32.It was right between the shoulder blades.
:10:32. > :10:37.Minutes later both bad and son were stabbed. Edwards suffered the worst
:10:37. > :10:41.injuries. A punctured lung and four days in intensive care.
:10:41. > :10:46.I knew it was pretty serious because my dad could not stop
:10:46. > :10:52.talking to me. When he told me what happened he said I was close to
:10:52. > :10:57.death. It was such a shock. Martin was also stabbed in his side and
:10:57. > :11:01.spent two days in hospital. Ironically he did not suffer a
:11:01. > :11:06.scratch during 30 years as a policeman, but ended up being
:11:06. > :11:12.knifed outside his front door. doctors say it was a matter of
:11:12. > :11:18.inches. If it had gone a bit deeper or somewhere else, similar with me,
:11:18. > :11:22.if if it had not gone into the part it had, I do not think either of us
:11:22. > :11:26.would be here. The police have described this part of Birmingham
:11:26. > :11:31.as a good community. All the more shocking that a teenager nearly
:11:31. > :11:36.lost his life on his own doorstep. Edward has already had to cope with
:11:37. > :11:40.losing his mother to cancer last year. He plans to study drama. Even
:11:41. > :11:46.though this ordeal was a drama he could have done without, he says he
:11:46. > :11:51.would still do the same. If anyone knocks on your door with their life
:11:51. > :11:55.threatened, you will have the initiative to help them. Two people
:11:55. > :12:00.have been charged with attempted murder and will eventually appear
:12:00. > :12:03.in the Crown Court. Other news, the head teacher of a
:12:03. > :12:09.Coventry primary-school says the death of a four year-old pupil has
:12:09. > :12:13.come as a shock. The boy died while playing in a school playground at
:12:13. > :12:18.Grange Hurst School. Despite efforts to revive him, he was
:12:18. > :12:21.pronounced dead at hospital. The results of the post-mortem on not
:12:21. > :12:25.yet known. Plans for a casino near Birmingham
:12:25. > :12:33.have cleared another hurdle with the granting of a licence. It is
:12:33. > :12:37.expected to form part of a larger development near their NEC. The
:12:37. > :12:42.�120 million complex is expected to create 1000 jobs.
:12:42. > :12:47.It was a bad day on the High Street as another chain across the region
:12:47. > :12:51.warned it is about to call in the administrators.
:12:51. > :13:01.Many smaller shopkeepers say they are also finding it difficult to
:13:01. > :13:03.
:13:03. > :13:08.survive. Andy Newman reports from And this in a town which has had
:13:08. > :13:14.more than its fair share of ups and downs. Kidderminster suffered its
:13:14. > :13:18.first big hit in the late 1980s. Then it seemed to bounce back, but
:13:18. > :13:23.now, like many other traditional centres, it is feeling the squeeze.
:13:24. > :13:27.That will not be helped by the possible loss of another big name
:13:27. > :13:33.from a high-street. TJ Hughes is the latest national clubs chain to
:13:33. > :13:41.hit hard times. Its Kidderminster bad -- branch is one of the town's
:13:41. > :13:47.biggest stores. In will not help the town at all if it closes.
:13:47. > :13:53.a 33 years all retailing under his belt, he is one of the town's
:13:53. > :13:58.oldest shop keepers. The High Street in Kidderminster is very
:13:58. > :14:03.flat at the moment, there are a lot of empty shops, and there seemed to
:14:03. > :14:06.be shops closing every week. I think really that the people who
:14:06. > :14:13.own the property in Kidderminster, rather than leave them empty,
:14:13. > :14:18.should reduce the rent and let them. If John is one of Kidderminster's
:14:18. > :14:24.retailing veterans, Kevin is a new boy. He opened his shop just nine
:14:24. > :14:29.months ago, and so far, he has not drawn a single hounding wagers.
:14:29. > :14:34.has proven to be exceptionally difficult -- difficult. You just
:14:34. > :14:40.about cover your bills. I think I am one of the lucky ones, there are
:14:40. > :14:44.a lot out there that are not. Evidence of the unlucky ones is all
:14:44. > :14:51.around him. His shop is surrounded by vacant units, as Kidderminster
:14:51. > :14:56.tries to fight back. This Monday is a chance for local people to show
:14:56. > :15:06.their support for local, independent retailers. Based on
:15:06. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:10.today's experience, they need it. Joan Cummins is in Walsall. Empty
:15:10. > :15:15.shops are a big issue there, aren't they?
:15:15. > :15:23.Yes, TJ Hughes behind me came in here 18 months ago, filling the gap
:15:23. > :15:30.that had been left by will works. The trouble here is that it has one
:15:30. > :15:36.of our highest rates of empty shops in the region. About 27 %, beaten
:15:36. > :15:41.only by West Bromwich. Adrian, you are from the council. Why is there
:15:41. > :15:46.such a problem? One of the reasons is that a number of shops are being
:15:46. > :15:51.redeveloped, because we did have prime mark and Co of coming back
:15:51. > :15:58.into the town centre. But we have also had invest when 4th -- from
:15:58. > :16:01.Marks and Spencers and Waterstone's. How about lowering the rents?
:16:01. > :16:05.would be great if business rates could be dealt with by the
:16:05. > :16:11.government to give an incentive for smaller retailers, and bigger ones
:16:11. > :16:17.as well. Tesco had just opened a few months ago, creating hundreds
:16:17. > :16:23.of jobs. That is what we need in this economy. A Walsall has more
:16:23. > :16:31.empty shops and other places. Is it on its knees? No, it is not fair to
:16:31. > :16:35.say that. But we do need a bit of a pick me up. We knew -- we do have
:16:35. > :16:39.our new hotel being built, that is a real shot in the armed. We have
:16:39. > :16:45.stopped traffic here tonight, showing that people do still come.
:16:45. > :16:48.You just have to want to be here. Still to come tonight:
:16:48. > :16:51.You may never have heard of him, but he's one of the biggest stars
:16:51. > :17:01.in one of the most dangerous sports...And also perhaps the
:17:01. > :17:04.
:17:04. > :17:09.region's super commuter. Rare collection of children's books
:17:09. > :17:13.and games is carefully being prepared and packed ahead of a move
:17:13. > :17:16.to Birmingham's new library. The items are worth millions of pounds
:17:16. > :17:22.and will be an attraction as a new archive centre at the new library
:17:22. > :17:32.which opens in two years' time. Lindsay Doyle has been to see the
:17:32. > :17:37.
:17:37. > :17:42.Take a close look, this unique collection of children's books and
:17:42. > :17:46.games is rarely seen. Hundreds of items, some dating back centuries,
:17:46. > :17:49.are being packed away at Birmingham Central Library so that
:17:49. > :17:55.conservation work can be carried out on them before they take pride
:17:55. > :17:59.of place at the new Library of Birmingham, which opens in 2013.
:17:59. > :18:02.will have storage that fits the value of these collections, and
:18:02. > :18:07.enables them to keep them for generations to come. The storage
:18:07. > :18:11.here is not that good. Conditions are not as good as we would like
:18:11. > :18:18.them to be. We keep everything as well as we can, but it will be much
:18:18. > :18:22.better in the new library. The new �188 million library in Centenary
:18:22. > :18:26.Square is likely to become a major cultural destinations. With 10
:18:26. > :18:30.levels, it will be connected to the Birmingham Rep, bringing together
:18:30. > :18:34.the written and spoken word through drama, poetry and performance. And
:18:34. > :18:39.archive centre will house many of the city's most valuable treasures,
:18:39. > :18:46.leaving millions of books, photographs and collections will be
:18:46. > :18:50.on show for the first time. Many of the gains in the collection are
:18:50. > :18:54.educational, such as this one, which points out stew children
:18:54. > :19:00.which professions were considered to be used well. The farmer, a
:19:00. > :19:04.butcher, the dance master and the poet are not thought to be so
:19:04. > :19:08.useful! I have a strong feeling that broadcasters would have been
:19:08. > :19:13.considered to be useless! It was donated by private collectors in
:19:13. > :19:23.the 1950s. It is amongst the first to be restored in order for it to
:19:23. > :19:24.
:19:24. > :19:30.continue to bring to life that children of long ago.
:19:30. > :19:34.Birmingham City have begun to sell some of their star names. Cameron
:19:34. > :19:38.Jerome and Scott Dunn could be on their way out. They could be about
:19:38. > :19:44.to sell three players to help balance the books after relegation.
:19:44. > :19:51.Craig Gardner is close to sealing a �6 million move to Sunderland.
:19:51. > :19:55.Scott Stam and Cameron Jerome could both be moving to Stoke City.
:19:55. > :20:00.There could be a takeover on the cards at Coventry City. Joe Elliott,
:20:00. > :20:03.seen here on the left, has been asked to step down following an
:20:03. > :20:08.approach from for much vice chairman Gary Hoffman. The club say
:20:08. > :20:12.they have yet to receive a bid. 5,000 people have registered for
:20:12. > :20:16.this year's Birmingham have Marathon. From now on, it will be
:20:16. > :20:23.known as the Great Birmingham Run. It has a limit of 15,000 runners
:20:23. > :20:27.and will take place on 23rd October. Just four months ago, speedway fans
:20:27. > :20:31.feared that the Coventry Bees had been forced out of the Elite League.
:20:31. > :20:37.Then, a compromise was reached with the sport's Daventry -- governing
:20:37. > :20:41.bodies. Now, they have signed arguably the most exciting rider in
:20:41. > :20:48.Europe. Never seen before on the back lawn
:20:48. > :20:53.of a suburban semi-detached house in Coventry. At I am from Russia, I
:20:53. > :21:00.am riding for the Coventry Bees. One a Russian rider, one Polish
:21:00. > :21:08.mechanic, and one fast bike. People say that Emil Sayfutdinov is the
:21:08. > :21:13.rising star. He is a very good rider, he is aggressive and
:21:14. > :21:19.competitive, and maybe one day he will be the world's champion.
:21:19. > :21:23.he is enthusiastic, he is fast and he is good enough. Two have been in
:21:23. > :21:28.the Grand Prix and the senior league is just about as good as it
:21:28. > :21:33.can get. This is why he is such a big favourite. When the tapes go up,
:21:33. > :21:38.his will to win takes over, often with spectacular results. In
:21:38. > :21:43.Cardiff, this crash on the first bend proved costly. Much to his
:21:43. > :21:50.frustration, he was excluded and finished 4th. He looked very angry
:21:50. > :21:55.to be excluded. Yes, of course. But it is the referee's decision.
:21:55. > :22:00.Signing Emil Sayfutdinov was a real boost for the Coventry Bees. He is
:22:00. > :22:04.also pulling in the crowds all over Europe. On Sunday, he flew home to
:22:04. > :22:14.compete in Poland. But he came back for last night's League meeting in
:22:14. > :22:15.
:22:15. > :22:19.Wolverhampton. That is a taste of his busy life in the fast line.
:22:19. > :22:29.Provided he does not lose his passport, he will make his home
:22:29. > :22:34.
:22:34. > :22:37.debut for the Coventry Bees against King's Lynn on Friday night.
:22:37. > :22:42.Back now to our top story, the public sector strikes now less than
:22:42. > :22:45.48 hours away. Earlier we asked for your views and thanks to all of you
:22:45. > :22:47.who got in touch. Michael Collins says strikes are
:22:47. > :22:50.the only way to get people to listen.
:22:50. > :22:54.Steve Grimsley has no sympathy for the union's claim for pension
:22:54. > :22:57.rights from the taxpayer. Alan Henshaw emailed to say he
:22:57. > :23:01.supports the strikes: 'The working people of this country did not
:23:01. > :23:05.cause the financial crisis but they are being used as scapegoats'.
:23:05. > :23:09.And a final word from Mark Flowers. 'The strike over pensions by
:23:09. > :23:12.teachers and other public service workers is wrong. They should be
:23:12. > :23:22.glad that they have pensions at all'.$$NEWLINE A look at tonight's
:23:22. > :23:24.
:23:24. > :23:29.main headlines: David Cameron addressed Conference leaders in
:23:29. > :23:34.Birmingham today, and appealed for the strike to be called off.
:23:34. > :23:39.What is the mood there? It really does depend on which
:23:39. > :23:43.council used be to. All the Conservative councillors are very
:23:43. > :23:46.positive and are toeing the line that David Cameron was talking
:23:46. > :23:50.about. But all that Labour councillors I had been speaking to
:23:50. > :23:55.were negative. If some of them were saying that David Cameron was a
:23:55. > :24:01.smoothing over the cracks in his policy, and saying that they have
:24:01. > :24:09.real sympathy for the workers he will be going on strike. I enjoyed
:24:09. > :24:13.by Philip Atkins. David Cameron was there talking about how this is
:24:13. > :24:16.essential, and that this is fair. But for a public sector workers,
:24:17. > :24:22.they are looking at working for a longer, paying more and getting
:24:22. > :24:29.less. Do you have sympathy with them? I have sympathy with people
:24:29. > :24:34.who are coming to terms with the fact that we are living longer, and
:24:34. > :24:39.that the cost of that pension is going to cost the country more. And
:24:39. > :24:43.then we have to think about how we get contributions, or whether we
:24:43. > :24:50.work longer. The discussion has to take place. And I think that is
:24:50. > :24:53.what the Prime Minister, it is the first time any Prime Minister has
:24:53. > :24:57.come to their local government conference. That is what he meant.
:24:57. > :25:05.There will be huge disruption. Should be government not give a bit
:25:05. > :25:12.of ground? No, I do not think so. Eight is to bigger question to duck.
:25:12. > :25:22.They could perhaps... I would make a plea that people think about the
:25:22. > :25:23.
:25:23. > :25:28.effect of what they do. Nick Clegg takes the podium tomorrow.
:25:28. > :25:36.You can read more about Thursday's national strike day on our
:25:36. > :25:43.political editor Patrick Burns' political editor Patrick Burns'
:25:43. > :25:50.blog. Now, a look at the weather. The
:25:50. > :25:53.showers we have had over the last 24 hours have not been impressive.
:25:53. > :25:59.Not much rain later this week, and temperatures by the weekend should
:25:59. > :26:03.be rising, which is good news. The reason for this improvement is
:26:03. > :26:12.because there is high pressure moving in from the South West by
:26:12. > :26:17.Thursday. It will drop will winds in from be Warner place. Today, we
:26:17. > :26:22.will see any remaining showers dying away. The cloud will begin to
:26:22. > :26:25.break up and leave clear skies overnight. Temperatures dropping
:26:25. > :26:30.down to secure the -- single figures, around eight or nine
:26:30. > :26:37.degrees Celsius. Cooler tomorrow morning as well, but there will be
:26:37. > :26:44.a lot of sunshine. Cloud will move in during the afternoon, that will
:26:44. > :26:48.bring some showers as well. Temperatures rising to about 20
:26:49. > :26:54.degrees Celsius, there will still be sunshine between they showers.
:26:54. > :27:00.From Thursday on words, it starts to improve. Thursday may be a bit
:27:00. > :27:03.cloudy, but temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius. Gradually climbing
:27:03. > :27:13.to 22 degrees Celsius on Saturday, slightly above the average for the
:27:13. > :27:25.
:27:25. > :27:31.A look at tonight's main headlines: A general strike in Greece turns
:27:31. > :27:34.violent. Demonstrators oppose plans to raise taxes and cut spending.