International
News
- February 2006
London, January 14, 2006 (Bankside Press) - Nurses at
Guy's and St Thomas' have been dazzling patients in their
brand new uniforms created by top fashion designer Paul
Costelloe.
Paul has designed uniforms for businesses in the past
but this is the first time that a hospital has worked with
a designer to come up with a custom made uniform. Although
the overall designs were Paul's work, nurses in the Trust
also had their say, making adjustments and adding features
to make their working lives much easier. For example, they
were keen to have slits in the sleeves to help them move
around more easily and the uniforms are made of a high
quality fabric which will help keep them cool in the summer
and warm in the winter.
Paul Costelloe said: "I was delighted to be able
to design a new uniform for the nursing staff at Guy's
and St Thomas '. Nurses work very hard and I have a great
respect for what they do, so it really was an honor to
design them something smart and practical to wear when
they are working." The new uniforms are designed to
give the Trust's nurses a consistent uniform across all
departments and wards which allow patients to recognize
who they should talk to if they need something or have
a problem. Chief Nurse, Eileen Sills, explains: "Patients
have told us that they are keen to see staff in uniform
as it helps them to identify the right person to talk to.
The new uniform will help to make sure that no matter where
a patient is in the hospital, whether it be an outpatient
clinic or a ward they can very quickly identify a staff
nurse or a matron from the color of their uniform."
Every nurse in the Trust has been individually measured
to make sure that when they get their brand new uniforms
in the next few weeks or so they will fit perfectly. The
new uniforms consist of a choice between trousers and tunics
and dresses or a mixture of the two.
Stuart Glenister, one of the trust's heads of nursing,
led the project and has been delighted with the response
from staff: "The feedback from staff who already have
their new uniform has been really positive. Our nurses
feel really smart wearing them and are amazed at just how
comfortable they are.”
Scotland , January 24, 2006 (The Scotsman) - Police in
the Capital are to abandon collars and ties as the force
adopts a new United States-style uniform.
Front-line officers on the streets of the Capital will
soon be kitted out all in black with a matching T-shirt
and fleece.
Their traditional look of white shirt and black tie will
only be worn by office-bound staff as part of a shake-up
of the Lothian and Borders force.
The move has been welcomed by constables, who previously
complained that wearing body armor under their shirts was
uncomfortable, while wearing them on top of the shirts
leaves them too sweaty.
Beat bobbies will continue to be issued with high-visibility
jackets which are to be tailored differently to include
more yellow so they are even more distinctive.
The uniforms will be rolled out across the force area
within the next month at a total cost of £1.2 million.
Temporary Superintendent Brian Muir has overseen the
changeover as secretary of the force's uniform group. He
said: "The main driver behind the changes has been
the body armor which all officers wear now. The armor gets
better and lighter each time it's issued but it can still
be quite heavy and uncomfortable. The new uniform will
be more practical than it is at the moment.
"The T-shirt will be worn against the skin and that
is made of 'moisture wicking' material which draws sweat
away from the body."
The uniforms have been piloted over the last two years
in Strathclyde, where officers were said to be impressed
by the changes. Temp Supt Muir added: "The new uniform
allows the skin to breathe more easily and cuts down on
the heat. It's all about making the uniforms more practical
for the 21st century. There has been a lot of support from
both the officers and the Scottish Police Federation over
this.”
But Lothian and Borders Police will be maintaining some
of the more traditional aspects of its uniform unlike its
counterpart in the west.
Officers in Strathclyde are now wearing black "combat-style" Teflon
trousers with thigh pockets.
Beat cops in Edinburgh will continue to wear dress trousers
without external pockets.
Officers will also maintain the option of wearing a shirt
and tie for court appearances and formal occasions.
But Councilor Shami Khan, who sits on the police board,
was unhappy about the planned changes. He said: "I
think they should keep the shirt and ties. During the G8
demonstrations there were police who came in from other
forces wearing these kind of uniforms and they didn't look
like officers. They looked like they worked for a security
firm.”
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers
in Scotland said: "The introduction of new uniforms
at Lothian and Borders Police Force is part of a program
that is ACPOS-driven to introduce new uniforms that are
a better fit for policing.
Pakistan , January 25, 2006 (Daily Times) - Eight major
Asian textile and apparel players share many weaknesses,
creating hurdles to the growth of their share in the international
markets.
These countries, covering nearly 50 percent of global exports of apparel and
80 percent of Asian apparel exports, have many common problems, including low-
price image, environmental and social regulations, high electricity and fuel
cost, dearth of trained manpower, infrastructure impediments and little exposure
to high-tech machinery, said a study conducted by a Sri Lankan textiles and
clothing sector writer, A H H Saheed, who is also a chartered marketer by profession.
These countries are Pakistan , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Sri
Lanka , Thailand and Vietnam .
The study, named Global Apparel Industry and Major Asian Suppliers, has discussed
weaknesses of each of the Asian countries dealing in apparel industry separately.
Pakistan : Major weaknesses of Pakistan ’s apparel industry include low-price
image, reliability, marketing, environmental and social regulation and inadequate
infrastructure, including power, water and the road network not able to provide
foundation for a dynamic industrial sector.
Similarly, very expensive power, low grade technology leading to low productivity
and poor quality, outdated machinery, lack of considerable upgraded human resource
skills and confusion in political, religious and social situation, including
terrorism.
India : In India again low price image is a major weakness like Pakistan and
other Asian countries. Besides, buyer hardship and control, environmental and
social regulations, narrow export base in garment as over 50 percent is confined
to four products, relatively low technology, hardly available traditional tailoring
background and automation in decentralized garment sector, inconsistent and
low quality and productivity and a higher power cost in India’s power
cost also hampering growth there. India ’s cotton yield is only 372kgs
per hectare as compared with the world average 900-1000kgs per hectare. Low
labor productivity and pro-employee labor laws have resulted in unproductive
employee unions in India , which are mainly externally and politically motivated.
China : The quota restriction and safeguard measures from the US and the EU
are described as major weaknesses of the apparel industry in China . Wage rates
in the apparel industry and other production costs, land prices, training,
social fees and shipping costs are also rising. Social responsibility/accountability
and labor issues, low price image, buyer hardship, mass production/flexibility
have been counted as some other major issues in China .
Bangladesh : Low-price image again emerges as a major weakness in Bangladesh
. According to the writer, interest rate for long-term in Bangladesh is very
high, that is, 9-12%, as compared with 5-6% of competitors. Similarly, no fund
for assistance to textile and apparel sector has been created and when it is
coupled with the dearth of trained manpower of international standards and
lower labor, the situation is translated into low productivity and inconsistency
in quality. Then obsolete production technique, over-dependence on imports,
especially woven fabrics, environment and social regulations are other weak
areas in Bangladesh . Particularly, reliability and lead-time in Bangladesh
is high (90-120 days) and machinery is mostly outdated and unable to keep pace
with technological development.
Vietnam : In Vietnam product quality needs improvement,
as technology and machines are 10-20 years old compared
with regional countries. That has put the production costs
very high, around 5-7 percent compared with competitors
China , India , Bangladesh and Indonesia . High oil prices
and being a non-member of the WTO is again a big challenge
for its apparel sector, says the report.
Thailand : According to the report, most export products of Thailand are commodity
types, which are subject to fierce competition and have lower prices. Then
the lack of variety and quality products due to shortage of technical manpower
and modern technology is resulting in loss of competitive advantage compared
with lower cost countries, especially in labor wage rate. The wage rate in
Thailand is $1.24 per hour – higher than India , Indonesia , Sri Lanka
, Vietnam , Bangladesh and Pakistan . Relying on imported raw materials, the
domestic industry cannot supply material, especially quality and variety. High
cost of production and difficult to get workers is another big issue there.
There is a general lack of skilled people, particularly in the sewing industry,
so productivity is not high and investments and industrial engineering are
limited.
Sri Lanka : Continued civil war in the country has suppressed the growth potential
of the economy and adversely affected investor confidence. The apparel industry
there heavily depends on imported raw materials. The industry has not kept
pace with technological developments, and longer leader times is also hampering
growth there. The need to import fabrics results in longer lead times for the
apparel industry. The average lead time – eight weeks or more and lower
labor productivity are weak areas of the industry.
Indonesia : In Indonesia , political Instability and
confusion in the political and social situation, including
terrorism, are proving to be major hurdles facing the industry.
The infrastructure needs improvement. The rising electricity
and fuel costs, increasing trend of minimum wages coupled
with low-tech textile and clothing industries is another
weak area of the industry. Depreciation in rupiah has increased
import costs and oil fuel prices. There is also an increase
in the number of labor unions there.
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