The number of days lost to industrial action soared by 89 per cent to 322,000 last year February 15, 2017 There were 322,000 working days lost to strike action in 2016, an increase of 89 per cent on the year before. According to official figures for the year ending December 2016 there were 322,000 days lost from 99 stoppages and 154,000 people took strike action. That compares to 170,000 days lost due to labour disputes in [...]
British Airways, CityJet and Flybe threaten to quit London’s City Airport over fears new owners will raise airline charges February 16, 2016 Three major airlines have fired a warning shot to bidders vying for control of London's City Airport, threatening to pull their business if a new owner raises airline charges. The airport, currently owned by US private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners, has attracted the interest of five bidders, including Asia’s richest man Li Ka-Shing. The deadline for final bids [...]
Employers must act early when strike action looms: Industrial action and what can be done January 13, 2017 Strike action is continuing to cause significant disruption for commuters, business travellers and holidaymakers in early 2017 – but could it have been prevented? Southern Rail has announced that it is going ahead with three-day stoppages of its train services this month – the first started this week – and British Airways’ cabin crew held a 48-hour strike [...]
Brave sub-zero temperatures to discover Moscow’s hidden cultural treasures February 24, 2017 Russia’s sprawling capital teems with magnificent onion-domed churches, candy-coloured Baroque buildings and compelling, clean-lined, Stalin-era skyscrapers. Pretty parks such as the vast, green Gorky Park dot the city, and at its heart is the imposing plaza of Red Square. This is home to the showpiece cathedral of St Basil, Lenin’s mausoleum and the state-owned department [...]
Inmarsat’s share price flies up 10 per cent after releasing starry-eyed results November 3, 2016 Shares in satellite group Inmarsat reached for skies today after revealing better than expected third quarter results. The group's aviation division grew revenues by 10 per cent to $36m (£29m) having been boosted by mopping up contracts with some of Europe's largest airlines. These included an agreement with British Airways to provide wifi on its short haul [...]
Long Weekend: Check into Marbella Club, a golf hotel in Malaga with an aristocratic pedigree February 20, 2017 The weekend: Marbs, as certain raffish reality TV characters call it, occupies a prime location by the Med on southern Spain’s Sunshine Coast. Behind this famous tourist town rises the jagged Sierra Blanca mountain range. You can shop, swim, hike, or mountain-bike, but most visitors are here to play a round with their balls. Thanks [...]
FTSE 100 surpasses 2016 highest point to close at record high as miners drive end-of-year gains December 28, 2016 The FTSE 100 surpassed its record highest close on Wednesday as investors started returning to their desks after the Christmas break. London’s blue chip index was one of the top performing indices worldwide as mining stocks drove it above its highest previous close to reach 7,106.08 points. That beat the 7103.98 point close set in April 2015. Sterling's continued [...]
British Airways will start flying from Stansted in May 2016 – as BA boss Willie Walsh admits grudging admiration for Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary February 9, 2016 British Airways is adding a fourth London airport to its network and will start flying out of Stansted from 28 May onwards. The company's subsidiary BA CityFlyer will operate routes to Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza out of the airport, located in Essex, which is a massive base to budget airline Ryanair. "Stansted is a growing airport [...]
We’ve got cereal strikes going on: Now Weetabix workers vote for walkouts December 19, 2016 Another day, another proposed batch of industrial action. This time, it's Weetabix workers apparently. Usdaw union has said workers at the cereal company are planning to go on strike in the new year after voting for action in a row over the firm's proposal to change shift patterns. Ed Leach, Usdaw's area organiser, said: “Despite long [...]
British Airways €104m fine for price-fixing thrown out by EU General Court December 16, 2015 British Airways has reason to rejoice after a €104m (£75.8m) penalty imposed on it was thrown out by the General Court of the European Union today, on the grounds that the original decision contained contradictions. The airline company was originally landed with the fine following an European Commission decision in 2010 over allegations surrounding its role in an alleged price-fixing [...]