Tata and unions agree to rescue plan for the Port Talbot steel works December 7, 2016 Tata Steel has forged an agreement with the UK’s largest steel unions to rescue the Port Talbot steelworks and other sites, throwing a lifeline to 11,000 jobs provided that changes can be made to the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS). Senior union representatives met Tata Steel executives yesterday to hammer out the deal, which will [...]
Ten trade unions have hit out at the “deeply regrettable and unnecessary” crisis engulfing Labour, while acknowledging calls for a leadership election June 29, 2016 Ten of the UK's trade unions have slammed the conduct of the party's MPs, acknowledging Labour is heading for a leadership election. The carefully worded statement from the leaders of unions including Unite, Unison and GMB, argue that Corbyn is the democratically-elected leader of the party, chosen under procedures backed by Labour MPs. And while the statement stops short of directly [...]
Change to Addison Lee driver contracts boosts earnings June 8, 2016 A new contract for Addison Lee drivers has resulted in a seven per cent boost to earnings. The new deal has been road tested by a small number of the private car hire company’s drivers, who have reported an increase in the amount they are taking home compared with this time last year. The deal [...]
Addison Lee drivers to gridlock Mayfair on Tuesday May 22, 2016 Over 100 Addison Lee drivers are set to gridlock Mayfair’s Berkeley Square tomorrow during a major protest over a fall in pay rates. Members of GMB, the union for private hire drivers, will block the road outside the office of Carlyle Group, that bought Addison Lee for £300m in 2013. The union claims that Addison Lee, [...]
A legal decision on the status of Uber drivers is imminent October 12, 2016 Uber drivers could receive a judgement as soon as today in a landmark legal case that could decide the status of millions of people working across the growing gig economy and potentially disrupt the billion dollar startup's business in Britain. An employment tribunal will make a decision based on the arguments of drivers, represented by law firm Leigh Day and [...]
Labour’s opposition to shale gas is economic sabotage of industrial Britain October 3, 2016 The INEOS Insight, holding 27,500 cubic metres of shale gas, docked at Grangemouth in Scotland last week. As a vessel it is as impressive as it is imposing, and yet it is also a tangible symbol of the confusion in Britain’s industrial policy. Manufacturing as a share of UK GDP has halved in the last [...]
All eyes of EDF as it meets to decide on £18bn Hinkley Point C July 28, 2016 French utility giant EDF is expected to take the long-delayed final investment decision on its Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset. EDF board members are meeting in Paris today, where they're expected to greenlight the controversial project. UK unions have thrown their weight behind the project, which will create tens of thousands of jobs and [...]
By boycotting G4S and putting its party conference in jeopardy, Labour has cut off its nose to spite its face August 19, 2016 Amid the mud-slinging which has made up the Labour Party’s leadership contest, you might have missed this nugget: Labour’s annual conference is on the brink of being cancelled because it finds itself without a security detail. In doing so, it is potentially alienating thousands of voters – and not just because they won’t be able to [...]
Hinkley Point C: Here’s how seven City types reacted July 29, 2016 The long-awaited decision on the Hinkley Point project finally arrived this morning – but while EDF decided to go ahead with the nuclear reactors, the government threw its own spanner in the works. Yes, last night business and energy secretary Greg Clark said the government will review the details of the project and make a [...]
Pay row: M&S accused of threatening to sack staff who reject new contracts July 12, 2016 Marks & Spencer has become embroiled in a dispute over staff pay as it grapples with a sales slide in its clothing division. Chief executive Steve Rowe told shareholders at yesterday's AGM that the retailer faces "tough decisions" in the coming months. M&S is consulting staff over the axing of premium pay on Sundays, and cuts [...]