Q & A : WHERE HAVE THE STRIKE THREATS COME FROM? October 7, 2009 Q. WHAT ARE THE UNIONS OPPOSING?A. On Tuesday, British Airways announced it was cutting 1,700 jobs and was introducing a two-year pay freeze for cabin crew as it looks to cut costs in the downturn. It also said it would recruit new staff on different terms and conditions to current employees. Unite has denounced the [...]
Pulling MACHINE October 6, 2009 AS I write this, I am sitting watching the sunset across the Gulf of St Tropez, about to drive back to Blighty towing a photographer friend’s two-tonne boat. My friend Kos, you see, is a yacht photographer who uses a Range Rover Sport to tow her boats to sailing regattas around Europe. She is looking [...]
Sweeten your home the Candy way October 6, 2009 FROM time to time we all sit and wonder about the kind of home we’d have if money were no object. Imagine the bedroom. Vast flatscreen telly? De rigueur. Cavernous walk-in wardrobe? Yes please, ideally with outfits rotated electronically. En suite with jacuzzi? Why not. Supercar hoisted up and parked at the end of the [...]
Political polling produces instant public response October 6, 2009 THE big news here in Manchester is “daily polling”. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but never before have we seen the effect of the sound and fury at the party conferences producing, almost instantly, accurately recorded public response. The chart shows how Gordon Brown’s speech led to a very slight uplift, which disappeared the next [...]
Pension funds slam calls for annual voting October 6, 2009 BRITISH pension schemes with more than £50bn in assets have sharply criticised a call by other major institutional investors for annual re-election of all directors at listed UK companies. BT Pension scheme fund manager Hermes, and the universities pension fund USS – which manages £21.7bn in assets – said a move to put the entire [...]
Chloride trading at full power October 6, 2009 Power protection company Chloride Group said yesterday that trading in the first-half was in line with its expectations and its order book at the end of September was up four per cent. The company, which makes the products which protect against power shortages at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and the Emirates stadium of Arsenal, said it [...]
Mobile contracts to hit 4.6bn October 6, 2009 Mobile subscriptions will rise to 4.6bn by the end of this year, boosted by a continuing mobile phone boom in emerging economies, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said yesterday. That represents about two mobile subscriptions for every three people in the world, although in developed economies many people have more than one subscription.
Dawson to meet expectations October 6, 2009 Print distributor Dawson Holdings expects all of its three continuing businesses to meet current market expectations despite the effect of the recession. The company said the three continuing businesses – Dawson Media Direct, Dawson Books and Dawson Marketing Services – retained good market positions and were profitable during the year ended 30 September.
Shop prices fall further as high street struggles October 6, 2009 SHOP prices recorded another fall in September compared to a year ago, as the high street continues to suffer from consumers tightening their purse-strings in the downturn. Overall shop prices fell 0.1 per cent over the month, having already fallen 0.1 per cent in August, the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index (SPI) shows today. But though [...]
SCRAPPAGE DRIVES SALES October 6, 2009 NEW car sales were up 11.4 per cent last month year-on-year – their third consecutive rise – helped by a government incentive scheme, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed yesterday. A total of 367,929 cars were sold. September is one of the most important months for new car sales, as [...]