PSA agrees to buy Vauxhall and Opel from GM: What happens to UK jobs now? March 6, 2017 French firm PSA has confirmed its €2.2bn (£1.9bn) deal to buy General Motors' European unit, including Vauxhall. And all eyes have been on PSA boss Carlos Tavares, who has a reputation for being an efficient cost-cutter, for clues as to what it will mean for jobs. Vauxhall's UK plants in Luton and Ellesmere Port employ 4,500 workers. Read more: [...]
Dozens of flights cancelled as five-day French air traffic control strike gets underway March 6, 2017 Thousands of passengers are being disrupted as a five-day strike by French air traffic controllers (ATC) strike started today, with airlines have been forced to cut a raft of flights. Airlines four Europe (A4E), where Air France, EasyJet, Lufthansa and Ryanair are all members, said airlines have been asked to reduce their flight offerings in France by a [...]
Volvo reverses away from Lotus car brand deal March 5, 2017 The Chinese parent company of Volvo, Geely, has reportedly done a swift three-point turn out of a deal to buy Malaysian auto maker, Proton, which owns British iconic car brand, Lotus. According to the Sunday Times, talks between Geely and Proton have stalled, leaving a question mark over the future of Lotus. Lotus has been [...]
Uber used a secret technology called Greyball to hide from regulators and avoid being shut down March 4, 2017 The blows just keep coming for Uber. It's now been revealed that for years the ride-hailing app has deceived regulators in areas where its services were resisted or banned by authorities by using a secret technology. Greyball, a programme that uses data from the Uber app and other technologies, was created to protect the firm from "violations [...]
Peugeot maker PSA has reached a deal to buy Opel and Vauxhall March 4, 2017 French carmaker PSA has closed on a deal with General Motors (GM) to buy the firm's loss-making Opel division, which includes Britain's Vauxhall, according to reports. The two groups announced today they will hold a press conference Monday morning – but they didn't specify a subject. Sources told Reuters PSA's board approved the deal yesterday and will publicly announce it [...]
BMW workers are set to be balloted for strike action over a pensions row March 3, 2017 Workers at BMW's Mini and Rolls-Royce car plants are being balloted for strike action once again over plans to close the firm's UK final salary pension scheme. The German carmaker wants to close two final salary schemes and consolidate all staff to a less generous provision that new starters have been on since 2014. The dispute began [...]
Airlines braced for flight disruption next week as strike action by French air traffic controllers looms March 3, 2017 Airlines are braced for flight disruption next week as French air traffic controllers gear up for five days of strike action. Airport workers are planning to walk out from the morning of Monday 6 March to the evening of Friday 10 March, which will affect flights using southern and western French airspace, including many flights departing from the [...]
British Airways cabin crew start fresh week-long walkout in dispute with airline over “poverty pay” March 3, 2017 British Airways has remained bullish about flying all customers to their destinations as cabin crew members start the first day of a fresh week-long strike in the ongoing row over "poverty pay". BA said the vast majority of flights to and from London Heathrow will operate as normal, but said a "very small number" of flights will be merged [...]
Taxi for Uber: High Court rules in favour of TfL saying private hire drivers will have to pass a written English exam March 3, 2017 Uber has lost a key part of its High Court case against Transport for London (TfL), after a High Court ruled private hire drivers will be forced to pass a written English exam. The firm did though, win other parts of its case, so it won't have to provide a telephone call centre for passengers open 24 hours [...]
Great Western electrification might miss new 2018 target and £2.8bn budget, MPs warn March 3, 2017 The Great Western electrification project might miss its revised delivery target of December 2018 and £2.8bn budget, MPs have warned. The government and Network Rail's failings on the cost estimations and planning of the project throws into doubt their ability to manage similar projects, the Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) said today. The estimated cost of [...]