Great Western Railway customers face fresh disruption as cleaners stage two one-day walkouts on run-up to Christmas December 12, 2016 Rail commuters are facing another layer of disruption after unions announced cleaners will go on strike on the run up to Christmas. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) today announced after a "massive yes vote" cleaners would walk out on 16 and 23 December – 109 members voted in favour of the action. Employees of [...]
Now you’ll be able to fly non-stop from London to Australia (thanks Qantas) December 11, 2016 Travellers heading down under will soon be able to do so without a single stop on the nearly 9,000 mile journey. Qantas has revealed ambitious plans for the first ever direct flights between the two countries will become reality by March 2018, all thanks to the Dreamliner aircraft, in a move hailed as a "game-changer". “When [...]
Southern rail make late attempt to appeal Thursday’s High Court Aslef ruling December 9, 2016 Southern rail has lodged an eleventh hour attempt to avert trains grinding to a halt next week. The rail firm is under unprecedented pressure from two trade unions: joining forces with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), members of drivers union Aslef will walk out for nine days starting next Tuesday. Whereas previously Southern has managed to [...]
Uber treats drivers like Victorian “sweated labour”, says Frank Field in gig economy report December 9, 2016 Frank Field might be more commonly known as one of the thorns in Sir Philip Green's side, but Uber might now have a bone to pick with him too. The Labour MP and chair of the Work and Pensions Committee has uploaded a report to his site analysing the working relationship between Uber and its drivers, [...]
Andrew Tyrie demands Chancellor reveal more Heathrow details: It’s crucial that parliament “has all the tools at its disposal” December 9, 2016 Firstly Andrew Tyrie wasn't happy with the government over what assurances Nissan had been given on Brexit, writing to the head of the National Audit Office for more detail. And now, the chairman of the Treasury Committee has called on the government to be more forthcoming on Heathrow expansion too. The Conservative politician has written to [...]
Auto delay repay? No way: Southeastern won’t automatically refund customers using its celebrated ticketless smartcard, says bidder December 9, 2016 One of the bidders in the running for the Southeastern train franchise says it will not provide automatic compensation to delayed customers, despite a sector-wide push to ensure passengers are more swiftly and fairly compensated, City A.M. can exclusively reveal. Govia, which is in line to team-up with Network Rail to run the Southeastern franchise, [...]
Sadiq Khan accuses government of “washing their hands” of Southern rail crisis and abandoning passengers December 9, 2016 The mayor of London has become the latest to chime in on the hefty disruption on Southern rail, labelling the ongoing chaos "a total disgrace". Sadiq Khan criticised all sides and called on the unions to cancel the strikes lined up for next week, though he took particular aim at the government over its inaction. "The [...]
UK construction output fell in October, failing to build on September growth December 9, 2016 Construction output suffered a surprise slowdown in October, new figures out today show. The sector shrank by 0.6 per cent between September and October, falling below analyst expectations. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the biggest downward contribution came from infrastructure, while repair and maintenance showed no growth. Read more: It's not all [...]
Coalition of councils (including the Prime Minister’s local) says legal action against Heathrow expansion is a go December 9, 2016 A coalition of councils has teamed up and hit the government with legal papers for unlawfully supporting the expansion of Heathrow. And while the councils all made their intentions clear a while back, it does prove a headache for Theresa May as her own local council, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, is involved [...]
London’s gig economy has grown 72 per cent since 2010 December 9, 2016 You might have suspected it given the influx of cyclists zooming by with Deliveroo boxes, and new research has confirmed it: the capital's gig economy is booming. In fact, it's grown 72 per cent, across the transport and storage sector, since 2010. The gig economy, driven by casual work, has become hugely popular in London, according to analysis [...]