Zero hour work backed by poll of contract staff November 25, 2013 ZERO hours contracts are being attacked on unreasonable grounds and their excessive regulation should be avoided, according to a report published today. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reveals a survey of employees finding that workers on zero-hours contracts are equally satisfied with their jobs as other employees. People employed without a specified [...]
Brokers told to make fees clearer November 25, 2013 INVESTMENT managers often spend their commission on data and services which are not allowed under the rules and in conflict with the interests of the clients that pay those fees, the Financial Conduct Authority warned yesterday. It wants to force brokerages to give clients more information on where their money is spent and more closely [...]
UK’s services firms still building confidence as growth returns November 25, 2013 UK SERVICES are still building strength as the year comes to a close, with the quickest increase in optimism for 15 years recorded in the three months to November. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reports buoyant conditions for the UK’s largest sector today, boding well for the fourth quarter’s GDP figures – employment and business [...]
Big firms hold largest share of UK jobs market November 25, 2013 BIG BUSINESS dominates the UK workforce more than in any other country in the EU, according to figures released yesterday by the European Commission. Companies with 250 or more staff employ almost half (46.4 per cent) of the 17.7m UK workers in the non-financial private sector – well above the EU average of 32.8 per [...]
Global business flocking to UK after reforms November 25, 2013 AS MANY as 60 multinational companies are predicted to shift their headquarters to the UK over the next 18 months, according to new research from accountancy firm EY. EY says it is now working with 60 companies that wish to relocate global and regional head offices to the UK by the middle of 2015. That number [...]
HS2 bill begins its long route to the starting line November 25, 2013 THE GOVERNMENT kicked off years of parliamentary jostling over the High Speed 2 project yesterday by publishing the law needed to start building work. The hybrid bill was hailed as a major step forward by supporters and a vanity project by campaigners attempting to block the scheme. The bill sets out street by street the [...]
Crossrail work nears halfway mark as noise complaints rise November 25, 2013 AS WORK on the £15bn Crossrail project nears the halfway point, a report out yesterday showed that accidents and noise complaints have jumped in the last year. Crossrail said its accident rate “has risen higher than expected”, having reached 0.37 incidents per 100,000 contractor hours worked. The cross-London project has sent lorry drivers on cyclist [...]
Debt firms snap up UK student loans for £160m November 25, 2013 DEBT MANAGEMENT group Erudio was yesterday revealed as the buyer of £890m worth of student loans that have been sold off by the government. Erudio Student Loans, a consortium made up of Arrow Global and CarVal Investors, paid £160m for the portfolio. The deal will see it take control of the government’s remaining 17 per cent [...]
Boris Johnson pledges £1bn to help create thousands of homes November 25, 2013 BORIS JOHNSON launched a £1bn plan yesterday that he pledged would build thousands of affordable homes for low-income households in London. Delivering his draft housing strategy in Greenwich yesterday, the Mayor of London said the £1bn will help deliver 45,000 more low cost homes into the next mayoral term. The £1bn is part of the [...]
Award winners open the LSE November 25, 2013 THE WINNERS of City A.M.’s fourth annual awards continued their celebrations yesterday at the London Stock Exchange, where they were invited to open the markets. Editor Allister Heath led the way on a morning which saw shares generally rising after positive diplomatic news from Iran led to hopes of lower oil prices and less geopolitical [...]