Now Gatwick Airport workers are being balloted for strike action over “poverty pay” February 21, 2017 Gatwick workers who help passengers with reduced mobility will vote for strike action in a dispute over pay, Unite said today. The ballot, of 200 members, opens on Thursday 23 February and closes on Thursday 9 March. The union has warned that "significant strike action" will go ahead if members back industrial action in the ballot. Unite said [...]
Now maintenance workers have voted for strike action on the London Underground, says the RMT February 21, 2017 Maintenance workers on London Underground have voted for industrial action over claims of a breakdown in industrial relations, according to the RMT union. RMT's executive is now considering the result of the ballot, where 67 per cent voted in favour of a walkout and 88 per cent in favour of action short of a strike. There was [...]
The end of road rage? Your car will soon be able to tell what mood you’re in – then play your favourite music to cheer you up February 21, 2017 Could this be the end of road rage as we know it? Ford might just have a solution in the works as it expects the cars of tomorrow to be able to pick up on minute changes in our facial expression and inflections in our speaking voice. So advanced systems, equipped with microphones and in-car cameras, could [...]
Manchester Airport unveils how its £1bn extension will look as boss calls for more investment in the North February 21, 2017 Manchester Airport boss Ken O'Toole has called on the government to inject more investment into the North as the airport unveiled a new glimpse at what its £1bn expansion will deliver. The airport has released a range of new images showing what it will look like following its £1bn investment, which it announced back in 2015. [...]
InterContinental to return $400m to investors as it unveils special divi and 11 per cent rise in its total dividend February 21, 2017 InterContinental Hotels Group is approaching 2017 with confidence after dishing up a chunky pay-out for investors in its yearly results. The firm, which runs hotels under brands including Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and InterContinental, reported a slightly better-than-expected yearly profit rise and said it will be returning $400m (£322m) to investors via a special dividend and [...]
Trump has named Lt Gen HR McMaster as his new national security adviser after Mike Flynn lasted just three weeks in the job February 21, 2017 President Donald Trump has named Lt General HR McMaster as national security adviser, his replacement for Michael Flynn. Trump called McMaster "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience". His appointment comes after retired vice admiral Robert Harward turned down the role and David Petraeus, former general and CIA chief, was removed from the running. [...]
The government is still failing to tackle the gender pay gap, says cross-party group of MPs February 21, 2017 The government won't achieve its target of eliminating the gender pay gap in a generation if it continues to "ignore the evidence put before it", a cross-party group of MPs has warned today. Publishing the government's response to recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Committee, the MPs raised concerns the government isn't tackling the "structural [...]
UK opportunities for women in the workplace have rapidly improved but gender pay gap won’t close until 2041, says PwC February 21, 2017 The UK has considerably improved its performance in providing opportunities for women in the workplace, but it will still take until 2041 to close the gender pay gap in the UK. That's according to PwC's Women in Work index, which measures levels of female economic empowerment across 33 OECD countries based on five indicators. It said [...]
Great Western Railway launches golden ticket hunt for passengers to win return tickets for city breaks across the South West February 21, 2017 Here's some cheerful news for rail travellers (no, not an end to the Southern saga, sadly). Great Western Railway (GWR) has done some research, polling 2,000 people between 16 and 35, revealing many of the UK's young people (47 per cent) admitting they daydream of getting away and exploring a new place – at least once [...]
Unite boss to meet PSA on Friday for clarity over growing job concerns at Vauxhall plants February 20, 2017 Unite boss Len McCluskey plans to meet PSA chief executive Carlos Tavares on Friday to discuss concerns over UK jobs at Vauxhall plants in the prospective deal between Peugeot-maker PSA and General Motors. The union confirmed the plans are for the two to meet at the end of the week, but said as yet there [...]
