Southern rail strike chaos: Acas talks get underway in bid to bring an end to industrial action December 14, 2016 Commuters are hoping talks today will lead to the cancellation of another train drivers' strike on Southern rail services scheduled for Friday. A 48-hour walkout over driver only operated trains continues to cause havoc as it entered the second day of no services. Talks are being held this morning between the rail company and train drivers' union [...]
UK Christmas travellers will fork out £1bn this year, and the cost of holidays is on the rise for 2017 December 14, 2016 More than a million Brits are set to jet off over the Christmas period this year, spending £1.03bn altogether despite holiday prices being on the rise. The average Christmas traveller will spend £757.43, but a quarter will spend between £1,001 and £2,000, research from Direct Line Travel Insurance suggests. The top destinations among travellers this year were Spain (19 per cent), [...]
Southern rail strike misery costs millions as 300,000 commuters left stranded December 14, 2016 The economy is facing a hit of tens of millions of pounds as 300,000 commuters are left stranded this week on the back of three days of walkouts by staff on Southern rail. Southern rail commuter services ground to a halt yesterday on a double whammy of walkouts by guards from the Rail, Maritime and [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on the hidden potential of the humble sprout December 13, 2016 Sprouts have something of a bad reputation. They’re a huge part of the Christmas roast, yet all too often they’re inadequately prepared and cooked with no love. But the humble brussels sprout has got untold potential in the right hands. For a start, don’t fall for the Christmas marketing scam of buying them on the [...]
A ray of hope? The Aslef union says it will hold talks with Southern at Acas tomorrow December 13, 2016 The Aslef union has said it is meeting Southern management at conciliation service Acas tomorrow for talks aimed at ending the rail franchise's strikes. The union's announcement comes after its boss insisted this morning it had not been invited to talks – although transport secretary Chris Grayling said he had written to the union to invite [...]
Daily flights from London Gatwick to Hong Kong announced by Cathay Pacific December 13, 2016 London Gatwick airport has received a boost with the news that there will now be daily flights to and from Hong Kong, as the route launched in September records “strengthening demand”. Cathay Pacific will expand its timetable of flights at Gatwick from four times a week to a daily timetable, with six direct flights between [...]
Apple’s wireless Airpod headphones are finally here (with delivery before Christmas) December 13, 2016 They're here! The biggest leap forward in Apple's headphone technology has finally arrived, with the wireless Airpods now available to order on the UK Apple Store. They're priced at £159 with deliveries in London being estimated to take place as early as 19 December – just in time for the crucial Christmas shopping season. Read [...]
Argos drivers are striking on the days before Christmas December 13, 2016 Christmas deliveries are set to be disrupted by Argos drivers, who today announced they will go on strike in the 72 hours up to Christmas over pay disputes, the Unite union said. The drivers, who voted 83 per cent in favour of striking, work for Wincanton based at Argos' flagship national distribution centre. The union said services could be "seriously [...]
Post Office workers are striking in the run-up to Christmas: Here’s what you need to know December 13, 2016 Post Office workers said they will strike during the run-up to Christmas, but at least 97 per cent of branches will stay open, the Post Office has said. This is the latest in a string of strikes by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) over disputes on planned changes to workers' pensions. When are the strikes? CWU [...]
Consumers are going to spend a record amount on supermarket premium ranges this Christmas December 13, 2016 Consumers have been preparing to taste the difference this Christmas as they stock up on supermarkets' premium own label brands. Data from Kantar Worldpanel showed that during the three months to the end of 4 December, shoppers spent 13 per cent more on brands such as Tesco Finest and Asda Extra Special than they did the year before. Read more: These [...]