RMT receives new pay offer from train companies in bid to avert more strikes – but will its members accept? January 19, 2023 The RMT rail union has announced it has received a new and improved pay offer from train operators in a bid to avert more strikes. Union bosses said they will consider the deal – which is worth a minimum of nine per cent over two years – and decide whether to put it to their [...]
Settling rail dispute would have been cheaper than strikes, admits minister January 18, 2023 Rail minister Huw Merriman has admitted the government has lost more money due to the rail strikes’ impact than it would have if it had settled the dispute with unions months ago. “It’s actually ended up costing more than it would have if [the dispute] had been settled,” the minister told members of the Commons’ [...]
More strikes: RMT follows in Aslef’s footsteps with rail walkouts in February January 17, 2023 Rail union the RMT has followed in Aslef’s footsteps from Tuesday morning and announced two days of strikes in early February. Train drivers working at 14 companies – including Govia Thameslink and C2C – said they will down tools on 1 and 3 February after rejecting an eight per cent pay increase over two years. [...]
How Gaucho’s boss has turned the once-troubled steakhouse into a success story January 17, 2023 Martin Williams – the man behind M Restaurants – and his partners pulled Gaucho out of administration in 2018. Since then he’s turned the brand into one of the hospitality industry’s shining lights, with profits up and expansion continuing. We ask him how he’s done it. ASK regular restaurant-goers what their biggest bug bear is [...]
All aboard another year of fighting over low-traffic neighbourhoods and e-bikes January 17, 2023 Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and e-scooters will impact how we get around in London - and with transport strikes still making the headlines, it's going to be a rather interesting year, writes Claire Harding
Train operators given ‘revised mandate’ for latest union talks, Mark Harper says January 15, 2023 Train company bosses will be working with a “revised mandate” which could include a better pay offer as they enter the latest round of talks with unions, the transport secretary has suggested. Mark Harper said train operators have been given his “permission” to make a new offer to the trade unions. The minister claimed he [...]
More strikes: 100,000 civil servants WILL walk out next month after talks with government dubbed ‘total farce’ January 13, 2023 A strike by 100,000 civil servants is to go ahead next month after talks with the Government aimed at resolving a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions were dubbed a “total farce”. Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin met with union leaders to discuss growing industrial unrest after weeks of stoppages across the country, including [...]
Magners cider owner says cost of living and strikes help sink its profits as Brits stayed away from pubs January 13, 2023 The company behind Magners cider and Tennent’s lager disappointed investors on Friday as it said that strikes and cost of living pressures had eaten into its performance in recent weeks. C&C Group said that it expects operating profit to reach between €84m and €88m (£75 million to £78m) in the financial year. The company had [...]
UK economy shockingly grows in November on back of World Cup pub boost, raising hopes of shallow recession January 13, 2023 The UK economy expanded in November, smashing downbeat market expectations and signalling the coming recession could be short lived, official figures out today reveal. Gross domestic product (GDP) climbed 0.1 per cent in November, defying analysts’ bets on a 0.2 per cent contraction, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said today. The expansion was driven [...]
Luton’s busiest Christmas not enough as passenger levels lag behind pre-Covid glory January 12, 2023 Luton’s busiest Christmas day on record was not enough to return the airport to its former glory, with passenger numbers still significantly lagging behind pre-pandemic levels. The Bedfordshire hub said that 1.1m passengers passed through its gates in December, 87.9 per cent up on last year’s levels. Luton also reported its busiest Christmas day ever, [...]