6:36 am, March 23, 2023
RMT suspends strike dates
The RMT has suspended strikes due to be held on March 30 and April 1.
The move follows further discussions between the union and the Rail Delivery Group in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The union has already resolved its row with Network Rail in a similar dispute.
Ikea UK agrees to improve sexual harassment policies after complaint
Ikea UK has made an agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to improve its sexual harassment policies and practices after a complaint by a former employee.
The agreement comes after the EHRC was made aware of an allegation of sexual assault and harassment at Ikea UK and reports that these allegations weren’t appropriately handled by management at one of the UK stores.
As part of the agreement, Ikea UK has committed to reviewing the way it deals with sexual harassment and meeting its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, the EHRC said in a statement.
Boss of British Gas owner sees pay increase fivefold to £4.5m
The boss of British Gas owner Centrica has been handed a £4.5m pay package – a fivefold increase – after the business saw its profits triple to £3.3bn last year.
Chris O’Shea – who last month had to apologise for the way British Gas had treated some customers – was paid a salary of £790,000 for last year and will be handed around £3.7m in additional payments.
Of this, £711,000 will be paid in cash straight away, while the rest is tied up in Centrica shares for a few years, the business revealed yesterday.
Struggle to buy food not confined to those out of work, says charity
The struggle to afford food has affected a quarter of households where an NHS or social care worker lives and more than a fifth where teachers or teaching assistants live, according to a survey of 10,814 adults.
The research by The Food Foundation comes as UK inflation shot up unexpectedly to 10.4 per cent in February, with vegetable shortages pushing food prices to their highest rate in more than 45 years.
Anna Taylor, executive director of the charity, said their figures show that ‘struggling to afford food is by no means confined to those out of work’.
Fever-Tree to raise prices after glass bottle costs rocket
Fever-Tree is to raise the price of its drinks in the face of soaring glass bottle costs amid shortages in the UK.
The tonic and mixer maker said it will pass some of its inflationary pressure on to customers through higher pricing.
Operating profits slid in 2022 by around 45 per cent to £30.6m because of the higher costs. Meanwhile, revenues rose by 11 per cent to £344.3m over the year, despite a dip in the UK.
Johnson’s political career in peril after combative partygate inquiry hearing
Boris Johnson is fighting for his political future after MPs investigating his partygate denials denounced the ‘flimsy’ assurances they were based on.
In at times short-tempered testimony to the privileges committee lasting more than three hours, the former PM yesterday insisted there was not a ‘shred of evidence’ to show he lied to MPs.
If a proposal for a 10-day suspension is voted through by MPs, a by-election in Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat could be triggered, potentially spelling the end of his parliamentary career.
Amazon raises minimum starting pay for thousands of workers by 50p to £11
Amazon is to increase the base pay for its British workers from the start of next month when minimum wage laws change in the UK.
The online giant said the minimum starting pay for its UK workers will be £11 an hour after the rise in April – up from £10.50. It employs more than 50,000 people across the country.
The new rules will see the national living wage level rise from £9.50 per hour to £10.42. The national minimum wage is the minimum pay per hour almost all workers are entitled to. The national living wage is higher and workers get it if they’re over 23.
Sotheby’s hopes for record sale of ancient Hebrew Bible
One of the oldest surviving biblical manuscripts – a nearly complete 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible – is up for auction with a price tag of $30m to $50m (£24.5m to £40.7m).
The Codex Sassoon, a leather-bound, handwritten parchment tome containing almost the entirety of the Hebrew Bible and dating from the 10th century, is set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York in May after a whirlwind worldwide tour that will include the UK.
Only the Dead Sea Scrolls and a handful of fragmentary early medieval texts are older, and ‘an entire Hebrew Bible is relatively rare’, said Yosef Ofer, a professor of bible studies at Israel’s Bar Ilan University.
Mini bids Clubman farewell with Final Edition
Mini is calling time on its Clubman with a Final Edition model.
Originally produced from 1969 to 1980 and reintroduced in 2007, just 1,969 units will be produced – with 100 destined for the UK, priced at £37,000.
Its Final Edition model gets a high level of standard equipment, including an 8.8-inch central display, Apple CarPlay and Harmon Kardon sound system. Other features include the door sill trims finished with ‘Final Edition’ lettering, while the heated dark maroon leather seats get edition-specific badging. Full story here
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Pendragon delivers ‘resilient’ 2022 performance despite dip in pre-tax profit
- Number of online car buyers shrinks as motorists turn their backs on internet sales
- More than two-thirds of car owners fear relaxing MOT rules will compromise safety – survey
- Ford kicks off electric offensive with new Explorer SUV
- Nissan GB appoints new dealer network development boss
- Bowker Motor Group ramps up eco credentials as it installs 1,600 solar panels
- Customer takes delivery of 10,000th Volkswagen Tiguan R at Brands Hatch circuit
- Sign in for early access: Car Dealer 181 features Car Dealer Live conference reports, the Audi TT remembered and much more
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed up 30.62 points yesterday to end on 7,566.84. The Cac 40 was up 18.21 points at 7,131.12, the Dax was up 20.85 points at 15,216.19 but the Dow Jones was down 530.49 points at 32,030.11.
Weather outlook
Today will see variable cloud and heavy, blustery showers, with possible thunder, says BBC Weather. South-eastern areas will become cloudy in the afternoon with longer bouts of rain moving in. It’ll also stay breezy.
Friday will be cloudy at first in the north, with showers, although bright spells will develop later. The south will begin mostly bright, but with patchy cloud and showers later. Showers could be thundery.
