Financial news

• Ryanair was 'woeful', say lawyers for racially abused passenger

  05-11-2018 17:58
  Airline met her complaint with ‘obstructiveness’ and should compensate her properlyLawyers acting for a passenger who was racially abused on a Ryanair flight have demanded an apology and compensation from the airline, describing its response as “woeful”.The lawyers said that at no time did the airline check on the well-being of Delsie Gayle, 77, and that Ryanair’s first contact was on 2 November, 14 days after the incident, when a letter dated 21 October arrived fro
  
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• UK service sector growth hits seven-month low as Brexit worries mount - business live

  05-11-2018 13:29
  UK companies report that new business has weakened as anxiety over Brexit and the global economic outlook riseLatest: UK services PMI fell last monthUK car sales declined tooIntroduction: China’s service sector growth stalled last month
  Composite PMI fell from 52.1 to 50.5, near stagnation12.29pm GMT Any readers have a bad day at work can take comfort - at least you haven’t lost control of a massive train full of iron ore.That’s what happened to one poor driver employed by mini
  
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• Tell us: has your company adopted a living wage policy?

  05-11-2018 13:04 via theguardian.com
  We want to hear from readers working for companies paying Living Wage Foundation rates as an increase is announced
  Staff of some 4,700 employers who have adopted a voluntary living wage policy are in line for an inflation-beating pay rise. Related: UK living wage rises above inflation rate for 180,000 workersContinue reading...
  
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• UK services growth hits seven-month low amid Brexit uncertainty

  05-11-2018 11:42
  Hotels, restaurants, transport and finance weaken, as new car sales also fall in OctoberThe UK’s services sector grew at its slowest pace for seven months in October as uncertainty over Brexit undermined business activity.Suggesting the UK economy is entering a period of tepid growth following a stronger performance over the warm summer months, IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) said Brexit-related uncertainty and concerns about the global economic outl
  
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• More landlords to be forced to improve energy efficiency

  05-11-2018 10:10
  Partial climbdown means help for more tenants in coldest homes in England and WalesMore landlords will be forced to upgrade the energy efficiency of the coldest homes in England and Wales, under a partial climbdown by the government.Owners of the draughtiest homes – those rated in the worst energy bands, F and G – have been been required since April to upgrade them to band E or be barred from agreeing new tenancies. Continue reading...
  
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• Sky faces tough Disney content talks as it leaves the FTSE 100

  05-11-2018 09:34
  Comcast must now renegotiate contracts with the firm it beat to buy Murdoch’s platformSky leaves the FTSE 100 this week with its new owner facing the threat of Disney, which narrowly missed out on acquiring the pay-TV group, playing hardball over deals to screen its content, which include the Star Wars films and hits from the Marvel universe.Some of Sky’s key TV and film contracts could be at risk after US pay-TV giant Comcast triumphed over Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox &n
  
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• Scared to take time off work? The productivity drive is making victims of us all

  05-11-2018 09:30
  More than half of British people feel obliged to work on holiday because they are scared of not seeming dedicated enough. How do we fix this?I realise this is a complaint worthy of the tiniest of violins, but I find going on holiday very stressful. It’s not the packing, the travel or the jetlag that is stress-inducing – it’s the whole not-working thing. It’s the guilt that I’m not being productive; the worry that I’m wasting time.Part of this anxiety is down t
  
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• Butchers chain Crawshaw cuts 350 jobs after falling into administration

  05-11-2018 09:22
  Yorkshire-based business closes distribution centre and two-thirds of its storesMore than 350 jobs have been lost at Crawshaw Group after the Yorkshire-based chain of butchers went into administration and shut two-thirds of its stores.It is the latest high street retailer to go bust after Evans Cycles, House of Fraser, Toys R Us and Maplin, while a string of other well-known names have shut dozens of stores via an insolvency process known as a company voluntary arrangement. Continue reading...
  
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• Do I need to pay more stamp duty on a home because I also own a flat?

  05-11-2018 08:18
  I bought a flat with my daughter and I’m worried I’ll have to pay the higher rateQ My husband and I sold our main home in August 2017 and are using the money from the sale to buy a new home for us to live in which will cost £445,000. However, about four years ago I bought a flat with my daughter which she lives in and which I also used when working away from home. We are planning to sell the flat next year. But until we do, I am worried that I will have to pay a higher rate of
  
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• UK living wage rises above inflation rate for 180,000 workers

  05-11-2018 07:01
  Voluntary earnings rate to increase to £9 across country and £10.55 in LondonMore than 180,000 workers are set for an inflation-beating pay rise, as the UK living wage rises against a backdrop of increases in transport costs, private rent and council tax.The pay rate, a voluntary measure adopted by more than 4,700 employers, including Aviva, Burberry and Ikea, will increase by 2.9% to £9 an hour across the country and by 3.4% to £10.55 in London. Continue reading...
  
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• Traidcraft eyes young ethical consumers with rescue plan

  05-11-2018 07:01
  Fair trade retailer was facing closure after poor sales compounded by weaker poundPioneering fair trade retailer Traidcraft, which had warned it was facing closure, has launched a turnaround plan that involves targeting younger ethical consumers.The faith-based group has traditionally relied on thousands of volunteers selling its coffee and tea at church hall stalls and school fairs. But in September the company warned it would cease trading unless it could come up with a profitable model after
  
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• PC World can't repair my laptop – but won't write it off either

  05-11-2018 07:00
  I keep paying for Coverplan despite the fact it has repeatedly failed to fix the problemI bought a Compaq laptop in 2009 from PC World for £449 and took out the firm’s Coverplan at £8.99 a month. I did so because my previous laptop had been damaged, and I was forced borrow money to replace it. In 2014, the USB ports became faulty and I sent it off to be repaired by Coverplan but, when it came back, the problem persisted. Ever since, the cycle of sending it off to have it &ldquo
  
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• ‘Miserable staff don't make money’: the firms that have switched to a four-day week

  05-11-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  British people work some of the longest hours in Europe, but are among the least productive. Now some companies are shortening the working week to increase efficiency, health and happinessI meet Rich Leigh for a coffee in Gloucester on a Friday, his day off. In fact, his entire company has the day off, because Radioactive PR, the firm led by Leigh, 30, has adopted a four-day week.It is one of a handful of UK businesses that now operate like this: staff still get paid their previous five-day sala
  
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