We knew that Labour’s manifesto would be nationalisation-heavy but there were still late surprises. Openreach, BT’s broadband division, was added to the list in the final stages. And, more quietly, the big six household suppliers of gas and electricity were included within reforms for the energy sector; previously only the …
Read More »Labour wants to nationalise the big six. Why, exactly, is unclear | Business
Another day, another nationalisation proposal from Labour. Now the plan is to bring the supply arms of the big six energy firms under public ownership. We’re talking here about the retail units of EDF Energy, Centrica (meaning British Gas), Npower, E.ON, ScottishPower and SSE, businesses that supply gas and electricity …
Read More »investors vow to fight Corbyn’s plans to seize British businesses
Furious investors are preparing to fight Jeremy Corbyn’s plans to seize swathes of British businesses, arguing his nationalisation spree would be a “blatant breach of human rights” that could trigger a wave of lawsuits. Shareholders and lawyers believe the proposals could breach international treaties and Brussels rules over state aid, and intend to fight them through …
Read More »Dividend payouts hit by global headwinds
The slowdown in dividend payouts by the world’s biggest companies continued in the third quarter as waning profit growth hit shareholder payouts. Investors are bracing for further headwinds in 2020 as the global economic picture darkens. The US-China trade war is thwarting economic growth, and major economies such as the …
Read More »BT can be an asset to society, why would Labour attack it now?
BT has gone further to demonstrate its value to wider society by building its strategy around the restoration of its “national champion” status. There’s a bitter irony, then, that this is the moment that Labour has chosen to attack it Despite significant misgivings, a little over three years ago, I went …
Read More »JD Wetherspoon pubs boss brews up a storm over governance | Business
Tim Martin at JD Wetherspoon writes some entertaining chairman’s rants and, if you skip the sermons on Brexit, he is reliably thought-provoking. Here’s the latest view from behind the pumps: corporate governance in the UK is “up the spout” and a tick-box culture is sowing seeds of destruction. As a …
Read More »Royal Mail wins high court battle to stop postal strike
The Royal Mail has won a High Court battle to block what would have been the first national postal strike in a decade. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), who called the Christmas strike, condemed the injunction as an “utter outrage”. The union said it would appeal against the decision after …
Read More »British Court of Justice: Union vote that approved Royal Mail strike invalid
Nov. 13 (UPI) — The High Court of Justice ruled Wednesday in favor of Britain’s postal service and blocked union election results that could’ve spawned a labor strike during the critical holiday shipping season. Royal Mail workers who belong to the Communication Workers Union had voted to support “industrial action” …
Read More »Royal Mail claims union interfered with ballot over potential Christmas postal strikes
Royal Mail has accused trade union officials of “consciously and deliberately” interfering with a ballot of postal workers over potential strikes. The company is bringing a High Court action against the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in a bid to block threatened action, after members voted to back walkouts by 97 …
Read More »Young people and part-time workers hit by fall in UK employment – business live | Business
U.S. President Donald Trump. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the world economy, the financial markets, the eurozone and business. Fighting a war on multiple fronts is never easy — you risk losing focus, fighting the wrong battles, and creating too many foes to …
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