Vict industrial action

SIR – The rail strikes taking place this week are ostensibly to secure the future of rail workers. Unfortunately, it is more likely that they will have the opposite effect. Numbers of passengers dropped sharply due to the pandemic. Now, just as they are showing some signs of recovery, passengers are facing the possibility of months of disruption. Those who use the railways regularly will think twice about spending hard-earned cash on season tickets. The popularity of commuting by car and working from home could well see passengers now desert the railways, never to return. Jonathan Mann SIR – Union bosses love strikes. They justify their high salaries at the expense of their members. All strikes (like all wars) are resolved around the negotiating table. Thus a strike, like a war, is futile and supremely expensive both to the participants and the country. It achieves nothing that couldn’t have been negotiated by men of integrity in the first place. G M E Barber SIR – … [Read more...] about Letters: Weeks of rail strikes could prove devastating for an outmoded and faltering industry

T he American owners of Boots may revive plans for stock market float next year after scrapping the sale of Britain’s biggest chemist to a Wall Street buyout fund and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Walgreens, which merged with Boots in 2014 in a deal worth £9bn, said none of the offers for the “adequately reflects the high potential value of Boots and No7 Beauty Company”. The Illinois-headquartered company said bidders had struggled to arrange bank loans to buy Boots after financial markets “suffered unexpected and dramatic change”. Private equity fund Apollo and Mr Ambani had been in pole position to acquire Boots after Walgreens chairman Stefano Pessina put the business up for sale in January. But a £5bn approach — considerably lower than the £7bn Mr Pessina is said to have wanted — fell through. Ornella Barra, Boots operating chief, wrote to the company’s 56,000 staff saying she was “happy to confirm that it has been decided that Boots and No7 Beauty Company will … [Read more...] about Boots stock market float back on the table as £5bn sale collapses

Instead of looking forward to the great British getaway, families up and down the country are starting to fear the prospect of jetting off abroad this summer. Far from a relaxing break, parents are now facing the prospect of entertaining children as families wait in long queues that snake out of airport terminal buildings hoping that they will make the gate in time. And they might end up being the lucky ones. Plenty of holidaymakers may not make it abroad at all, as airlines continue to cancel flights every day with alarming regularity. Whether it be standing in line waiting to get away, or stuck at home on the sofa because of a cancellation, Britons will rightly ask what on earth has gone wrong this summer? Why is it that after two barren years during the pandemic, airlines and airports can not get their act together? Unsurprisingly, there is not one simple explanation. Aviation bosses have been grappling with a cocktail of problems that includes staff shortages, … [Read more...] about How the great British getaway became a holiday from hell

As Britain baked in record temperatures nine days ago, easyJet’s top brass was feeling the heat from investors. The great and the good of the City had been invited by HSBC to attend a virtual “fireside chat” between Andrew Lobbenberg, a prominent aviation analyst, and Peter Bellew, easyJet’s operating head. The timing could hardly have been worse. Since Easter, easyJet and its airline rivals have been bombarded with criticism over chaotic scenes at Britain’s airports. Queues snaking out of terminal buildings, last-minute cancellations and passengers stranded abroad have become commonplace, heaping misery on holiday makers starved of trips abroad for nearly two years. On June 17, faced with being overwhelmed during the crucial summer months, Gatwick took the unprecedented step to place a restriction on flights in and out of the airport . With the airport its biggest base, the move would have a profound impact on easyJet’s summer, too. Under pressure from investors … [Read more...] about Nervous summer for easyJet as post-pandemic boom fails to take off

This should be a moment of great anticipation. For countless holidaymakers up and down the land, July signals the beginning of the summer escape – of a chance to get away, explore and relax, perhaps for the first time since the pandemic brought such significant restrictions. Instead, what many travellers feel in Britain at the moment is anxiety and frustration. For those heading to airports, the months leading up to their journeys are fretted with worry that flights will be rearranged or simply cancelled, with compensation often hard to claim. If they do get to the terminal as planned, delays are frequent and cancellations still possible even at the last minute. When they return, they can face huge waits for their baggage. Far from the joyful experience it’s meant to be, going on holiday this summer will too often be a story of disappointment and broken dreams. It’s not hard to see the problem. During the pandemic, airlines were swift to cut back on staff. BA fired 10,000 early in … [Read more...] about Britain can’t afford a summer of travel chaos

Rail chiefs are bracing for trade unions to intensify their campaign of industrial action later this month with concerted action leaving as little as one in 10 trains running on strike days. Senior industry figures fear the rail sector’s three main unions will stage walkouts on consecutive days - elongating strike action by a week or more while minimising the impact on lost wages for its members on strike days. Bosses are preparing for the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT), Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), and Aslef, the drivers’ union, to stagger strikes that would inflict maximum disruption on passengers.   The trio's industrial action could run one after another, causing disruption for days on end. Even if there are gaps between strikes, passengers face reduced service on so-called “shoulder days” when only 60pc of trains typically run. Aslef has mostly stayed out of nationwide strike action so far, but rail insiders are wary of the union stepping … [Read more...] about Passengers face new wave of summer rail strikes

A group trying to take over one of Britain's last fertiliser plants will this week appeal to Boris Johnson for support after ministers refused to back the rescue bid. A group of UK investors, backed by former Army chief Lord Dannatt, has been holding talks with US giant CF Industries about buying the Ince plant in Cheshire for the last six months. It has been seeking assurances from the Government to help smooth a path to the deal but has so far been unsuccessful. The Ince plant is one of only two fertiliser factories in Britain and is a key supplier of carbon dioxide, a byproduct of fertiliser production, to industry. CO2 is used in everything from surgical operations and meat processing. CF Industries last month announced plans to shut the Ince plant in August , leaving the consortium, called UK Nitrogen, just weeks to secure a deal. The group plans to approach the Prime Minister through an intermediary this week to directly lobby for support. A spokesman for UK Nitrogen … [Read more...] about PM urged to back bid for factory at heart of Britain’s food supply

Almost half of insurance policies don't protect holidaymakers from cancellations caused by industrial action, the consumer group Which? has found. Its analysis of 199 packages offered by 71 providers found that 40% did not offer cover for strike action. Travellers are being warned to brace for chaos this summer as unions vote to strike in a fight for better pay and working conditions. More than 700 BA check-in staff and ground-handling agents at Heathrow could walk out at the height of the summer season after they recently voted to strike . Meanwhile, easyJet workers in Spain have said they will strike sporadically throughout July, as unions in France, Italy, and Portugal continue to clash with airlines and airports, raising the prospect of further industrial action. Advertisement Taken together, the situation paints a bleak picture for travellers this summer. Many are understandably looking for protection: insurance that will cover them if … [Read more...] about Nearly half of travel insurance policies don’t protect against strikes, according to Which?

The MoJ has said criminal barristers will receive a 15% fee rise from the end of September (Image: PA) Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) warned victims of crime and defendants seeking to prove their innocence will not see their day in court if ministers do not take steps to “reinject” funds into a “barely functioning” justice system. Criminal cases face further disruption this week as the three-day walkout of defence barristers went ahead on Monday. Related articles Radical proposal for overhaul as birth rates plummet Woman spends day in police cells over bin bags she put out 8 years a Lawyers gathered … [Read more...] about Resolve our strike or crime victims will suffer, barristers tell Government

Opposition is growing to new occupancy rules for second homes and holiday lets (Image: Finest Retreats) Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info A petition has been launched over fears the policy will devastate a sector that underpins large parts of rural Wales without any of the hoped-for housing supply benefits. Unions, trade bodies and holiday operators have stepped up lobbying efforts as the full implications sink in. Related articles M4 chaos as furious drivers BLOCK major motorway bridge Woman spends day in police cells over bin bags she put out 8 years a From April 1, 2023, the Welsh Government will insist that self-catering properties … [Read more...] about 1,400 holiday cottage owners set to quit Wales over new occupancy rules