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What is the ‘new model’ the EU is proposing for Northern Ireland?

BrexitWhat is the ‘new model’ the EU is proposing for Northern Ireland?‘Bespoke Northern Ireland-specific solution’ includes potential new rules on food, plants and medicines Jennifer Rankin and Daniel Boffey in BrusselsWed 13 Oct 2021 15.15 EDTLast modified on Wed 13 Oct 2021 15.56 EDTThe EU’s latest proposals, described as “a new model” for Northern Ireland, are a significant concession from Brussels. Having ruled out renegotiation of the protocol in July, the EU is proposing a “bespoke Northern Ireland-specific solution”.SausagesA new certificate scheme would mean that certain products that are generally prohibited for import into the EU, such as British sausages, would now be allowed to be imported. The EU would retain the right, however, to impose a ban if there is any suggestion these products are entering the wider single market.EU offers to scrap 80% of NI food checks but prepares for Johnson to reject dealRead morePlants, meat and dairyChecks would be reduced by 80% on a large range of supermarket product lines, through reinforced monitoring of supply chains and the use of specific packaging and labelling indicating that the goods are for sale only in the UK. In return the EU wants the UK to deliver on its commitment to complete the construction of permanent border control posts at Northern Irish ports for incoming trade from Great Britain.HaulageA type of haulage known as groupage, where goods from different companies for different customers are …

13/10/2021

EU member states to issue joint warning to UK over reduced fishing rights

11/10/2021 Comments Off on EU member states to issue joint warning to UK over reduced fishing rights

BrexitEU member states to issue joint warning to UK over reduced fishing rightsFourteen countries likely to take tough stance in future talks about fisheries if access to UK waters does not improve Daniel Boffey in Brussels and Lisa O’Carroll in DublinMon 11 Oct 2021 13.38 EDTLast modified on Mon 11 Oct 2021 17.49 EDTFourteen EU member states are preparing to issue a joint declaration accusing the British government of risking “significant economic and social damage” to their fishing communities, as wider relations appear close to breaking point.In the statement, seen by the Guardian, France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, Portugal, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden, Malta and Latvia will call for the UK to act “in the spirit and the letter” of the Brexit deal struck last Christmas Eve.The governments of the UK and Jersey, a British crown dependency, have infuriated the French government in recent weeks over the reduced numbers of licences given out to small boat owners who fish in coastal waters. In a pointed sign of solidarity, the member states will make a thinly veiled threat about the likely impact on future EU-UK fisheries negotiations if the UK does not rethink its stance.The development comes at a febrile time in the EU-UK relationship, as Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner responsible for Brexit, prepares to table proposals on improving the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.Ireland’s foreign minister, Simon Coveney, warned on Monday that the EU was close to …

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The big idea: should we work less?

10/10/2021 Comments Off on The big idea: should we work less?

The big ideaBooksThe big idea: should we work less? A shorter working week could benefit society, the environment – even the economy. Is it time to reassess our relationship with our jobs? Sarah JaffeMon 11 Oct 2021 03.00 EDTLast modified on Mon 11 Oct 2021 03.48 EDTFor the last year and a half, most people have fallen into one of three categories: the unemployed, whose jobs disappeared during lockdown; the work from home brigade, who balanced family responsibilities or solo strain with a workday that extended even longer sans commute; and those who were still going to work but under hazardous, sometimes terrifying conditions, whether in healthcare or grocery stores or meatpacking plants. In so many of these cases, much of what made work enjoyable or at least tolerable was stripped away, and we were left with the unpleasant reality of what our jobs actually were: not a fun pastime, but something we have to do. As Amelia Horgan notes in her book Lost in Work, “We, almost always, need a job more than a job needs us. Our entrance into work is unfree, and while we’re there, our time is not our own.”Yet for all its misery, Covid-19 did show us that it was possible to radically change the way we live and work, and to do it quickly. And it’s worth remembering that working life pre-pandemic wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows for many people – a UK poll early …

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Why it’s high time to move on from ‘just-in-time’ supply chains | Kim Moody

10/10/2021 Comments Off on Why it’s high time to move on from ‘just-in-time’ supply chains | Kim Moody

OpinionSupply chain crisisWhy it’s high time to move on from ‘just-in-time’ supply chains K …

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Only London’s highest earners able to rent privately at affordable cost, ONS says

06/10/2021 Comments Off on Only London’s highest earners able to rent privately at affordable cost, ONS says

Renting propertyOnly London’s highest earners able to rent privately at affordable cost, ONS saysMajority of renters facing ‘uphill struggle’ as housing costs in parts of England rise again Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Hilary OsborneWed 6 Oct 2021 08.28 EDTLast modified on Wed 6 Oct 2021 10.16 EDTOnly the top 25% of earners in London were able to privately rent a property in the city at an affordable rate last year, according to official figures on costs across England.Data from the Office for National Statistics revealed that for three-quarters of households, rents in the capital were set at a level equal to more than 30% of their income.The ONS said it considered an area to have affordable private rent if tenants spend no more than 30% of their income on it.Rents in some parts of the country dropped when the pandemic struck but in recent months agents have reported that costs have started to rise again.Tenants were not offered the same payment breaks as mortgage borrowers during the early months of the crisis but were given protections from eviction.A ban on landlords repossessing their properties has ended, and there have been warnings that families who had been receiving the £20 universal credit increase until it was discontinued on Wednesday could struggle to keep their homes.The ONS data, which looked at median earnings among tenants before tax and median rents across the country from 2012-20, underlines …

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Pandora papers: biggest ever leak of offshore data exposes financial secrets of rich and powerful

03/10/2021 Comments Off on Pandora papers: biggest ever leak of offshore data exposes financial secrets of rich and powerful

Pandora papersWorld newsPandora papers: biggest ever leak of offshore data exposes financial secrets of rich and powerful Millions of documents reveal offshore deals and assets of more than 100 billionaires, 30 world leaders and 300 public officialsG …

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‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistic firm’s spinoff

23/09/2021 Comments Off on ‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistic firm’s spinoff

Business‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistics firm’s spinoffUS-based XPO Logistics has boomed during the pandemic but its reorganisation is causing concern Michael SainatoThu 23 Sep 2021 12.08 EDTLast modified on Thu 23 Sep 2021 12.38 EDTThe pandemic has been a boon to XPO Logistics, the transport giant that delivers the goods for a global companies including retailers from Asos and Walmart. It reported record revenues of $5bn (£3.6bn) last quarter as it helped to ship everything from washing machines to frozen fruit around the world.To make the most of the boom, the US-based multinational has just completed the process of dividing itself in two, with the warehouse and e-commerce arm becoming a separately listed corporation called GXO Logistics. But the road ahead does not look trouble-free. Union leaders in the UK and US are sounding the alarm, pointing to the “dark legacy” of a corporate culture they fear will taint the reorganised businesses.In the UK, where the company delivers an estimated 40% of the beer consumed in British pubs, the trucking division narrowly avoided a strike last month over a below-inflation pay offer, which was later increased. While XPO accepted £100m from the government’s job support scheme during the pandemic, its furloughed workers effectively took a pay cut, because the scheme covers 80% of wages and managers rejected requests to top-up the final 20%.Disputes were further inflamed by XPO’s decision in May to override objections from shareholders …

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What caused the UK’s energy crisis?

20/09/2021 Comments Off on What caused the UK’s energy crisis?

Energy industryWhat caused the UK’s energy crisis?From moves by China and Russia to changes in UK regulation, these are the factors that created the perfect storm Jillian AmbroseTue 21 Sep 2021 01.00 EDTThe UK’s energy system has been plunged into chaos by a perfect storm of market forces which threatens to rip through the economy from home energy suppliers to heavy industry, and from factories to farmers.This has stoked fears that a wave of energy suppliers will collapse, and that households will be saddled with unaffordable bills. As the colder weather draws in, these are the factors shaping the energy crisis.China’s post-Covid bounce backChina’s appetite for energy is always a key driver of global market prices. In 2021 its post-Covid economic ramp-up has coincided with an uptick in demand across Asia and Europe too.As economies begin to recover from the fallout of the pandemic, countries across the northern hemisphere, which experienced a long, cold winter in 2020-21 that depleted gas storage levels, have been left scrabbling to secure supplies.Gas prices in the UK have more than quadrupled over the last year to highs of 180 pence per therm, from around 40p/th this time last year. In the last month alone, prices have climbed by 70%.Market experts at S&P Global Platts said earlier this year that China’s demand for gas was likely to rise ​​to 360 billion cubic metres (Bcm) this year, up 8.4% from an estimated 332 Bcm in 2020. To …

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Amazon offers $3,000 sign-on bonuses to US delivery and warehouse workers

14/09/2021 Comments Off on Amazon offers $3,000 sign-on bonuses to US delivery and warehouse workers

Amazon Amazon offers $3,000 sign-on bonuses to US delivery and warehouse workers Online retailer will also raise its average starting wage to $18 an hour to help recruit 125,000 people Sarah Butler @whatbutlersaw Tue 14 Sep 2021 12.06 EDT Last modified on Tue 14 Sep 2021 12.45 EDT Amazon is offering sign-on bonuses of up […]

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UK cancels Covid vaccine deal with French firm Valneva

13/09/2021 Comments Off on UK cancels Covid vaccine deal with French firm Valneva

CoronavirusUK cancels Covid vaccine deal with French firm ValnevaGovernment serves notice to terminate contract over allegations of a ‘breach of obligations’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Jamie Grierson and Rob DaviesMon 13 Sep 2021 08.35 EDTFirst published on Mon 13 Sep 2021 03.07 EDTThe UK government is to pull out of a deal with the French pharmaceutical company Valneva to buy its Covid-19 vaccination, the company has said.The move will come as a blow to the vaccine manufacturing site in Livingston, west Scotland, which was visited by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, in January.About 100m doses of the yet-to-be-approved vaccine were put on order after the UK increased its request by 40m in February. But in a U-turn, the government has served notice to terminate the contract over allegations of a breach of the agreement.Scotland’s health secretary, Humza Yousaf, told BBC Good Morning Scotland: “This is a blow for the facility in Livingston. We are very keen and will be reaching out to the company to try to get security and secure a future for that facility in Livingston; we hope that would be with Valneva.“Clearly, when it comes to their supposed alleged failure to meet their contract obligations, we obviously are looking for more information from the UK government and would expect that shortly.”The Livingston MP Hannah Bardell said: “This has come as a huge blow to my constituency, in which the facility is …

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