Business News Articles

BA staff to strike in March
The union representing British Airways cabin crew has confirmed that its members will start a three-day strike from March 20th and a four-day strike from March 27th. Unite, BA's union, confirmed staff would not strike over Easter, but warned there could be further action after the 14th of April if a resolution had not been agreed. Consumer group Which? said passengers should be able to get t... more

50% drop in house sales in UK
The number of houses sold in the UK at the start of the year has declined to levels seen at the height of the recession, according to a survey by Acadametrics. The amount of transactions completed fell to 36,000 in January, a drop of 52% compared with the previous month, and then only crept up to an estimated 40,000 in February. This decline has been attributed to the traditional seasonal sl... more

Network Rail staff vote for strike action
Network Rail maintenance workers have voted in favor of strike action, meaning that industrial action over Easter is a real possibility. The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said 65% of members voted and of those 77% backed industrial action. The ballot was called over plans to cut up to 1,500 maintenance jobs and change working practices. Network Rail has said that the job cuts are n... more

60% of small firms optimistic for 2010
Over 60% of small and medium-sized business owners are optimistic about 2010, according to a survey by Cisco. The survey of over 1,000 SMEs found that 63% of small businesses surveyed are optimistic about 2010, with 77% expecting to see an upturn in the economy within the year. Over 50% of firms reported that they had taken steps to refocus their business on the customer to steer their bus... more

Budget to be held on March 24th
The government have confirmed that this year's Budget will be held on Wednesday the 24th of March. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking at Canary Wharf, said the Budget would take place in "two weeks' time". Alistair Darling has said that he is "absolutely committed" to reducing the UK's deficit and that his Budget would show he was on course to cut public borrowing from its forecast peak o... more

Small firms owed £5bn
Small and medium-sized businesses have been left £5bn out of pocket due to trading partners or customers going bust, according to data released by CreditPal. Over the last two years 43% of small firms in the UK have been left with an average of £7,500 owed to them. "The amount left owing to SMEs as a result of company liquidations is shocking and threatens the survival of some UK businesse... more

SMEs increase marketing to fight downturn
Small businesses are trying to beat the economic downturn by increasing their sales and marketing strategies, according to a survey by the Forum of Private Business (FPB). After cutting operating costs to the bare minimum to survive the recession, many smaller firms are hiring sales staff, improving their websites and boosting marketing activities. The survey also revealed that 56% of those ... more

Number of new jobs available rises
The number of new job opportunities increased by 1% in February compared to January, according to the Reed Job Index. The data also revealed that the average salary of a new employee increased by 5%. Despite the number of job opportunities increasing, the number of active job-seekers that have re-entered the market in 2010 means that the average number of applications for a job rose 50% comp... more

Royal Mail reach settlement with staff
The Royal Mail has announced that it has reached a settlement to end a long running dispute with its workers over pay and conditions. Small and medium-sized business owners will welcome the announcement, as it vastly reduces the chances of any strike action by postal workers in the immediate future. Many SMEs saw their businesses suffer towards the end of last year when the Communication Wor... more

House price increase ‘to ease’
Further rises in house prices may be hindered by increasing numbers of properties entering the market, according to data released by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). Rics says new instructions to sell outpaced inquiries from new buyers in February - the second month in a row that this has occurred. "There was a resumption of interest in the housing market following the fa... more