Communication Workers Union estimates half of sorting offices have insufficient PPE and sanitiserMany Royal Mail sorting offices are not providing workers with sufficient protection from coronavirus infection, according to a union which says some depots should close until staff are safe.The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents thousands of postal workers, told members they should stay away if their local sorting office had not provided equipment such as masks, gloves and hand sanitiser, or implemented government guidelines of 2-metre social distancing at all times. It estimates that at as many as half of sorting offices did not have sufficient protection in place. Continue reading...
As companies nationwide look for relief, the Trump Organization has talked with Deutsche Bank and a Florida county about delaying payments on some loans and other obligations.
Original coronavirus scheme was fiddly, slow and rested too heavily on banks judgmentCoronavirus latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWhat was wrong with the governments first version of its emergency loan package for small businesses? The problem is vividly illustrated by this statistic: only 983 companies have had loans approved so far. Thats versus 130,000 inquiries.The running totals released by the Treasury for the first time since the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, or CBILS, was launched on Monday last week support the loud complaints from small businesses in search of cash. The scheme was fiddly, slow and rested too heavily on banks judgments about eligibility. Continue reading...
Billionaire asks government to pay 14,500 employees out of emergency wage schemeCoronavirus latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe billionaire retailer Philip Green is asking for taxpayer help to prop up his crumbling fashion empire, with 14,500 employees set to be paid out of the governments emergency wage support scheme.Like other fashion retailers, Arcadia, which owns brands including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge, is facing financial turmoil as the lockdown prevents Britons from shopping. The company has already asked landlords for rent cuts and paused payments into its pension scheme. Continue reading...
FIEO has asked the government to declare the complete supply chain, including labour required for loading, transport of goods, courier services and port facilities, as essential service. Manufacturer-exporters have sought permission to start manufacturing and fabrication work after completion of the lockdown period.
Brent crude trades at over $30 a barrel for first time in almost a month on Trump interventionGlobal oil prices rebounded to more than $30 a barrel for the first time in almost a month on Thursday after Saudi Arabia and Russia signalled a possible truce in a price war that has triggered the fastest oil market collapse in decades.The price of Brent crude leapt by 30% after the US president, Donald Trump, fanned hopes of a new deal between Riyadh and Moscow to help stabilise the oil market. Continue reading...
CMs seek relaxation in state fiscal deficit limit to deal with additional spending, revenue fall due to Covid-19. Under the fiscal responsibility and budget management (FRBM) act, the states are mandated to keep their fiscal deficit under 3% of their respective gross state domestic product (GSDP).
