HSBC is planning to move more than 1,200 of its staff to permanent work-from-home contracts, according to a report. Around 70% of the bank’s 1,800 call centre staff serving UK retail customers from bases in England, Wales and Scotland volunteered not to return to the office, according to the Unite. The union told news agency
Business
The chief executive of Virgin Media is to take the helm of Britain’s biggest mobile network operator, it will announce this week as it seeks regulatory approval for its £31bn tie-up with O2. Sky News has learnt that Lutz Schuler, who has run Virgin Media since mid-2019, will be named on Wednesday as chief executive
UK Deliveroo riders are expected to strike over pay and conditions as unconditional trading commences in the company’s shares. Hundreds of riders are expected to strike on Wednesday, with socially-distanced protests planned in London, York, Reading, Sheffield and Wolverhampton. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said the riders want the living wage, safety
Thousands more high street jobs are to disappear as part of a deal that could nonetheless salvage approximately half of the workforce at the stricken clothing chain Peacocks. Sky News has learnt that up to 200 of the chain’s 400-plus stores and 2000 jobs will be saved by an investment consortium which has agreed to
The future of collapsed fashion chain Peacocks has been secured under a deal that will see its high street presence halved compared to pre-coronavirus crisis levels. As Sky News reported on Monday, administrators confirmed that 200 of the 400 stores and 2,000 jobs had been saved by a senior executive – with backing from a
The former boss of Britain’s most influential financial lobbying group is throwing his weight behind the trial of a service that it wants to become a national solution to the disappearance of thousands of bank branches across Britain. Sky News has learnt that Stephen Jones, who ran UK Finance until last year, has joined OneBanks
The British cybersecurity company Darktrace is this weekend finalising plans for a £3bn stock market listing, despite the shadow cast over technology ‘unicorn’ floats in London by this week’s Deliveroo’s disastrous debut. Sky News has learnt that Darktrace’s board – led by new chairman Gordon Hurst – wants to issue an expected intention to float
Britain’s biggest defence contractor has handed its chief executive a multimillion pound pay rise as its board scrambled to prevent a rival FTSE-100 company from poaching him. Sky News can reveal that BAE Systems has increased Charles Woodburn’s base salary by well over £100,000 and awarded him an additional ‘golden handcuffs’ share package worth £2m
Uber has been ordered to pay $1.1m (£790,000) to a blind woman who was refused rides on 14 separate occasions. An independent arbitrator found that the company illegally discriminated against Lisa Irving due to the treatment she and her guide dog received from its drivers. Ms Irving brought the complaint against Uber in 2018 as
Nike has won a bid to temporarily stop a company selling a customised version of its Air Max trainers dubbed “Satan shoes”. The Air Max 97s were given a controversial spin by art brand MSCHF and produced in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X. They featured a pentagram design and each shoe was said to
The board of Deliveroo is facing demands from the company’s new shareholders to cancel an £18m payout to the investment banks which this week launched one of the City’s most turbulent flotations on record. Sky News can reveal that a number of furious investors want the company to decide “at the earliest opportunity” that it
The pub trade has reacted angrily to the prospect of a “triple whammy” of new coronavirus restrictions when sites reopen in England, warning they risk further damage to businesses after a year of disruption. Hospitality industry representatives have written to the prime minister to express their outrage at new guidance governing the start of outside-only
Rises in the National Living and Minimum Wage are now in effect and will see two million workers secure more money at a time when both employers and employees are suffering coronavirus crisis hardship. The new levels – announced ahead of the budget – were recommended by the Low Pay Commission on the basis that
Ever wanted some words of support from your football hero? How about help with a marriage proposal from a famous musician? The coronavirus pandemic has hit the entertainment industry hard – and it’s seen a growing number of celebrities selling personalised video messages online. Websites such as Cameo and Memmo give members of the public
Shares in Deliveroo have slumped by as much as 30% as the takeaway delivery company made its highly-anticipated stock market debut. The flop wiped more than £2bn off the company’s initial £7.6bn valuation – just over a week after it was estimated at up to £8.8bn. Some of the City’s biggest institutional investors had shunned
Lloyd’s of London, the 335-year old insurance market, has reported a loss of £900m for 2020 following a surge in claims due to the coronavirus crisis. It revealed that gross payouts linked to COVID-19 disruption were expected to have topped £6.2bn for the year as a whole – a record for a single event. But