Trade unions and workers’ rights groups are calling on the government to reconsider plans to reintroduce labor tribunal fees, fearing it could encourage exploitation. A coalition of 48 organizations including the TUC, Citizens Advice, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Fawcett Society and Pregnant Action said reintroducing the fees, which were abolished in 2017, meant “giving the green light to bad employers, good employers too.” undercut.” “. The government was forced to abandon a previous fee system, where fees ranged from £390 to £1,200 depending on the case, after the Supreme Court ruled ..read more

  I contacted my bank to report a purchase as fraudulent when, upon reviewing my bank records immediately after the transaction, I saw that it was a pending payment to an offshore account. (I had purchased what I believed were legitimate products (bedding, towels, etc.) through well-known Australian outlets.) The bank refused to cancel the transaction and subsequently requested documentation such as receipts, which I was unable to obtain. I understand that very few scams are dealt with, but if the bank had acted immediately, I would not have lost my money. Can you give me some advice? – D ..read more

Get Tips Most major cancer charities have financial experts who can help you navigate the benefits system and find out what claims you can make to cover living expenses if you become ill. Macmillan Cancer Support runs a social support service which is open seven days a week. You can contact us on 0808 8080000. The charity’s website also has a Cost-of-Living section with detailed advice. Start at macmillan.org.uk The charity Maggie’s has 24 centers across the UK, all with social security advisers. They offer in-person and virtual support, depending on your preference. You can contact these orga ..read more

  HSBC has almost doubled the salary of its chief executive, Noel Quinn, despite reporting a fourth-quarter profit drop, unexpectedly hit by the crisis in China’s property market. The London-based lender said on Wednesday it had agreed a £10.6m package for Quinn, a significant increase on the £5.6m it had received for 2022, thanks a long-term bonus in HSBC shares worth more than $5 million. The bank also increased its total employee bonus pool by 12% to $3.8 million. This came amid a surprise drop in fourth-quarter profits, which fell to $1 billion from $5 billion a year earlier, largely ..read more

UK reports record-breaking budget surplus in January, giving us a final Health Check on the state of our public finances.   £16 could not be surpassed. Last month’s data from the Office for National Statistics reveals a 7-billion-pound surplus, which is the largest in terms of history since 1993 and represents twice as much as ten months ago. The public finances generally perform well in January, as self-assessment taxpayers are required to pay their debt by the deadline. Self-assessed taxes receipt is responsible for the higher tax receipts in January compared to other months ..read more

Social media giant Meta Platforms (META) reported fourth quarter earnings that beat analysts’ estimates for revenue and profit. The company gave a positive outlook for the current quarter and announced new shareholder return initiatives. For the fourth quarter, Meta reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $5.33 on revenue of $40.11 billion. According to Bloomberg consensus data, analysts expected adjusted earnings per share of $4.94 on revenue of $39.01 billion. The company reported revenue of $32.2 billion in the same quarter last year. The company also increased its stock repurchase a ..read more

  More than 130 years after it opened, the flagship Fenwick department store in central London will close its doors for the final time on Saturday. The historic four-storey store on New Bond Street in Mayfair will close after the retailer – owned by more than 40 descendants of John James Fenwick, who founded the company in 1882 with a single store in Newcastle – sold the property to developers for £430 million. “I’m actually devastated that it’s closing,” said Rosie Grant, 62, a costume designer, as she visited the store this week to say, “a final, sad farewell.” “It just has an elegance ..read more

A senior Labor leader has confirmed the party has abandoned its pledge to spend £28 billion a year on green investment programs if it wins this year’s election. Darren Jones, the Treasury’s deputy chief secretary, said on Friday that Labor would decide how much to spend on environmental programs once it comes into government, depending on individual programs and the state of the economy. The comments mark the first time a shadow minister has publicly admitted the party is no longer aiming for the £28bn figure, which has become a symbol of the party’s green ambitions but also the subject of rep ..read more

There are few, if any, investors more respected on Wall Street than Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett. The reason lies in the successes of the Oracle of Omaha since it took the reins in the mid-1960s. It took the broad-based S&P 500 until last year to top a cumulative total return of 30,000%, including dividends. However, since Buffett became CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the Oracle of Omaha has generated a total return on his company’s Class A shares (BRK.A) of more than 4,700,000% in less than six decades (as of January 26, 2024). Returns like this are bound to draw a following from bot ..read more

  Futures on the Dow Jones and other major indexes shook off Federal Reserve-induced losses on Thursday as investors digested a surprise jump in jobless numbers. This came as investors prepared for Magnificent Seven stocks Amazon (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) to report earnings after the market close. According to the diagram: ———- Before the opening bell, tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures rallied 0.6% premarket. Dow Jones futures rose less than 0.1%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.4%. Among U.S. exchange traded funds, the Nasdaq 100 tracker Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was up 0.6%, while the SPDR S&am ..read more