Commercial news round-up: gig workers, Lloyds, Southern Rail, electric cars, Brexit
updated on 13 July 2017
You may well be in the midst of a training contract application frenzy, but don’t panic; one of the best things you can do to help your chances (other than NOT submitting your applications at 11.45pm on 31 July) is hone your commercial awareness skills. Here are a few news stories that you should probably know a bit about:
- The gig economy is to get a shake-up, as a government review urges a minimum wage for to be set for workers and the establishment of a new category of employee, the "dependent contractor".
- Lloyds Banking Group (which includes Halifax and Bank of Scotland) has announced plans to scrap all unplanned overdraft fees – this means that its 20 million customers will not be required to pay if they inadvertently go into overdraft.
- Govia Thameslink Railway, the owner of perennially late Southern Rail, has been hit with a £13.4 million fine by the Department for Transport for its continued failure to provide a reliable service. Unhappy unions have branded the fine “less than a slap on the wrist”.
- The necessary charging of the increased number of electric cars on the road is predicted to put significant pressure on the grid, and possibly reverse the trend of falling electricity usage. Much will depend on the times of day when people choose to charge their cars.
- With an analogy we can all understand, the United Kingdom’s public spending watchdog has likened the government’s “vague” Brexit plan to a chocolate orange that “falls apart at the first tap”.
Be sure to check the News section every Thursday for this weekly commercial news round-up. Follow @LawCareersNetUK on Twitter and like us on Facebook for instant business news updates.
