- Court ruling denies BA cabin crew the right to strike
- Energy companies 'least trusted' by consumers
- BP Texas leak workers win $100m in damages
- Exxon Mobil moves into natural gas
- Aviation shows increasing interest in biofuels
- Google expands further into mobile ads market
- ITT wins new F-16 contract Court ruling denies BA cabin crew the right to strike A High Court ruling last month blocked a planned strike by British Airways cabin crew over the Christmas period. The injunction meant that the 12-day strike in protest over job losses and a pay freeze could not go ahead, with BA exploiting a legal loophole concerning the balloting of workers who had applied for voluntary redundancy. The judge, Mrs Justice Cox, agreed with the democracy-loving BA that the ballot by the cabin crew's union, Unite, had been 'illegal'. The real reason behind the ruling, however, may have been elsewhere: "A strike of this kind over the 12 days of Christmas is fundamentally more damaging to BA and the wider public than a strike taking place at almost any other time of the year," the judge is quote to have said. Unite described the ruling as "a disgraceful day for democracy" and vowed to hold a fresh ballot, but industrial relations laws mean the fresh industrial action cannot be announced until well into the new year. Link: www.unitetheunion.com/news__events/latest_news/high_court_denies_ba_cabin_cre.aspx
Energy companies 'least trusted' by consumers For the second year running, a survey by Consumer Focus identified energy suppliers as the market that consumers have 'least confidence' in. Companies in the energy sector ended bottom in the Consumer Confidence Index Survey (CCI) of over 5,800 people's perceptions of the goods and services they buy across 45 market sectors. Link: www.consumerfocus.org.uk/news/consumers-endure-frosty-relationship-with-energy-companies
BP Texas leak workers win $100m in damages A US jury has awarded $100m (£62m) in damages to 10 workers who suffered health problems as a result of a chemical leak at BP oil refinery in Texas City in 2007. 90 other workers who were also affected by the odour from a sulphur recovery unit at the plant are yet to make claims. Welcoming the verdict, the workers' attorney, Tony Buzbee, described BP as a "serial polluter" and said the company "does not understand the meaning of responsibility." The refinery has a history of fires, chemical releases and worker deaths, including a 2005 explosion that killed 15 people and injured 170. Link: www.txattorneys.com/news-147.html
Exxon Mobil moves into natural gas American oil giant Exxon Mobil has bought Texas-based gas production company XTO Energy for $41bn (£25bn), giving it access to lucrative natural gas reserves across the US. The takeover was the 6th largest corporate deal in 2009 and is Exxon Mobil's largest move since its formation through the merger of Exxon and Mobil in 1999. Exxon said that, once the deal is wrapped up, it would establish a new upstream organisation to manage 'unconventional resources', which were once regarded as too inaccessible to tap and not very cost-effective. Link: http://ir.exxonmobil.com/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c;=115024&eventID;=2619022
Aviation shows increasing interest in biofuels World Biofuels Markets has announced that it will launch the Biofuels & Aviation Forum at it annual event in Amsterdam between 15th and 17th March. Key representatives from the airline and biofuel industries will come together to "discuss strategies for the commercial deployment of aviation biofuels." The next generation of biofuels is seen to be a "viable, scaleable solution for future sustainable air travel." World Biofuels Markets is Europe's biggest biofuels congress and exhibition. Link: www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com
Google expands further into mobile ads market Search engine giant Google continues to expand and swallow smaller companies around the world. After Internet advertising company DoubleClick, it is now planning to buy Admob, a US company specialising in advertising for small screens (e.g. mobile phones), amid concerns by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Link: www.consumerwatchdog.org/corporateering/articles/?storyId=31994
ITT wins new F-16 contract ITT, the owner of EDO MBM in Brighton, has announced a new $39.3 million contract to produce the BRU-57/A bomb rack for the F-16 at Robins Air Force Base in the US. Apparently, "these will be installed on F-16 aircraft used by U.S. and allied nations." Israel is a major recipient of F-16s. Link: http://es.is.itt.com/pr2009/pr09_1011.htm
- Energy companies 'least trusted' by consumers
- BP Texas leak workers win $100m in damages
- Exxon Mobil moves into natural gas
- Aviation shows increasing interest in biofuels
- Google expands further into mobile ads market
- ITT wins new F-16 contract Court ruling denies BA cabin crew the right to strike A High Court ruling last month blocked a planned strike by British Airways cabin crew over the Christmas period. The injunction meant that the 12-day strike in protest over job losses and a pay freeze could not go ahead, with BA exploiting a legal loophole concerning the balloting of workers who had applied for voluntary redundancy. The judge, Mrs Justice Cox, agreed with the democracy-loving BA that the ballot by the cabin crew's union, Unite, had been 'illegal'. The real reason behind the ruling, however, may have been elsewhere: "A strike of this kind over the 12 days of Christmas is fundamentally more damaging to BA and the wider public than a strike taking place at almost any other time of the year," the judge is quote to have said. Unite described the ruling as "a disgraceful day for democracy" and vowed to hold a fresh ballot, but industrial relations laws mean the fresh industrial action cannot be announced until well into the new year. Link: www.unitetheunion.com/news__events/latest_news/high_court_denies_ba_cabin_cre.aspx
Energy companies 'least trusted' by consumers For the second year running, a survey by Consumer Focus identified energy suppliers as the market that consumers have 'least confidence' in. Companies in the energy sector ended bottom in the Consumer Confidence Index Survey (CCI) of over 5,800 people's perceptions of the goods and services they buy across 45 market sectors. Link: www.consumerfocus.org.uk/news/consumers-endure-frosty-relationship-with-energy-companies
BP Texas leak workers win $100m in damages A US jury has awarded $100m (£62m) in damages to 10 workers who suffered health problems as a result of a chemical leak at BP oil refinery in Texas City in 2007. 90 other workers who were also affected by the odour from a sulphur recovery unit at the plant are yet to make claims. Welcoming the verdict, the workers' attorney, Tony Buzbee, described BP as a "serial polluter" and said the company "does not understand the meaning of responsibility." The refinery has a history of fires, chemical releases and worker deaths, including a 2005 explosion that killed 15 people and injured 170. Link: www.txattorneys.com/news-147.html
Exxon Mobil moves into natural gas American oil giant Exxon Mobil has bought Texas-based gas production company XTO Energy for $41bn (£25bn), giving it access to lucrative natural gas reserves across the US. The takeover was the 6th largest corporate deal in 2009 and is Exxon Mobil's largest move since its formation through the merger of Exxon and Mobil in 1999. Exxon said that, once the deal is wrapped up, it would establish a new upstream organisation to manage 'unconventional resources', which were once regarded as too inaccessible to tap and not very cost-effective. Link: http://ir.exxonmobil.com/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c;=115024&eventID;=2619022
Aviation shows increasing interest in biofuels World Biofuels Markets has announced that it will launch the Biofuels & Aviation Forum at it annual event in Amsterdam between 15th and 17th March. Key representatives from the airline and biofuel industries will come together to "discuss strategies for the commercial deployment of aviation biofuels." The next generation of biofuels is seen to be a "viable, scaleable solution for future sustainable air travel." World Biofuels Markets is Europe's biggest biofuels congress and exhibition. Link: www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com
Google expands further into mobile ads market Search engine giant Google continues to expand and swallow smaller companies around the world. After Internet advertising company DoubleClick, it is now planning to buy Admob, a US company specialising in advertising for small screens (e.g. mobile phones), amid concerns by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Link: www.consumerwatchdog.org/corporateering/articles/?storyId=31994
ITT wins new F-16 contract ITT, the owner of EDO MBM in Brighton, has announced a new $39.3 million contract to produce the BRU-57/A bomb rack for the F-16 at Robins Air Force Base in the US. Apparently, "these will be installed on F-16 aircraft used by U.S. and allied nations." Israel is a major recipient of F-16s. Link: http://es.is.itt.com/pr2009/pr09_1011.htm