News from December 2005
Airport Strike Off
Strike action which would have grounded flights from Birmingham International Airport over the Christmas period has been cancelled. The dispute, over the sacking of two safety workers, will be taken to third-party arbitration, the airport and the Amicus union said.
Both workers were accused of breach of trust, alleged falsification of records and taking unauthorised absence. The strike was due to start this week with other dates planned for Christmas. Among them included Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve.
The airport’s managing director, Richard Heard, said: "We are delighted that the threat of industrial action has been called off and the dispute has been settled with the union, which has agreed to a process of independent binding arbitration.
"We are extremely pleased that Amicus members at the airport made their views known and we have agreed to sit down with the union over the next couple of days to discuss the process of binding arbitration.
"I apologise for the disruption and uncertainty this situation has caused our passengers and partners, but it is now business as usual."
Posted on 8 December 2005
Tax Code Changes Delayed
President George W. Bush will delay a major push for revamping the tax code because administration officials concluded the changes are too tough to sell to the public and lawmakers, two people familiar with the matter said.
Bush instead will spend next year attempting to lay the political groundwork for fundamental changes in 2007 or 2008, the people said, and leave to Congress the task of tackling incremental tax code simplification in 2006, an election year. Part of the revamp included abandoning the Mortgage Interest Deduction which has been extrememly controversial, and could reduce house values by as much as 15%.
Posted on 8 December 2005
