UK

McDonald’s faces its first strike since it opened in the UK in 1974, as well as protests by unions and the public at several restaurants over pay and working conditions.

Staff in Cambridge and Crayford, south-east London, walked out in a row over the use of zero-hours contracts and "inexplicably" low pay.

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) said the strike was being well supported. Members of other trade unions joined early-morning picket lines outside the two restaurants, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn offered his backing.

Almost a million EU citizens working in Britain – many of them young, highly qualified and much sought-after by businesses – are either planning to leave the country or have already made up their minds to go as a result of Brexit, a study has found.

A survey of 2,000 EU workers in Britain by KPMG, the professional services firm, found that 55% of those with PhDs and 49% of those with postgraduate degrees were either planning to go or were actively considering it.

If all of those considering departure actually left, it would reduce the UK’s national workforce by 3.1% – almost one million people – said the consultancy firm.

Net migration to Britain has fallen to a three-year low as a growing number of European Union citizens have left the country following last year’s Brexit referendum.

Data released Thursday by the Office for National Statistics provides evidence that the uncertainty and economic jitters caused by Britain’s vote to quit the EU are deterring immigrants and sparking a "Brexodus."

The Home Office sent about 100 letters "in error" to EU citizens living in the UK, telling them they were liable for "detention".
The mistake emerged after a Finnish academic, who has the right to live in the UK, received one of the letters.
Eva Johanna Holmberg, a visiting academic fellow from the University of Helsinki at Queen Mary University of London, was told in the letter that she had a month to leave. She has lived in the UK with her British husband for most of the last decade.

Heineken’s £403million takeover of Punch Taverns received the grreen light by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after the competition watchdog accepted plans to sell off some the almost 1,900 newly-acquired pubs to allay fears it could reduce competition.

Heineken announced last December that it was teaming up with Patron Capital, the private equity firm, to buy Punch for £409m (€305m), or £1.78bn once Punch’s debt is taken into account.

The U.K. will allow visa-free travel for EU citizens entering the country post Brexit, the Times reported Thursday, but would impose restrictions on their employment.

According to the report, an anticipated plan by the Home Office on post-Brexit migration will add that there will be no extra curbs on EU citizens travelling to Britain through airports and ports.
But prospective employers will have to sponsor EU applicants by applying for permits issued by the government. The number of available permits will vary according to the sector, and the government may charge companies a fee to issue them.

The U.S. is set for steady economic growth, while the U.K. and Russia appear to be heading for slowdowns, according to leading indicators released Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The leading indicator for the U.S. was unchanged at 99.7 for the third straight month, signaling that its growth outlook has steadied, albeit at a weaker rate than normal. This is an improvement on indicators published in July, which hinted at a U.S. slowdown, and implies global economic prospects could be boosted as U.S. trade flows pick up.

Freedom of movement for millions of British and EU citizens will end in 2019 when Brexit takes effect, the U.K. government insisted on Monday. The statement appeared to rule out transitional post-Brexit arrangements recently raised by a senior British minister.

“There were reports last week that we were looking for an off-the-shelf model; we are not looking for an off-the-shelf model. Precisely what the implementation model will look like is up for negotiation,” a government spokesperson said, adding more confusion to Brexit affairs.