Amazon UK pumps £170m into pay rises for frontline staff
Amazon UK has announced it will splash out £170 million on two pay boosts for its frontline workers over the next six months. The retail giant, with 75,000 employees across the UK, plans a hefty wage hike amid inflation worries that have caught the Bank of England’s eye.
Starting pay to jump by up to £1 per hour
From October 15, the minimum hourly pay will rise by at least £1, with rates climbing to between £11.80 and £12.50 depending on location. By April next year, workers can expect another increase, pushing pay to between £12.30 and £13 an hour.
In just two years, this means a 20% boost to Amazon’s starting wages, adding up to a massive 50% rise since 2018.
Festive hiring spree kicks off
Amazon UK is also hiring big for Christmas, with over 15,000 seasonal jobs up for grabs nationwide. This festive recruitment rush follows similar announcements from Morrisons and Aldi, who plan to add 3,500 and 3,000 extra staff, respectively, for the busy season.
Airlines ground flights to Israel amid growing security chaos
Major airlines worldwide are cancelling flights to Israel as the security situation deteriorates. Virgin Atlantic alone has axed eight flights between Tel Aviv and London Heathrow" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">London Heathrow from Saturday through Wednesday.
Safety top priority for airlines
Virgin Atlantic says customer and staff safety is paramount and is constantly reviewing its Israel flight schedule. Other carriers, including Wizz Air and EasyJet, have also pulled flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
Telecom giant 1 teams up with Intel and Nokia to boost Open RAN networks
Mobile operator 1 is joining forces with Intel and Nokia to strengthen Open RAN infrastructure – a flexible network technology that lets operators mix and match equipment from different suppliers.
Challenging the giants
Currently dominated by big players like Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei, Open RAN adoption is gaining pace thanks to efforts from firms like 1. The company made waves last year by partnering with Intel to design its own chip architecture.
Next-gen chipsets created in Spain
The new joint chipsets will be developed at Vodafone’s campus in Malaga, Spain, and offered to smaller vendors. This allows these firms to run their algorithms without expensive silicon investments, shaking up the telecom landscape.
