Strike called off

THE first of a series of planned strikes by workers at Birmingham International Airport has been called off to allow peace talks to continue, it was announced today.

Hundreds of workers were due to walk out next Monday in protest at the sacking of two colleagues.

Amicus held talks last night with airport officials through the conciliation service Acas and the negotiations will continue.

The union announced that it had called off Monday's strike while the talks were continuing.

QinetiQ 'stress'

STRESS levels at a company which has a major workforce in Worcestershire have soared after privatisation according to the Prospect union's officials.

Workers at QinetiQ, the defence research base in Malvern, are reported to have suffered unusually high levels of stress.

The union claims it has dealt with more than 40 cases of stress in two years at the company. QinetiQ denies the findings.

Store price war

BRITONS will save £1.7bn on their grocery bill next year as the price war in the supermarket sector escalates, research claimed.

Sensing there are more customers "up for grabs" than usual, major chains such as Tesco and Sainsbury's will launch a fresh onslaught of price cuts.

Shirt sponsors

MANCHESTER United is searching for a new shirt sponsor after Vodafone ended its £36m deal two years early.