Energy industry job cuts

Npower restructure

The firm is set to cut up to 4,500 UK jobs in a restructure designed to make itself more profitable. Unions have stated the cuts are a “cruel blow” for the company’s workers just before Christmas, while Npower’s owners, E.ON have blamed a challenging market and government-imposed price caps for the fall in profits.

Overdraft fees refunded

115,754 HSBC and Santander customers will receive a refund of unarranged overdraft charges. By law, your bank has to alert you before charging for using an unarranged overdraft, which HSBC and Santander failed to do several times. The banks are paying back £8 million to affected customers and have been ordered to review their procedures.

Stranded without cash

People in towns and villages across the UK are cut off from their cash, after losing 212 ‘protected’ ATMs which were the only free-to-access cash machines within a 1 kilometre radius. Card payments may have overtaken cash last year, but in rural areas, many local businesses only accept cash. Losing ATMs threatens to leave millions of people with no option but to pay to get their money out, or drive miles to withdraw.

Black Fri-nay?

Some companies are bucking the sales trend to encourage conscious consumerism. Among them are London shoe shop AllBirds which is running immersive workshops to encourage shoppers to create more and shop less on Black Friday, while British fashion designer Christoper Raeburn is challenging shoppers to “BUY NOTHING, RAEPAIR SOMETHING”.