THE HOT STORY

Workers at former Ilva plant in Italy suspend protest

Workers at the former Ilva steel plant in Taranto, southern Italy, have suspended five days of strikes and roadblocks that disrupted fuel deliveries across the Puglia region after the ‌government agreed to hold fresh talks on the future of the facility. "We are looking forward to the meeting with the government on October 27. The suspension of the strike is only temporary because there are still no solutions, but we want to negotiate," said FION trade union representative Giovanni Lippolis. The workers' actions are aimed at a government plan that it is said ⁠would leave thousands reliant on furlough schemes instead of providing a long-term industrial solution, Reuters reports.

Reuters

WORKFORCE

Irish public sector unions suspend second day of strike action

Public sector trade unions in Ireland have called off strikes scheduled for Wednesday to begin mediated discussions with government ministers on terms for new pay talks. On Friday, the government said it it would enter a “focused and intensive exercise” with unions representing much of Ireland's ⁠public sector including teachers, health workers and civil servants, assisted by Workplace Relations Commission chair Kevin Foley, in a bid to agree a basis for formal negotiations on a new public sector wage deal. "I believe that there is now a prospect ⁠of progress in the process that has been established. Obviously we will need to see ⁠the government's words backed up in practice," said Kevin Callinan, chair of the ⁠Irish Congress of Trade Unions public services committee.

Irish Times

Reuters

HIRING

AI data-cleaning gigs surge among graduates

UK data annotation postings rose 250% year on year as graduates take gig work cleaning and testing information used to train AI systems. Britain is the world's fastest-growing market for data-cleaning gigs, ahead of India at 144%, the EU at 96% and the US at 76%, though it has only 5% of postings versus 37% in the US and 32% in India. Advanced models require human categorisation, labelling and assessment. Outlier, Mercor and DataAnnotation offer flexible projects, with advertised pay of about £6.05 to £20 an hour.

The Times

ECONOMY

Rioting during cost-of-living protests in Italy

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned rioting during cost-of-living demonstrations. "Demonstrating is a right, but setting our cities on fire is not," Meloni said. The violence which broke out during the protests left at least four police officers and 20 demonstrators injured in Milan. The unrest comes amid anger over high prices, stagnant real wages and a shortage of affordable housing. The Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) has announced a general strike for November 20.

Deutsche Welle (EN)

UK's Burnham urged to tackle Brexit fallout

Shevaun Haviland, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, has called for UK prime minister Andy Burnham to address the economic damage caused by Brexit. Many business leaders believe the current trading relationship with the EU is detrimental. Haviland noted that over half of surveyed bosses in the UK feel the deal negotiated by former prime minister Boris Johnson's government is ineffective. Economists estimate Brexit has cost the UK economy up to £240bn, with national income per head 6% to 8% lower than it could have been. The British Chambers of Commerce has said it will consult its members on options for the UK's relationship with the EU.

The Guardian

TECHNOLOGY

Global watchdog urges more human oversight of agentic AI

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has said it wants to see greater human oversight of agentic AI in final guidance on managing the technology's risks. The global standard setter said it had strengthened its recommendations on agentic AI, citing feedback to draft guidance published in June, increased interest among financial institutions in adoption of the technology, and the related risks and necessary controls. The group said more intensive human oversight will be critical in higher-risk use cases, and firms should establish clear, risk-based triggers for ⁠when an agent must seek human approval. A guideline that said financial institutions should ⁠treat AI as "synthetic employees" has been removed from the final guidance; rather, the FSB said firms should recognise that "AI agents do not reason like humans and may interpret pre-defined goals in unexpected ways."

Reuters

RISK

Russia seizes assets of four European companies

Russia has seized control of the Russian assets of four European companies from France, Germany, Sweden and Belgium in retaliation for Western support for Ukraine. A decree signed by President Vladimir Putin named flooring manufacturer Tarkett, packaging firms Menshen and Sverige International Holdings, and hygiene products maker Ontex, alongside assets owned by US group Sonoco’s Dutch subsidiary. The Kremlin said the companies’ countries of origin influenced the decision, citing the seizure of Russian property in Europe.

Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

Saudi Arabia-based employees to work from home after Houthi strikes

Reuters reports that JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank are among global finance firms that are allowing their Saudi Arabia-based employees to work remotely following escalating Houthi strikes in the kingdom. Citi last week said that it was allowing staff to work from home. "The safety of our employees and the families of our employees have always been our top priority," Citi finance chief Gonzalo Luchetti explained. Reuters has previously reported that Saudi Arabia plans to shift its flagship ⁠Future Investment Initiative conference later this month to a hybrid event.

Reuters

Brazil shortens working week to 40 hours

Brazil's congress has approved a constitutional amendment to limit the working week to a maximum of 40 hours, impacting around 30m workers. The decision marks a political win for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the presidential runoff. The change will eliminate six-day workweeks and is expected to primarily benefit low-paid workers in sectors including retail and hospitality. Lula celebrated the amendment, emphasising its importance for family time and personal well-being.

The Guardian

Volkswagen and workers to resume talks after Mexico wage deal rejected

The Mexican government has urged Volkswagen and workers at the car maker's assembly plant in the ‌east-central state of Puebla to resume negotiations following the rejection by members of the Automakers' Union of a proposed 13.16% across-the-board wage increase valid ⁠for two years. Over 5,600 ‌workers, ⁠representing 90.3% of the union's members, took part in a vote on the salary increase. Over 3,100 of them rejected the ⁠proposal. The facility in Puebla is one of the German company's biggest plants.

Reuters

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