Life at CBSbutler

New Year, New Career? 13/01/2012

Well, here it is, the start of another year, 2012……….

The majority of people suffer from the first week back to work blues, but for some those are just post Festive time blues, for others it goes a lot deeper.

They are just not happy where they are……But why??

Many of us are happy just to plod along doing the same old job day after day, not really going anywhere, not really reaching our full potential, both in career and financial, others feel restricted by their current company, the management, location or even job security.

What better time to start considering a move, but where do you start, if you post your CV online, you will get calls from agencies looking to snap you up, but this also means that you will be visible to your current company, awkward!!

So, where do you start, here are a few things to consider:

• Location
• Salary
• Commission
• Commute
• Benefits
• Growth
• Career potential
• Stability

Location is a very important item, will the commute take hours and cost a fortune, let’s face it, you will be worse off both in your pay and your home life.

Salary, has to be a good salary, but this shouldn’t be the deal breaker, it’s your earning potential that should be more closely looked at, which is focused around the commission scheme, is there a cap on commission?  Is there a minimum GP level before you receive commission?

Benefits, Healthcare, Gym, Pensions, Financial Advice

Growth, is it a stable company and have been around for a number of years? And will they be around for a number of years to come?

Career potential, is there a good training scheme in place, are there clear routes to promotion?

Don’t sit there any longer, if you are not happy, then look around, approach companies, ask questions, afterall they are just as keen to hire you as you are to work for them.

While you are here, why not check out our vacancies here

Chinese airlines refuse to pay EU carbon tax 06/01/2012

Airlines ponder legal challenge to carbon emissions scheme, while Chinese government may resort to ‘retaliatory measures’

China’s four leading airlines have thrown down the gauntlet to the European Union by saying they will refuse to pay carbon charges levied under Europe’s emissions trading scheme.

The defiant message — which could lead to a ban from European airports — marks an escalation of resistance to the scheme, which came into effect this week and is also fiercely opposed by the United States.

Despite the growing threat of a trade war, Europe sees the cap-and-trade system for aviation emissions as a crucial tool for reducing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

From 1 January, any airline using an airport in the EU is obliged to participate. But China’s leading aviation body said it will not. “China will not cooperate with the European Union on the ETS, so Chinese airlines will not impose surcharges on customers relating to the emissions tax,” said Cai Haibo, deputy secretary-general of the China Air Transport Association.

His organisation represents Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines, which fly millions of passengers to Europe each year. It estimates that the scheme will cost its members 800m yuan (£78m) in the first year, rising more than threefold by the end of the decade.

Under EU regulations, airlines that fail to pay carbon allowances can be fined €100 per tonne of carbon dioxide. Persistent offenders are liable to be banned.

Last month, the European court of justice turned down a legal challenge to the scheme, prompting China’s Xinhua news agency to warn of a looming trade war.

If the EU applies punitive measures, Chinese academics have suggested that the country’s airlines should counter by reducing purchases of Airbus aircraft.

While such threats have since been played down, any escalation of conflict between these two huge economies would have implications for the world.

China says it is unreasonable for Europe to apply its policies to developing nations, which are still at the stage of rapid expansion of their airline industries and so find it difficult to cut overall emissions.

It says the costs of reducing carbon should be passed on to aircraft manufacturers — most of which are in Europe or the US — as an incentive for them to produce more efficient planes.

There is still time for a resolution because carbon fees do not have to be paid until March 2013. But Chinese airlines are already looking into legal actions against the EU and lobbying for countermeasures by the Chinese government.

“We are now walking on two legs — first, we would not rule out the chance of taking legal action and, second, to resort to the government for retaliatory measures. Several departments have been looking into this,” Cai said.

China is not alone in its opposition. The US has also warned that it may retaliate and US Congressmen have drafted a bill that would make it illegal to comply with the EU policy. Qantas Airways of Australia has threatened to sue.

But other Asian airlines were more amenable to the system. Cathay Pacific — which is based in Hong Kong — and Singapore Airlines have said they would either offset the costs by improving efficiency or pass on the charge to customers.

The EU says the scheme would cost passengers between €2 and €12 per flight, depending on the distance and other factors. Airline operators fears this will hurt demand in a market that is already depressed by the economic crisis.