BUSINESS EXTRA Share-out FINANCE

Bonus boost

UNION leader Sharon Graham called for a windfall tax on UK banks after NatWest’s CEO Alison Rose received £5.2 million (€5.9 million) in pay. The bank recently reported its largest profits since 2007, increasing its bonus pool from last year’s £298 million (€338.4) to £367 million (€416.8).

Leaving home

THE Basque Region’s autonomous government is making plans to introduce payments of €300 in 2024 to assist the emancipation and independence of the 25 to 29 age group. The grant will be limited to those earning less than €28,000 a year, announced regional president Iñigo Urkullu.

Get online

THE cost of living continued to strain household budgets, pushing people into digital exclusion, warned Baroness Stowell, chairwoman of the Lords Digital Committee. Ending this exclusion could generate £13.7 billion (€15.5 billion) in economic benefits over 10 years while costing only £1.4 billion (€1.6 billion).

Backpay time

ELDERLY women could receive nearly £1.5 billion (€1.7 billion) in state pension arrears, the UK government admitted. Former Pensions minister Steve Webb agreed that some women’s payments were not increased when their husbands reached retirement age or died, or when they themselves reached 80.

Fewer hours

BANK OF SPAIN analysis of the country’s working hours concluded that although these had partly returned to normal following the pandemic, employees in most sectors worked fewer hours than in 2019. The only exceptions were agricultural workers and those in the property sector.

STAT OF WEEK €8.2 billion

was generated by Spain’s perfumes and cosmetics sector last year, a figure which industry sources said was “extremely positive” after the sales setback caused by the pandemic.