Thursday newspaper round-up: Boeing, zero-hours contracts, voluntary insolvencies

Boeing’s CEO said on Wednesday that the company would begin furloughing “a large number” of employees to conserve cash during the strike by union machinists that began last week. The chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, said the layoffs would be temporary and affect executives, managers and other employees. – Guardian

Governments and private companies should contribute to a global artificial intelligence fund that will allow developing nations to benefit from advances in the technology, according to a UN report. The fund would help provide models, computing power and AI-related training programmes, according to recommendations from the UN secretary general’s high-level AI advisory body. – Guardian

Companies could be forced to offer all staff regular hours after three months as part of a crackdown on zero-hours contracts. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told bosses and unions in a private call on Wednesday that they were working on a policy which could force employers to offer zero-hours workers a regular contract after 12 weeks. – Telegraph

Large firms face a crackdown on late payments to small businesses as part of a raft of government measures to tackle an issue that drives 50,000 smaller firms to the wall every year. Delayed payment of invoices costs small businesses £22,000 a year on average, according to the Department for Business & Trade (DBT) and research from the Federation of Small Businesses. – The Times

Concerns have been raised that voluntary insolvencies are being abused to enable companies to drop debts with little scrutiny. So-called creditors voluntary liquidations occur when a company’s shareholders agree to liquidate the company because it is insolvent and cannot pay its debts. They have reached the highest level since records began last year as they have become by far the most common form of corporate insolvency. An insolvency expert has warned that they are sometimes being sold by unscrupulous firms as a way to drop debts with little risk of scrutiny. – The Times