Pilots for British Airways (BA) have cut a deal with the airline, agreeing to temporary pay cuts of 20 per cent in lieu of widespread job losses.
According to the national pilots’ union, BALPA, the move protects BA staff from the airline’s controversial “fire-and-rehire” scheme – where staff are offered new contracts on unfavourable conditions. This has sparked backlash from UK labour groups in recent days, with trade union Unite threatening industrial action against BA on 28 July.
While the vast majority of the 4,300 pilots employed by BA will be protected under the deal, both parties agreed to the axing of around 270 positions. Representing a significant decrease on the 1,255 pilot roles BA had previously marked for compulsory redundancy, BALPA nevertheless says it hopes to further negotiate these down as talks progress.
“The fact that we were unable to persuade BA to avoid all compulsory redundancies is bitterly disappointing,” said BALPA general secretary Brian Strutton.
Eighty-five per cent of member pilots present voted in favour of the cuts, which are to be phased down to 8 per cent over two years and to zero in the long term. Talks with other BA staff, including cabin crew, engineers and admin staff, are ongoing.
On its part, British Airways (and parent company IAG) have reaffirmed their commitment to saving jobs despite the downturn. IAG chief, Willie Walsh, on Thursday told media that the airline was facing an “enormous challenge” and did not expect to return to pre-pandemic levels of business “until at least 2023”.
