UK trade union Unite has once again threatened flag carrier British Airways with strike action, arguing that the new contracts offered to cabin crew fail to offer enough stability to employees, and could result in significant cuts to pay.
Following a union meeting of over 1,000 “furious” members, a spokesman from the union has informed the media that lawyers will be contacted to proceed to industrial action over the issue.
According to Unite, staff who are retaining employment under these new contracts face significantly less stability and security, and could face material pay cuts of up to 43 per cent, when allowances are factored in.
“Enough is enough. We will now instruct our legal specialists to proceed to industrial and legal action, which will hit BA in the autumn,” the union said in a statement.
British Airways responded by stating it is yet to receive any notification of “any ballot for industrial action”, which is the formal and necessary first step that must precede any strike action.
This suggests that industrial action may not take place for weeks to come.
The announcement is the latest in a string of threats against the UK flag carrier since the airline announced it would cut up to 12,000 jobs in April, and implement its controversial “fire and rehire” plan on remaining staff.
According to Unite, the controversial policy will see thousands of staff retain employment, although on significantly poorer terms, including pay cuts of up to 50 per cent on their take-home pay, and much poorer terms and conditions.
The airline has also recently been accused of discriminating against older staff and “forcing” them into taking ‘voluntary’ redundancies.
