British Airways launches initiative to win over young staff with improved pay deals

BRITISH Airways yesterday began a new initiative to win over young staff by offering cabin crew a £28,000 annual package.

Lead crew members were also lured with £31,000, and crew managers offered £39,000 a year if they sign up to new deals.

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British Airways is now offering cabin crew £28,000 a year to win over staff and avoid a harmful strike [/caption]

By boosting terms for recent entrant staff not getting the boot, BA hopes to have enough crew willing to work under its new regime, and avert a strike from the entire workforce.

Bosses are looking to replace its existing three cabin crew fleets with just one.

By winning over the lower-paid ‘mixed fleet’ – on significantly less than 28K – it will be able to ditch the veteran ‘worldwide’ and ‘eurofleet’ crews, who can earn around £60K a year.

Swathes of MPs and celebrities have hit out at the airline’s drive to cull 12,000 staff and switch the remaining 32,000 employees onto lower-paid contracts.

But BA yesterday came out fighting with new improved proposals for crew. In a letter leaked to The Sun airline bosses stated: “We’ve reviewed your feedback and these proposals for cabin crew represent a significant improvement on our original proposal.

“We are proposing an increase to both basic pay and overall overtime package for all qualified and new-entrant Mixed Fleet cabin crew. Compared to other UK airlines and comparable roles in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry; this remains a market-leading package.

“Whilst the proposal may represent a decrease for some colleagues on Eurofleet and Worldwide versus today; we have invited your trade unions to meet with us to discuss options to mitigate the impact on individuals. So far, Unite has declined every invite to meet. We will online to consider all options, despite Unite’s refusal to meet.”

The Sun can reveal how 100,000 jobs are expected to go across the aviation sector, including airlines and suppliers such as Boeing, Airbus and Rolls Royce. Emirates could axe up to 30,000 staff in coming months.

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The airline’s improved proposal comes following anger at its bid to axe 12,000 staff and switch the remaining employees onto lower-paid contracts[/caption]

But BA is accused of using the coronavirus meltdown to cut costs, with its Spanish-based parent firm IAG sitting on billions of revenue and buying another airline during the crisis.

BA told The Sun: “We are acting now to protect as many jobs possible. The airline industry is facing the deepest structural change in its history, as well as facing a severely weakened global economy.

“We call on Unite and GMB to consult with us on our proposals as our pilot union, BALPA, is doing. Working together we can protect more jobs as we prepare for a new future.”

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