British Airways’ treatment of staff during the coronavirus crisis “is a national disgrace”, MPs have claimed.
A Transport Select Committee report accuses the airline of a “calculated attempt to take advantage” of the pandemic by cutting thousands of jobs and downgrading terms and conditions.
BA said it was doing all it could to keep “the maximum number of jobs”.
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But the MPs said the airline’s actions fell “well below the standards we would expect from any employer”.
The aviation industry has been one of the hardest-hit since the pandemic forced a lockdown. Airlines including EasyJet, Ryanair, and Virgin Atlantic, and suppliers Rolls-Royce and Airbus, have announced thousands of job cuts.
BA plans a major restructuring, which could mean up to 12,000 redundancies and changes to the terms and conditions of remaining staff.
The airline warned unions that if it could not reach an agreement over the proposals it would push through the issue by giving staff notice and offering them new contracts.
That outraged the unions.
Unite and the GMB are not engaging in talks with BA. Pilots’ union Balpa has had discussions with the airline over the possibility of voluntary redundancies but said consultations were “hanging by a thread”.
source – BBC
