British Airways pilots are the latest airline workers to consider strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions following the pandemic. Pilots’ union Balpa could ask members to vote on action after pay rises for check-in and baggage staff.
Pilots at the national carrier agreed to sacrifice a portion of their salaries to mitigate job losses in the pandemic in a pay deal agreed in July 2020 with temporary pay cuts of 20 per cent, falling to eight per cent during the following two years - reducing job cuts from 1,255 to 270.
There are now calls for industrial action after strike threats helped secure pay rises for ground handling and check-in staff. A union source told a national newspaper: “They did it by stomping their feet and having a ballot on strike action.
“‘BA seems to ignore you until you issue a ballot,’ is the sentiment among members. Within Balpa we don’t usually like to do that. We would rather take a grown-up approach. But we are under enormous pressure. And the longer this goes on, the harder it gets.”
Balpa has written to British Airways demanding that the salary sacrifice scheme is abandoned. General secretary Martin Chalk said: “We are in talks with British Airways and wish to persuade them that continuing deductions from our members’ pay is unwarranted. We should actually be talking about pay increases given the inflationary scenario.
“Unless BA is prepared to walk with us down that road then we will have to consult with members to consider our next actions.”
An airline spokesperson said: “We remain committed to continuing talks with the union.”
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