It’s probably true to say that relations between British Airways and its own employees have hit their lowest point ever after the airline announced plans to axe 12,000 jobs within a mere few weeks. The Unite union has described the decision as “smash and grab opportunism” claiming BA is using the COVID-19 pandemic as cover to decimate working conditions for its 45,000 strong workforce and many employees are furious with how they are being treated.
To make matters worse, British Airways has promised to plough ahead with the proposed cuts despite government support to prevent redundancies, prompting a backlash from members of Parliament as well as otherwise loyal staff. Unions have labelled senior BA executives as “disgraceful” as they push a media campaign in a desperate attempt to force the airline into a rethink.
But while employees and the unions have voiced their frustrations in letters and social media posts, the Coronavirus outbreak has prevented the unions from taking the kind of direct action they would usually resort to. After all, there’s no point in taking strike action when the vast majority of flights are already cancelled.
Some BA staffers, however, have found a direct way to let the airline know exactly what they think about management proposals. A leaked photo of what appears to be a defect report from a British Airways aircraft shows some cabin crew haven’t been able to contain their frustration, writing on the wall of a crew rest area (NSFW): “(Willie) Walsh c*nt, (Alex) Cruz P*ssy”.
Willie Walsh is the chief executive of BA’s parent company, while Alex Cruz leads British Airways.
And this isn’t the first time that an act of sabotage by employees has been alleged because of the mass layoffs. Just over a week ago, two long-haul aircraft were covered in foam when a fire suppression system was activated in one of the airline’s hangars at Heathrow Airport.
British Airways explained the incident away, saying it was an accident but sources who spoke with The Sun claimed it was an act of sabotage by “p*ssed off” engineers who feared for their livelihoods. One source said the foam mess could take weeks to clean up and much of the equipment it covered would have to be replaced.
Yesterday, BA executives confirmed plans to cut a total of 4,700 cabin crew jobs at its Heathrow base and create a single fleet of crew on new low-paid contracts. Inclusive of all allowances and per diem payments, cabin crew on the new contract would only be set to earn a maximum of £24,000 a year.
During a presentation, the airline told staff that BA would not introduce a much-feared so-called ‘zero hours’ contract but it was mulling proposals for seasonal contracts. The Unite union claims the new contract represents up to a 50 per cent pay cut for many of its members.
