British Airways cabin crew face 20% pay cut as coronavirus causes airline to slash costs

Unite union demands airline drops threat to fire and rehire on worse terms and conditions

British Airways cabin crew

AFP via Getty Images

29 June 2020

British Airways officials wrote to Heathrow cabin crew yesterday to say their basic pay could be cut by as much as 20% in its wide-ranging cost-cutting plan.

The airline said after the covid lockdowns began that it needed to cut up to 12,000 jobs and bring its wage bill down into line with rivals if it is to survive the collapse in passenger numbers expected after coronavirus.

Following a briefing to staff announcing plans for the first time today, Amy James, head of inflight customer experience, emailed cabin crew in the so-called "legacy fleets" working the European and Worldwide routes to outline what she called the "pay protection proposal".

BA is planning to ditch the legacy fleets - where pay was highest - and merge all cabin crew into one new unit.

In James's email, seen by the Evening Standard, she said: "Our proposal would guarantee that if you secure a corresponding role in our new team, we will safeguard your basic pay at at least 80% of your current rate."

While she referred solely to basic pay, it is believed that a minority of those in the legacy fleets who currently have extra pay in allowances will end up losing around 30% of their overall package. Some are thought currently to earn a basic of around £70,000.

Not all staff will be seeing pay cuts under the plan. Around 40% of cabin crew, particularly lower paid, younger ones, are likely to get some sort of pay rise in their basic, sources said.

James wrote: "This pay protection proposal provides a 'soft landing' into a new aviation industry that's very different to what any of us have known in the past, and enables you to adjust to the changes we need to make if we are to compete effectively and be fit for a different future."

She said Unite the union had not attended "any of the 24 meetings we have scheduled" nor responded to proposals aimed at finding a solution "to the devastation our industry is facing".

Instead, she said, BA has been liasing with staff directly.

A Unite spokesman said: "We have consistently called on BA to withdraw the threat to fire and rehire the entire workforce. No other airline has done this. We want to enter sensible negotiations but will only do so once they withdraw that threat."

BA currently has three cabin crew fleet - the Euro Fleet, the Worldwide Fleet and, in recent years, the Mixed Fleet. The latter group consists of newer staff generally on lower pay.

Under the restructuring, the three will be merged into one with cabin crew earning a basic £28,000, lead cabin crew £31,000 and managers on £38,000. Those for whom the new levels represent a bigger cut than 20% will have their pay individually adjusted upwards.

BA was also signalling today that the original cuts of up to 12,000 across the airline would now be lowered due to offers of voluntary redundancies, part time working, unpaid leave offers and the use of a talent pool, where those made redundant would be given first refusal for deployment to other roles in the airline.

Currently, the airline employs 14,000 cabin crew.

In a statement later, BA said: "We are acting now to protect as many jobs as possible. The airline 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."

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