The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
BA Heathrow staff vote to strike this summer over pay
BBA have tried to offer our members crumbs from the table in the form of a 10% one-off bonus payment, but this doesn’t cut the mustard
ritish Airways workers based at Heathrow have voted to strike in a dispute over pay. Members of the GMB voted by 91% in favour of industrial action while Unite said 94% of its members backed action.
Workers, including check-in staff, will now decide on strike dates, which the union said were likely to be held during the peak summer holiday period.
Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, said: “With grim predictability, holidaymakers face massive disruption thanks to the pig-headedness of British Airways.
“BA have tried to offer our members crumbs from the table in the form of a 10% one-off bonus payment, but this doesn’t cut the mustard.
“Our members need to be reinstated the 10% they had stolen from them last year with full back pay and the 10% bonus which other colleagues have been paid.
“GMB members at Heathrow have suffered untold abuse as they deal with the travel chaos caused by staff shortages and IT failures.
“At the same time, they’ve had their pay slashed during BA’s callous fireand-rehire policy.
“What did BA think was going to happen?
“It’s not too late to save the summer holidays – other BA workers have had their pay cuts reversed.
“Do the same for ground and check-in staff and this industrial action can be nipped in the bud.”
Unite national officer for aviation Oliver Richardson said: “The problems British Airways is facing are entirely of its own making.
“It cut jobs and pay during the pandemic even though the government was paying them to save jobs. They have insulted this workforce, slashing pay by 10% only to restore it to managers but not to our members.”
A BA statement said: “We are fully committed to work together to find a solution, because to deliver for our customers and rebuild our business we have to work as a team.”
A Downing Street spokesman said: “This is a matter for British Airways and the unions and we would strongly encourage both to come together to find a settlement.”