British Airways in fresh talks to avert strike
October 28, 2009British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh is to meet with union chiefs today as part of a renewed bid to avert looming industrial action this winter.
The airline boss, himself a former negotiator for the Irish Airline Pilots Association, will spearhead efforts to persuade frontline staff that cutbacks are necessary.
Cabin crew have already said they will go to the ballot box in a row over new contracts, but the latest talks focus on check-in staff and other employees.
Officials from the Unite and GMB unions will meet with management to discuss BA's plans to cut 3,700 jobs on top of the 2,500 already shed since 2008.
They are concerned that the proposed job losses will lead to outsourcing of airport staff, as well as unfavourable new rosters and a lower rate of starting pay.
"It beggars belief that the airline would want to cause conflict with workers who are so customer-focused and proud of their jobs," commented Steve Turner, national officer of Unite, ahead of today's new round of talks. "That ... is just unacceptable."
But Mr Walsh has defended the measures, accusing the unions of "[f]ailing to grasp the critical need for BA to make significant changes for the future of the business".
"We have got fantastic cabin crew but we can't avoid the realities of the cost structures that we have within the business ," the airline boss was quoted by The Times as saying. "They simply are not sustainable. This is a business that is losing money."
Unite yesterday confirmed that it will ballot BA's 14,000 cabin crew over strike action after the airline tabled dramatic changes to working practices.
Among the measures put forward by BA management was a heavily curtailed allowances system, which would see the annual amount claimed by some long-haul cabin crew plummet by £5,000. The airline also wants to freeze basic salaries for two years.
British Airways posted losses of £401 million this summer, prompting it to unleash a wave of cost-cutting measures that included asking staff to work for free.
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