Following union claims that BA (British Airways) had given a “vastly better” compensation offer, the airline’s 700 check-in employees at Heathrow had postponed their strike action.
According to the Unite union, a deal was reached after “intensive” negotiations. The new pay arrangement will now be put to a vote among union members of the Unite and GMB.
Unite national secretary Sharon Graham said: “We appreciate BA’s decision to hear the voice of its check-in personnel finally.
The GMB national officer, Nadine Houghton, continued, “All our members asked for was what they were due. It’s about time British Airways started implementing pay.
The decision by the unions not to set dates for strike action was welcomed by BA, who expressed its “great pleasure.”
In a statement, it was stated that this was excellent news for both our customers and employees.
A 10 percent pay decrease implemented during the height of the pandemic, according to unions, was not reinstated; thus, most of the check-in staff members affected by the vote last month decided to strike over salary.
BA, which runs out of Heathrow’s Terminals 3 and 5, had prepared arrangements to cover workers, including managers who might have been in charge of check-ins, in the event that the strikes had taken place.
For passengers, there would still have been a disruption, particularly at terminal 5, which would have resulted in cancellations. Before the salary decrease was reversed, the airline had instead proposed a temporary bonus of 10% for the workforce.
It is understood that the offer, which was turned down by the unions that represent check-in staff, has been accepted by employees working in British Airways (BA) departments, including ground operations, engineering, and cabin crew.
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There are indications British Airways is genuinely trying to prevent more turbulence after a year of upheaval. Heathrow airport’s ground staff wants their wages to be reinstated to its pre-pandemic level. Strikes were threatened over the summer, and it appears that they were successful.
The company as a whole might be affected by BA’s offer of a compromise. That’s because employees in other departments of the company are already considering future compensation agreements due to the rapidly rising cost of living.
In order to control expenses, BA has a history of being willing to be tough with its employees and risk strikes. However, workers might feel emboldened to demand more if that were to change.
As a result of airport issues and aircraft cancellations in recent weeks, tens of thousands of travelers have been impacted.
Hundreds of flights around the UK were canceled during the week of the Platinum Jubilee and the school half-term holidays, and there are worries that there will be further travel issues this summer.
Staffing issues, for example, have made it difficult for the airline sector to keep up with the growth in demand for international travel, contributing to the disruption.
BA confirmed on Wednesday that a further 10,300 short-haul flights scheduled to operate between August and the end of October would no longer be offered.
Between April and October of this year, BA cut close to 30,000 flights from its calendar.
