Nadine Houghton, a GMB national employee, accused BA of pursuing a “reckless fire and re-hiring policy” and that the unrest “is now beginning to spread like wildfire to other groups of BA workers, with many others now considering voting to leave.” .
The union leader said earlier this month: “British Airways is facing a grueling summer of travel chaos if it does not give these workers what is rightfully theirs.”
Ms Houghton said: “With grim predictability, holidaymakers are facing huge disruptions due to the recklessness of British Airways.
“BA has tried to offer our members crumbs from the table in the form of a 10 percent one-time bonus payment, but this does not reduce the mustard.
“Our members must be reimbursed for the 10 percent they stole last year, with full pay back and the 10 percent bonus paid to other colleagues.
“GMB members in Heathrow have suffered indescribable abuse while dealing with travel chaos caused by staff shortages and IT failures.
“At the same time, their salaries were reduced during BA’s harsh fire and re-hiring policy.
What did BA think was going to happen?
“It’s not too late to save the summer holidays – other BA workers have canceled their pay cuts.
“Do the same for ground and check-in staff and this industrial action can be eliminated in its infancy.”
“BA is facing a problem created entirely by them”
Unite spokesman Russ Ball said: “The problems facing British Airways are entirely their own. It brutally cut jobs and wages during the pandemic, even though the government paid them to keep jobs.
“In the case of this dispute, they insulted this workforce by reducing pay by 10 percent just to give it back to managers, but not to our members.
“BA treats its loyal workforce like second-class citizens and they will not tolerate it for a moment.
“The strikes will inevitably cause serious disruption to BA’s services in Heathrow.
“The company has a short period of time to recover the remuneration of our members before strikes are announced. I urge BA not to waste this opportunity.”
GMB members voted 91% in favor of industrial action, while Unite said 94% of its members supported the action.
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