Home Business NewsBusinessAviation News British Airways pilots start 48-hour walkout

British Airways pilots start 48-hour walkout

by LLB Reporter
9th Sep 19 11:27 am

Nearly all flights have been cancelled on Monday by British Airways as two-day strike starts over a dispute over pay.

The walkout grounded hundreds of scheduled flights affecting more than 14,000 passengers.

British Airways offered British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) 11.5% pay rise over a three-year period, but pilots are wanting a larger share of the airline’s profits.

Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said: “British Airways needs to wake up and realise its pilots are determined to be heard.

“They’ve previously taken big pay cuts to help the company through hard times. Now BA is making billions of pounds of profit, its pilots have made a fair, reasonable and affordable claim for pay and benefits.

“Balpa has consistently offered up chances for the company to negotiate a way forward. British Airways must now put the needs of its staff and passengers first and accept that its pilots will not be bullied or fobbed off.

“The company’s leaders, who themselves are paid huge salaries and have generous benefits packages, won’t listen, are refusing to negotiate and are putting profits before the needs of passengers and staff.

“This strike will have cost the company considerably more than the investment needed to settle this dispute.

“It is time to get back to the negotiating table and put together a serious offer that will end this dispute.”

The strike will cost BA around £40m per day, and the pay dispute could have been settled for just £5m, BALPA said.

In a statement BA said, “We understand the frustration and disruption Balpa’s strike action has caused our customers. After many months of trying to resolve the pay dispute, we are extremely sorry that it has come to this.

“We remain ready and willing to return to talks with Balpa.

“Unfortunately, with no detail from Balpa on which pilots would strike, we had no way of predicting how many would come to work or which aircraft they are qualified to fly, so we had no option but to cancel nearly 100% of our flights.”

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