It would seem that it is now open season for trade unions to go up against British Airways, with the latest attack coming from Pilots union Balpa. The union has taken the under fire airline to the Supreme Court over holiday pay for its pilots. The issue that Balpa has with British Airways is over the use of basic salary being used to calculate a pilot’s total holiday, with the union arguing that total pay, including bonuses, should be the yardstick used to calculate the allocation of days.
If the union wins their case, British Airways stands to make even more losses as it would mean that 15,000 staff members will receive an average £600 a year on top of what they already earn. Add to this the fact that British Airways is already involved in a dispute with its cabin crew over changes made to their working conditions, and it all adds up to a human resources headache for the troubled firm.
It is not only British Airways that is being pursued by Balpa, as a spokesperson confirmed: “We have tribunals lodged against Virgin, BMI, Easyjet and Cityflyer. We are also making the case that in the UK, the civil aviation regulations should be amended to give workers in our industry the same right to proper holiday pay that everyone else gets.”
However, British Airways have hit back at the accusations by saying: “We have always been of the view that our holiday pay arrangements are generous and comply with legislative requirements. We will continue to resist the claim strongly.”
Tags: balpa, BMI, british airways, easyjet, trade union, virgin