British Airways staff will receive a pay rise worth as much as 13% after significant job cuts brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. The deal was agreed upon by the airline and the Unite union, which represented up to 16,000 staff members ranging from cabin crew to baggage handlers and engineers.
BA staff members of Unite had threatened to strike if their proposals were not taken into consideration by the airline. However, in July, the union agreed to a deal with BA and averted industrial action.
Our members have compelled BA to table a pay rise that goes toward compensating for the pay cuts suffered during the pandemic.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary
According to The Guardian, UK workers are feeling the pressure from high living costs. The Bank of England has forecast that inflation will hit more than 13% later this year fueled by a fresh rise in energy bills in October. Wage growth across the economy has risen this year against a backdrop of low unemployment and record job vacancies. Employers are experiencing difficulties due to shortages of staff in several sectors.
The pay rise will be divided into several parts, with workers receiving a lump sum worth 5% of their wages in August, a consolidated 5% pay rise in September and a further 3% consolidated increase in December. The Office for National Statistics reproved that wages dropped by 3% on the year, when taking into account rising prices.
Employees are struggling with the cost of living crisis. This pay uplift will help offset the significant financial pressure they are facing.
Oliver Richardson, Unite national officer
Last month, Heathrow Airport announced a passenger limit of 100,000 departures per day until September 11th, CNN reported. On Tuesday August 2nd, British Airways announced that it was suspending the sale of tickets on short-haul flights from Heathrow in response to the airport’s passenger cap.
In a statement BA said it will take “responsible action and limit the available fares on some Heathrow services to help maximize re-booking options for existing customers, given the restrictions imposed on us and the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry.”
During the pandemic, workers employed in the aviation sector saw substantial cuts to their jobs due to the mass grounding of flights brought on by successive lockdowns.
