BA asks staff to work for no pay 17 JUN 2009: British Airways in a desperate effort to help keep the airline flying, has emailed 30,000 UK staff and asked them to work for nothing for up to a month. Employees have been told that the carrier faces a fight for survival as airlines become engulfed by the global economic recession. No surprise – the unions were unimpressed with the plan.
The company, which last month reported a £375 ($692) million net loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, is expanding a plan that already offers employees unpaid leave or the chance to work part-time for blocks of one week or more at a time. It said more than 1,000 workers already have taken advantage of that plan, which was announced last month.
Chief Executive Willie Walsh was quoted as saying, "I am looking for every single part of the company to take part in some way in this cash-effective way of helping the company's survival plan. It really counts."
Walsh and Chief Financial Officer Keith Williams previously had announced that they would work for no pay during July. Walsh currently earns £735,000 ($1.3 million) a year, while Williams earns £440,000 ($812,000) a year, according to BA's annual report.
Other airlines, including Cathay Pacific, have also launched similar emergency rescue plans, where they have been backed by staff.
BA is in talks with trade unions about cuts, which could include up to 2,000 redundancies among the 14,000 cabin crew.
Despite unhappiness at the prospect of more cuts, it seems unlikely there will be any strikes at this time.
Unite, the largest of the BA unions, said that the cuts the airline is looking for can be achieved without compulsory redundancies, and is hoping for a package which would include career breaks and voluntary severance.
"Willie Walsh can afford to work a month for free," said a union spokesman, "Our members can't."
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