A demonstration has been held outside Thanet council’s offices in Margate to highlight the ‘fire and rehire’ situation faced by British Airways staff.
Some 37 BA workers live in the Thanet constituency will more in surrounding areas.
Cabin crew for BA have been served notice for either an enhanced redundancy package or the choice to reapply for a similar role but on lower pay.
The airline is cutting 12,000 jobs from its 42,000 employee roll blaming the impact of Covid and warning that business is unlikely to recover to pre-Covid-19 levels until at least 2023.
BA workers in Thanet are calling on South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay to join more than 230 MPs who have pledged to review BA’s privileged landing slots if the airline doesn’t end its ‘fire and rehire’ policy.
MPs have signed a pledge calling for government action. Now BA Betrayal campaigners are taking the fight to MP Craig Mackinlay to increase the pressure on the government to act.
A recent poll revealed British public backing for tough action against BA over its plans, with voters giving strong support for the introduction of legislation to strip the nation’s flag carrying airline of its privileged access to UK landing slots.
A Survation poll of over 2000 people, including over 1219 BA passengers across the UK, revealed that 69% of all those surveyed believed the government should review the UK’s current arrangements on landing slots.
Unite executive officer Sharon Graham said: “Many thousands of BA workers are being subjected to the most brutal ‘fire and rehire strategy. British Airways are a national disgrace and actions against them will continue.
“So far, over 230 MPs have added their name to our call for BA’s privileged landing slots to be reviewed and the numbers continue to grow. BA scorched earth approach will have consequences.”
A member of BA cabin crew, who asked not to be named, said: “I have worked for BA for 23 years. The last five months have been mental torture. I am now on medication to help cope with the stress and anxiety caused by BA. Dedicated and long serving employees who have made BA billions in profit, have been thrown in the scrap heap. Using the pandemic as an excuse to impose draconian measures will see my pay less than when I started and is unforgivable”
District councillor Aram Rawf voiced his support for the cause, saying: “”It is a disaster that this government allowed a big company like BA to treat their staff like this with many dreams of their staff coming to an end. I urge both Thanet MPs to take this to Parliament and stand behind BA staff and local people.”
Fellow councillor Pauline Farrance said:“Where is our MP on this issue? He should be doing everything to support his constituents. I am proud to stand in solidarity with affected workers. “These plans will not only affect workers and their families but will have a knock on effect to on board safety and quality of service with less experience within the company.”
Mr Mackinlay said: “There can be no doubt the aviation sector is facing serious challenges, but I regret the commercial decisions BA have announced, not least because the airline was benefiting from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This scheme was not designed to fund the wages of employees only for companies to put those same staff on notice of redundancy during the furlough period.
“Those organisations who do decide to make employees redundant should do so with fairness and they will be judged by the way they treat their employees – British Airways are no different. I have been assured by Ministers that the Department for Work and Pensions stands ready to help affected employees identify and access the support that is available.”
A petition for the cause can be found at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/467094
What on earth can TDC do? Surely they should be demonstrating outside the MP’s office? Craig couldn’t care less though, so it will fall on deaf ears.
What on Earth has this got to do with TDC? There is no airport here!
They will all be able to get jobs at Manston when it reopens. Loads of jobs for everyone.
*spits out breakfast*. You are joking aren’t you? With airlines cutting flights, there are more slots available at fully functioning airports. You would have to be mad to want to invest £300 million in getting Manston even remotely ready. Not to mention the disaster that is Brexit on the horizon.
Sorry, my sarcasm doesn’t come across very well sometimes. Of course I’m joking 😁
Phew!
£300,000,000 is last year’s prices. If you look at HS2 (£56B to £106B) or the Parkway nonsense, you’ll see that £600,000,000 is nearer the mark.
Would you, if you had a few £100M to spare, invest in aviation at the moment?
Yes, you’re right. Tories seem to have found the magic money tree. It’s our kids I feel sorry for, saddled with this ever increasing debt to pay for Boris’s vanity projects.
No they won’t unless they can wait for about 15 years, as NO passenger aircraft will be used, only freight! Passenger carriers are an “aspiration” but pigs may fly before that happens!
No worries, Craig Mc will employ them all in MAMA Airlines…
I doubt we we ever return to the aviation norms of the past 30 years. I used to think nothing of flying to Bangkok for a two hour meeting or even Sydney for a birthday party in the pointy end of a (very often) BA flight.
It all seems unthinkable today. Climate change hyperbole is perhaps a factor, perhaps I’m getting older. And at £7000 to Sydney RT perhaps I’m just feeling too poor.
Perhaps the Chinese will take up the slack. For now the reality means job losses in the aviation industry on a catastrophic scale