The Unite Union has criticized British Airways after it announced plans to recruit as many as 3,000 cabin crew members in time for next year's bumper summer season.
Unite, however, refused to accept the news that the airline was creating new jobs. Instead, Unite stated that it was another attempt at lowering the pay and working conditions of employees at the airline.
British Airways was the first major employer last summer to adopt the abhorrent practice fire and rehire. They sacked thousands of employees, and Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, was blasted after the leak.
BA now promotes its desire to hire thousands of staff in a matter of 12 months. BA insultingly asks those who were fired last year to apply again on significantly reduced terms and conditions.
British Airways warned from the beginning of the pandemic that it would need to drastically reduce its workforce in order to make the recovery, which it said would take years. BA claimed that the only way to survive was to reduce pay and conditions for staff who had been with BA for a longer time.
British Airways instructed highly-paid employees to accept new contracts, or risk being fired. The staff would be rehired at substantially lower wages. Fire and rehire is a term that was created for this practice. It has been criticized by lawmakers, frequent flyers, and the media.
British Airways eventually reached a compromise agreement with Unite. However, some cabin crew salaries were still reduced by up to 35%. Many cabin crew also decided to quit the airline. They are now invited to apply again for their jobs, but with a lower salary.
After the ex-crew of BA have been exhausted, the airline can then begin recruiting from abroad.
Graham warns that while British Airways praises a new recruitment drive and refuses to eliminate the threat of making current staff redundant during the Christmas period, British Airways does not want to do away with the threat.
BA staff don't know if they'll have a job or a salary at the end. This insecurity is very worrying. Graham said that it must be eliminated.
British Airways and its customers are experiencing an exciting time as borders reopen. This was commented by Neil Chernoff, Director of Network and Alliances at BA. The airline announced plans to bring some Airbus A380 superjumbos back into service.
Chernoff said that we have received positive news from the US and are increasing our flights. We also plan to bring back some A380s to offer our customers as many options possible.
