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British Airways pilots accept temporary pay cuts
British Airways pilots have voted in favour of a new pay deal pilots union Balpa says will stave off hundreds of redundancies.
Balpa’s BA pilot members have accepted a temporary 20% pay cut, falling to 8% over the next two years and to zero "longer-term".
It comes after BA notified the union earlier this year of plans to cut 1,255 pilot roles as part of its efforts to reduce its workforce by a quarter.
BA had, the union claims, threatened to give a number of its pilots notice and rehire them at reduced pay and under new terms and conditions.
Balpa said its negotiations meant there would be no "fire and rehire" of any pilots.
However, the union said there would "regrettably" still be a number of compulsory redundancies, as many as 270, but stressed ths number would likely fall "as mitigations take effect".
British Airways currently employs 4,300 pilots; 85% of BA pilot members of Balpa voted in favour of the new deal on an 87% turnout.
Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said: “Our members have made a pragmatic decision in the circumstances but the fact that we were unable to persuade BA to avoid all compulsory redundancies is bitterly disappointing.”
It comes after BA parent IAG last Thursday (30 July) announced a first-half (H1) loss of €4.2 billion (£3.8 billion) owing to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, down from an €806 million (£730 million) H1 profit in 2019.
James Chapple
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