Face of Nation : The three-day strike – the first by BA pilots – could cause severe disruption, as Balpa represents about 90% of the airline’s pilots. British Airways pilots are to strike on 9, 10 and 27 September in a dispute over pay, the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) has said.
The union said strikes were a “last resort” born out of “enormous frustration” with airline management. BA called it “unjustifiable” and said Balpa was “destroying” travel plans.
The union said BA rejected a “number of packages” that were proposed to resolve the pay dispute, and that there remains a gap of around £5m between the two sides’ positions. The industrial action comes after 93% of Balpa’s members voted in favour of striking.
“Over recent years BA pilots have made sacrifice after sacrifice to assist the company such as taking a pay cut, productivity increases, closing the final salary pension scheme, giving up annual leave days, a new rostering system, and reducing flying pay,” Balpa said.
BA’s chairman and CEO, Alex Cruz, said it was a “fair deal” and called the move by Balpa “disappointing”. BA said it is making changes to its flight schedule, adding that it will “do everything [it] can to get as many people away on their journeys as possible”. “However, it is likely that many of our customers will not be able to travel and we will be offering refunds and rebookings for passengers booked on cancelled flights,” it said.
