Ba’s Mixed Fleet Heads to the Ballot Over Low Pay

Strike action could be on the cards at Britain’s flag carrier as 2,000 members of the airline’s mixed fleet crew prepare to vote on industrial action next week.

Cabin crew working as part of British Airways’ (BA) mixed fleet will take to the ballot next week, leading to possible industrial action over what labor body Unite describes as “poverty pay” conditions.

These 2,000-strong BA employees, who fly a combination of both long and short-haul routes, are primarily comprised of new recruits. This fleet was set up in 2010 and, The Guardian reports, offers, “…markedly inferior pay and conditions to those enjoyed by existing crew.”

Unite, the union representing the cabin crew, said in a statement that, “…despite promises that pay would be 10 per cent above the market rate basic pay starts at just £12,000 ($15,120) and average pay packets including allowances total just £16,000 ($20,160) a year.”

Crew were initially offered a two percent raise by BA, but this was rejected.

Unite recently surveyed members of the fleet regarding the impact of poor pay conditions. The results of the study revealed that some union members reported “doing two to three jobs on their days off to make ends meet, or sleeping in their cars between shifts because they can’t afford the petrol [gas] to drive home.”

The survey also indicated that many ill employees reported turning up for shifts despite being unfit to fly because they could not afford to be off sick. According to Unite, 84 percent of respondents also said that they had experienced mental health issues due to their financial circumstances.

Matt Smith, Unite’s regional officer, commented on the situation, saying “It should be to the company’s eternal shame that they, the UK’s national carrier, are making billions while their cabin crew responsible for maintaining a safe environment are working while sick and without adequate rest.”

He added that BA is guilty of “paying poverty wages while its parent company [IAG] predicts annual earnings of £4.7 ($5.9) billion between this year and 2020.”

However, a spokeswoman for the carrier told the paper that the BA’s pay packages were consistent throughout the organization, but that “we remain open and flexible to discuss this further with our colleagues and the union.”