Finally, British Airways to Discuss Pay With Pilots to Avoid Summer Strike

British Airways will begin negotiations with its pilots in the hopes of avoiding strike action during the busy summer travel season. Pilots have recently rejected a proposed pay offer that would have seen salaries increase by 11.5% over three years. Negotiations are set to begin on Monday.

British Airways (BA) is set to commence negotiations with its pilots in the hopes of avoiding strike action, the BBC reports. BA pilots rejected a recent proposed pay increase that would have seen salaries rise by 11.5% over the course of three years. Talks are set to open on Monday.

While BA maintains that this offer is “fair and generous,” the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) – the body which represents a majority of the carrier’s pilots – maintains that members should be offered a more substantial increase thanks to the airline’s rising profits.

According to the BBC, “British Airways is part of International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns the Spanish carrier Iberia. Last year it reported a pre-tax profit of €3bn ($3.3bn), up almost 9.8% on the previous year. British Airways contributed £1.96bn ($2.19bn) to that, up 8.7% on 2017.”

The outlet reports that pilots will be able to cast their vote in a strike ballot, which closes on July 22nd. In the event that a strike is called, BA would be given a two-week notice with regards to any work stoppage.

This would mean that any potential strike action would occur on August 5th, the height of the summer travel season.

In a statement quoted by the outlet, BA said, “We urge BALPA to come to an agreement to protect hard-working families planning their summer breaks,” the airline said in a statement.”

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