BRITISH Airways remains to be planning to chop as much as 12,000 jobs regardless of the federal government’s extension of the furlough scheme, which helps the airline to pay employees wages.
Willie Walsh, the chief government of Worldwide Airways Group (IAG), which owns British Airways, has mentioned that the plans haven’t modified.
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British Airways first introduced the job cuts final monthCredit score: Getty Pictures – Getty
Earlier this week, chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced that he had extended the furlough scheme until the end of October.
Most of British Airways’ 42,000 employees are presently being paid by the scheme.
However Mr Walsh wrote to Huw Merriman, the MP who’s chair of Parliament’s transport committee, saying this didn’t change British Airways’ place.
Mr Walsh mentioned the federal government serving to to pay wages wouldn’t compensate for “the truth of a structurally modified airline trade in a severely weakened international economic system.
“I wish to affirm due to this fact that we are going to not pause our consultations or put our plans on maintain,” he wrote.
He added that the furlough scheme solely provided “further aid to our folks and our enterprise.”
It emerged on the finish of final month that 12,000 British Airways workers jobs were at risk, together with a whole bunch of pilots.
The airline’s been crippled by the coronavirus disaster which has brought on a world collapse in passenger numbers.
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9 out of 10 flights have been grounded because the UK went into lockdown.
IAG mentioned it might take “a number of years” for demand for air journey to return to 2019 ranges.
In a letter to employees on the finish of April, BA chief government Alex Cruz wrote that the airline had been compelled to take motion.
“We’re a robust, well-managed enterprise that has confronted into, and overcome, many crises in our hundred-year historical past.
“We should overcome this disaster ourselves, too.
“There isn’t a authorities bailout standing by for BA and we can’t anticipate the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely.”
Mr Walsh had beforehand been urged by the transport committee to place plans for redundancies among the many airline’s employees on maintain.
Mr Merriman mentioned the choice to pursue the job cuts was “very disappointing”.
“On the one hand, BA is completely happy to take taxpayers’ cash from the furlough scheme which was designed to assist firms keep away from redundancies,” he mentioned.
“But on the opposite, BA is ploughing forward with a cull of their workforce and a decreasing of phrases and situations.
“This isn’t what folks would anticipate from our nationwide flag provider.
“BA’s loyal employees deserve higher than to be handled like this.”
Earlier this week, British Airways mentioned it might be forced to delay a deliberate return of flights in July attributable to new 14-day quarantine guidelines launched by the federal government.
The brand new restrictions imply that anybody getting into the nation, both worldwide guests or Brits getting back from vacation, must self-quarantine for 2 weeks.
British Airways declined to remark additional on the job cuts.
The Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation (IATA) has warned that airways cannot restart flights if countries have UK-style quarantines in place.
This is a full record of airlines still flying.
In the meantime, Greece hopes to welcome tourists back from next month – so long as airways are working.
