To think British Airways are treating their staff like shit in a crisis

[littleblackdress04]

BA announced that they are making 12,000 staff redundant last week but what they didn’t announce in the press is that they are also making the rest of their cabin crew redundant and reemploying the chosen few in terrible contracts. If they get sick, they will be sacked.

My friend has been worldwide crew for 25 years- she has a permanent contract and earns about 27k a year. She will, on the new contract, move to a zero hours contract on about 14k a year. She has 2 kids and a mortgage and shares childcare with her ex when she is flying. It’s not easy for her but she has always been proud to work for BA.

They used government furlough money to supposedly save their jobs and have now given them all 45 days notice. Only the chosen ones will be invited to apply for the 13k jobs.

Yes, it’s difficult times but is basically telly f staff with 25 years service to fuck off the behaviour of a decent company?

BA are currently buying another airline so they aren’t skint. They are using this as a chance to shaft loyal hardworking staff.

Aibu? (And is it even legal?)

OP My dh lost his job at Thomas cook last year, if he could have been offered a zero hours contract it would have been better than nothing. After 27 years employment your friend should receive an offer of redundancy which would be a good offer right now given that travel industry is not going to recover any time soon.
It's hard but it is what it is.

The travel industry is done. I say that as someone whos family has been involved in the travel industry for generations. It will come back but not anytime soon. It's not BA fault and they are trying to survive. If they collapse completely even more jobs will be lost tbh.

@heartsonacake well, given that I am a welfare rights advisor for a local charity- I know EXACTLY what i am talking about actually as I see families on the brink on a daily basis

I find it strange that so many businesses will be cutting pay and hours for their staff...and then wondering why nobody is using their services. Retail, hospitality, travel etc...who will be able to afford to use their services if we either don’t have any jobs or have had huge pay cuts?

Bloody appalling way to treat people imo.

I hope your friend finds something else.

It's going to be years before there's even getting close to the flying volumes of a few weeks ago if ever. Airlines need to get rid of ineffective planes and thus crew. It sucks but it's some work or redundancy. The travelling public vote with their wallets and book cheap flights already, this will accelerate now so legacy airlines need to modernise fast. Expect 747's to be permanently furloughed!

As a pp suggested - won't she get a hefty redundancy package?

@HateIsNotGood no, she won’t. They are offering absolute minimum- maybe 7k

Well I'm sure the Unions will have some involvement with what happens - it's early in the consultation/negotiations.

The only people who 'prefer' zero hours contracts are those without big financial commitments e.g. students, or those who have a guaranteed source of income elsewhere. For anyone else, they spell permanent uncertainty and anxiety because you are never able to plan. Sadly, I think this is the way a lot of industries will go. And for those who claim these corporations have no other options, take a look at what their CEOs and senior executives earn. For them to take a small pay cut will barely be perceptible for them, but what they propose for their workers will spell financial ruin for many.

well, given that I am a welfare rights advisor for a local charity- I know EXACTLY what i am talking about actually as I see families on the brink on a daily basis

Irrelevant. You are blinkered by your experience and are applying it to everyone; that’s simply not the case.

I’m aware they aren’t good for everyone, but they work for quite a lot of people. You may not like it or even see it but it’s true.

It's shitty for everyone at the moment. Lots of businesses won't survive. If they don't zero percent of their employees will have jobs at the end of it. If they take drastic action to preserve the viability of the business, they should be able to preserve some jobs in the short term and hopefully bring back more when the travel industry starts getting back to 2019 levels (if it ever does)

@heartsonacake well, I see families crying daily because they haven’t had work for 2 weeks and can’t feed their kids. Not irrelevant.

I don’t support a race to the bottom on employment rights which is what some of the comments on here seem to advocate.

well, I see families crying daily because they haven’t had work for 2 weeks and can’t feed their kids. Not irrelevant.

Of course it’s irrelevant. You’re trying to tell me anyone who prefers zero hour contracts is talking nonsense simply because you’ve worked with people who they aren’t good for.

Which of course is nonsense in itself. As I said, you are blinkered by your experience and have come up with the notion that because of this they can’t be good for anyone.

That’s like saying you can’t work an iPhone so nobody else can either, or you went to India and hated it so nobody can possibly like it because of x, y, z reasons.

You have to understand and accept that everyone has different experiences and circumstances. They may not work for the people you see every day, but they work for a great many people (some of whom happen to be families) and you not actually seeing it doesn’t stop that being true.

Redundancies fair enough but then stripping remaining employees of their current terms and conditions absolutely not.

They will be dismissing staff and re-hiring them on new contracts. They have been wanting to do this for years.......

I think it is a disgusting way to treat employees. I can't understand why so many people are willing to accept the race to the bottom.
BA has always been my airline of choice even though it is more expensive sometimes. Because how an employer treats it staff is important to me.
I think it this was because of COVID and BA were offering a temporary change in employment then it would be more understandable/acceptable.
But they have been trying to convert to the Sports Direct/Amazon model for years and this is the perfect cover for it.
Seems to me that some people will only be happy when workers have no rights whatsoever.
Tory puppets

It's funny isn't it, all these companies shafting their staff because times are hard. Were they giving their staff bonuses, big payrises and other rewards when times were good and they were making millions in profits? No.

Never, ever be loyal to your employer.

I would refuse to go back and work for them I went back to a company once who made me redundant I got sick and needed a blood test my doctors was on the same road as the company I would have been ten minutes they said they would sack me I ended up quitting and taking the blood test turns out I nearly died companies these days have no loyalty to their staff

This has given me the rage.

The last 2 complaint emails I wrote to BA were about Alex Cruz's disgusting treatment of staff.

He has been driving the brand into the ground for a good 5 years now.

If BA don’t have the money to keep them all employed on good contracts what would you suggest here? What is the alternative?

Unemployment is going to be high when all this is over, your poor friend isn’t alone I’m afraid. If a business isn’t making money, they cut staff or staff hours etc

That's horrific for your friend op, I hope she walks and finds a job where her boss values her.
I think so many large companies are going to use C-vid as an excuse to get rid of employee rights

So many people justifying the rave to the bottom, it's depressing.
BA have been itching to get their previously well paid and well looked after staff onto shitty contracts for years now.
When the planes fly again I hope that staff and customers reward them with the loyalty they deserve.

We really are just a number to an employer. Nothing more.

My previous employer had info on their HR site, so the terms were known

When I was made redundant, I was paid according to my basic salary. So it didn't include things like overtime, shift pay, on call or any other extras
So your friend probably has a basic salary plus is normally paid some extras

The good news, is that the day after she is made redundant, she can claim contributions based job seekers universal credit. Her redundancy payment will not be taken into account for a certain time period

Nobody could have predicted the virus & it's affected people worldwide

Long service/loyalty hasn't counted for anything in business for a long time because younger people are cheaper. Sad but true (said not as a young person).

I would guess that zero hours contracts allows them to retain staff for the future BECAUSE NO ONE HAS ANY IDEA if/when/how many flights may be operating again. I agree it's a rubbish situation, but they can't keep a full headcount on full pay sitting on the ground twiddling their thumbs. What are they supposed to do?

I’m surprised that they aren’t asking crew to work for free. Or even pay for the honour and privilege of being BA cabin crew! Seeing as they had hundreds of thousands of applications last year.

Or taking on cabin crew apprenticeships with an NVQ Level 2 in cabin crewing. £3.90 per hour is the hourly rate for apprentices. After a year, get rid and have a new batch of apprentices!