Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Employee relationsDispute resolutionLatest NewsIndustrial action / strikesPay & benefits

British Airways may strip striking pilots of perks

by Adam McCulloch 2 Sep 2019
by Adam McCulloch 2 Sep 2019 Andy Rain/EPA/REX/Shutterstock
Andy Rain/EPA/REX/Shutterstock

British Airways is thought to be considering stripping travel allowances from pilots who are set to strike next week.

Members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) working for the airline are set to strike on 9, 10 and 27 September after rejecting a proposed pay deal of 11.5% over three years.

All BA staff with more than six months’ service are able to buy standby tickets for themselves and up to three family members for 10% of the full fare plus airport taxes. After five years staff are additionally eligible for an annual business class flight with their family to any worldwide destination, for which they only pay airport taxes.

Industrial action

BA tries to halt strike with high court injunction

How to negotiate terms and conditions with a trade union

How to avoid a dispute escalating into strike action

The possible withdrawal of the benefits would mirror sanctions applied in 2017 to at least 1,400 Unite union members who worked as cabin staff for the airline. The employees in that dispute were also threatened with having their bonuses stripped.

Although the current pay offer has been accepted by members of Unite and GMB unions representing other BA workers such as engineers, cabin crew and ground staff, many pilots would like a greater share of the £2bn profit made by BA last year. Pilots are paid an average of nearly £90,000 rising to about £175,000 when allowances are taken into account.

Despite widespread newspaper reports of BA’s threat to pilots, Balpa told Personnel Today: “BA hasn’t said anything about this to its pilots.” This is despite one pilot reportedly telling The Times: “Taking away subsidised travel is just an act of sheer provocation on BA’s part. We won’t stand for it.”

BA said that it was very sorry that Balpa had decided to pursue this “reckless course of action” and conceded that many customers would not be able to travel on the strike days. It would be offering refunds and rebookings for passengers booked on cancelled flights it said.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

There are no talks currently scheduled to resolve the pay dispute. BA chief executive officer Alex Cruz last week promised he would seek a resolution but according to Balpa, no new proposals have been received.

On 21 August the High Court rejected Ryanair’s attempt to prevent Balpa members working for the airline striking from today until 4 September.

Adam McCulloch

Adam McCulloch first worked for Personnel Today magazine in the early 1990s as a sub editor. He rejoined Personnel Today as a writer in 2017, covering all aspects of HR but with a special interest in diversity, social mobility and industrial relations. He has ventured beyond the HR realm to work as a freelance writer and production editor in sectors including travel (The Guardian), aviation (Flight International), agriculture (Farmers' Weekly), music (Jazzwise), theatre (The Stage) and social work (Community Care). He is also the author of KentWalksNearLondon. Adam first became interested in industrial relations after witnessing an exchange between Arthur Scargill and National Coal Board chairman Ian McGregor in 1984, while working as a temp in facilities at the NCB, carrying extra chairs into a conference room!

previous post
Government reconsidering plans to immediately end freedom of movement
next post
New teachers to receive £6,000 boost to attract the ‘best’

1 comment

m bruce 3 Sep 2019 - 11:09 am

.Staff travel concessions in BA are always taken away when a strike occurs but normally only for the duration of the strike unless the Airline wishes to punish the group involved in the strike ( which they have done in the past). Pilots are generally more on the conservative spectrum when it comes to industrial action so must be fairly exercised on this issue.Given their industrial clout seeking to punish them as a group would be very ill advised and could well prolong their action.. Strikes are very expensive for the airline particularly pilot strikes. There will a lot pressure all round for a settlement.

Comments are closed.

You may also like

Minister defends Employment Rights Bill at Acas conference

16 May 2025

Nurses threaten strikes if pay demands not met

12 May 2025

Resident doctors to ballot for strike action

2 May 2025

Ofgem workers ballot for strike action

2 May 2025

University of East Anglia set for nine days...

2 May 2025

Unite announces further Gatwick airport strikes

2 May 2025

Acas hosts talks to end Birmingham bin strike

1 May 2025

Scottish Water workers strike in dispute over pay

22 Apr 2025

Teachers could strike if pay award not improved

16 Apr 2025

Birmingham bin strike to continue as ‘totally inadequate’...

15 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+