Pay cuts for BA pilots
British Airways pilots have agreed to a 2.6% pay cut, along with a further 20% cut in certain allowances, as the airline struggles to avoid large-scale job cuts. Cabin crew have agreed to the same measures but the airline, which holds its AGM today, is still in discussions with unions over 3,700 job cuts and a two-year pay freeze. As part of the deal, in three years’ time, pilots will receive BA shares worth £13m.
The airline made a loss of £400m last year, having posted profits of £883m the previous year. There is speculation that chief executive Willie Walsh will turn to major shareholders for financial help.
More talks over Diageo job cuts
Scottish finance secretary John Swinney is to meet campaigners opposed to Diageo’s latest job cuts. The drinks manufacturer recently announced plans to cut 900 jobs in Scotland, closing the Johnny Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock and a distillery in Glasgow. Diageo hopes to save £20m a year by transferring work to Leven and Cameron Bridge in Fife and Shieldhall in Glasgow, creating 400 new roles at Leven.
Swinney said: “The message they [Diageo] will receive loud and clear is that these proposals and their consequences are simply not acceptable.”
Bonuses suspended for senior BBC staff
Bonuses for the BBC’s 10 most senior executives are to be suspended indefinitely, according to the chairman of the BBC Trust.
Sir Michael Lyons has admitted that some senior BBC salaries could “appear too high” in the current economic climate. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Lyons said that BBC executives had already agreed to go without pay rises or bonuses this year. The bonuses will not be reinstated without the Trust’s approval.
Lyons said: “We have to be sensitive to the prevailing economic wind, which currently can make the top BBC salaries appear too high.”
Alpha women earn more
Women who act like men in the workplace can earn up to £40,000 more over a lifetime than ‘nicer’ female colleagues, a study has found.
Research findings published yesterday at the University of Essex showed that “alpha females” in the UK earn 4% more than their more passive colleagues, while neurotic women suffer from a 3% drop in salary.
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The research also found that while personality traits are as important as intelligence in determining a woman’s salary, they have no impact on men’s earning potential.
