Unions vow to fight for bmi jobs
The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has appeared to blame the Government for job losses at bmi.
BA admitted yesterday that up to 1,200 of bmi’s 2,700 staff could be made redundant following its merger with bmi, but said it was safeguarding 1,500 which would otherwise have been lost if the loss-making airline had been forced to close.
Both BALPA and Unite the Union, which represents bmi cabin crew and ground staff, appeared saddened but not surprised by news.
BALPA general secretary Jim McAuslan said: "These are uncertain times in the aviation industry and it is not helped by Government aviation policy on air passenger duty which is pricing many passengers out of the market."
However, he said BALPA would fight to ensure that as many bmi pilots as possible were redeployed by BA, including those at bmi Baby and bmi Regional, which BA parent IAG is seeking to sell.
He said BALPA would "pressure test" the rationale for every pilot job that had been put at risk and pressing for the maximum redeployment opportunities for all bmi pilots within BA.
No buyer has yet been found for bmi subsidiaries bmi Baby and bmi Regional, but BALPA said it was anxious to support developing business plans.
"With the EU Competition Authority requiring that not only should 14 ex-bmi slots be made available to other carriers but also that domestic networks need to be maintained, BALPA believes the skills and experience of those currently operating on those routes is a hugely valuable asset," added McAuslan.
Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said the union was "very saddened" at the scale of job losses proposed by BA.
"Unite will be fighting to maintain as many jobs as possible and ensure that where vacancies exist people can be placed into suitable roles within BA," he said.
"The job losses will take place over a number of months and we will be seeking to use this time to mitigate the impact of the cuts.
"We are also mindful of the fact that additional jobs need to be secured at BMI regional and BMIbaby which still face an uncertain future."
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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