Government

---

Most of the BA planes were grounded, since the lockdown

British Airways treatment of employees in the coronavirus-Crisis "is a national disgrace", MPs have claimed.

A Transport Select Committee report accuses the airline of a "calculated attempt to take advantage" of the pandemic by cutting thousands of jobs and downgrading of terms and conditions.

BA said it did what it could to "the maximum number of jobs".

But the MPs said that the airline fell actions "far below the standards that we would expect of any employer".

The air travel Industry is one of the hardest hit since the pandemic forced a lockdown. Airlines, including EasyJet, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic , and suppliers Rolls-Royce and Airbus have announced thousands of job cuts.

BA is planning a major restructuring, which could mean that up to 12,000 redundancies and changes to terms and conditions of the rest of the staff.

The airline warned the unions that if there is no agreement on the proposals could, it would put a Problem by staff and offer them new contracts.

This angered the unions.

Unite and GMB are not mandatory in the discussions with the BA. Pilots union Balpa has discussions with the airline about the possibility of voluntary redundancies, but said the consultations were "hanging by a thread".

"fire and rehire'

The MPs acknowledged that the work may loss in the sector is "inevitable" due to the collapse in the air on the way. But Britain urged to go resident employer "hastily" by a large number of people redundant during the Government holiday scheme was available.

unions told The Committee that the BA was active, a "fire-and-rehire" approach, creating redundancy is, for most of its more than 42,000 employees, with the intention to give you the jobs to a part of them, under reduced conditions.

The Transport Committee found that BA had received nearly £35m from the Government as 14, by furloughing than 22,000 employees. The MPs also note that, by The End of 2019, the airline profit recorded after-tax of £1. 1 billion and had cash reserves of £2. 6bn.

The report of The Committee , said: "The conduct of British Airways and its parent company to its employees is a national disgrace. It falls far below the standards we would expect of any employer, particularly in [the] light of the scale of the taxpayer-subsidy, in This Time of national Crisis . "

BA insists it will do everything it can to protect jobs, but says the airline Industry is in a "new reality".

There are calls from MPs and the unions were for BA away some of its lucrative landing slots at Heathrow Airport , as a penalty for treating its employees well.

Tory MP Huw Merriman , who said the chair of The Committee : "We will continue to push where we can, including The Airport slot allocation process. This wanton destruction of a loyal workforce can not seem to, without sanctions by the Government , the parliamentarians, or the number of passengers who choose may be different than in the future. We see it as a national disgrace. "

"Deep Crisis "

Balpa said The Committee was "absolutely right" about the BA. Brian Strutton, The Union 's General Secretary , said: "Each company with the coverage of Covid slash jobs and conditions, as it needs to be called.

"I have threat consultation described talks between Balpa and BA, such as hanging from a thread due to the BA's decision on the question of a "fire and rehire'. That remains the case. "

The airline said in a statement: "We are in the deepest Crisis faced by the airline Industry - a Crisis not of our making, but one that we are tackling.

"We will do everything in our power to ensure that British Airways can survive and support the maximum number of jobs in line with the new reality of a changed airline Industry in a severely weakened global economy. "

BA already entangled in a bitter fight with the unions, and a row with the Government . Now MPs weighed in against The Company as well.

The remarkable situation for the BA. There was once a flag carrier for British values, national champion, with the closest ties to the Government - and a place where employees were enthusiastic about the work.

So, what went wrong? The Covid-19 Crisis has left scythed through the airline Industry , the previously strong companies totter. Airlines around The World shed jobs, as they prepare for a bleak couple of years.

BA is far from unique, if you want to Deep Cuts . But there is more to it than that. BA has to try the last decade was spent to streamline your business in order to compete with low-cast-upstarts such as Ryanair and EasyJet.

This sometimes causes a conflict with your employees - and seemingly A Legacy of distrust and resentment created, especially among Cabin Crew .

Now, during a Crisis , these feelings bubble up. At times, The Company looks as if it is Under Siege .

The MPs ' report urged also to leave the Government , its 14-day quarantine rule at The End of June.

He called for a "targeted and differentiated border control policy", so that travellers from countries where the infection rate of Covid-19 is relatively low, to enter the UK on a less restrictive basis.

On Friday, BA, EasyJet and Ryanair. The airlines are calling for a judicial review to be heard "as soon as possible," claims one of the measures that will be in This Week , a "devastating impact on the British tourism and the economy".

they said they have seen no evidence, if the planned "air-bridges" between the United Kingdom and other countries are implemented. Instead, you want to re, the Government -adoption of the Directive, introduced on March 10, the needed passengers from countries that insulate as a High Risk of coronavirus infection-self, on arrival in the UK.

But has passed to the home Secretary Priti Patel to stop the politics", a devastating second wave" of the Disease .

Source of news: bbc.com