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EasyJet staff to protest at Stansted, Newcastle and Southend airports
EasyJet staff are to stage protests at Stansted, Newcastle and Southend airports this week after the airline announced plans to close all three bases and shed 1,290 cabin crew.
The demonstrations will take place at 10.30 am in Newcastle on Wednesday, at Southend airport on Thursday and at Stansted on Friday.
Unite, the union representing easyJet’s cabin crew, said some 3,000 members have voted almost unanimously in favour of a vote of no confidence in easyJet’s chief operating officer Peter Bellew.
They are angry that the airline is making staff redundant after paying £174 million in dividends to shareholders at the start of the Covid-19 crisis.
They also point out that easyJet has benefited from a government loan of £600 million.
Unite also accused Mr Bellew, who left Ryanair at the end of last year to join easyJet, of misjudging the Covid-19 crisis, which he allegedly dismissed at the start as ‘hype’ while encouraging ‘business as usual’.
Unite was further angered when Mr Bellew later tried to bypass the trade unions to put ‘coronavirus co-operation agreements’ directly to staff, who rejected them.
Unite regional officer Lindsey Olliver said: "Since Mr Bellew’s arrival at easyJet our members have become increasingly concerned by his actions. They genuinely fear for the longevity and reputation of easyJet with Mr Bellew in his current position.
"During the pandemic easyJet has made liberal use of taxpayer funded support through the job retention scheme and a £600m loan as well as paying £174m in shareholder dividends. These redundancies will cause misery, add to the economic upheaval the country is experiencing and hurt regional connectivity.
"EasyJet must halt these closures and redundancies but the government also has its part to play. It is absolutely essential that the job retention scheme is extended for the aviation sector, which has been one of the industries worst hit by the pandemic.
"The government’s ongoing failure to provide such sector specific support is resulting in huge job losses throughout the industry and is threatening the viability of airlines and airports alike. It is directly responsible for encouraging airlines to make drastic cuts as a permanent solution to a temporary problem."
By Linsey McNeill, Editor (UK)
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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