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Union slams BA parent for fuel price error
Union bosses have accused IAG of making British Airways staff pay with their jobs for a ‘massive error’ on fuel price hedging.
Unite says the airline group, which also owns Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, lost €1.3 billion on hedging fuel prices.
It also hit out at IAG for accessing a £300 million coronavirus corporate loan, administered by the Bank of England, while at the same time announcing that it was planning to axe 12,000 jobs.
Unite national officer for civil air transport Oliver Richardson said: "It is clear that hardworking BA employees are expected to pay with their jobs for a crisis not of their making and IAG’s massive wrong call on fuel hedging which notched up a €1.3bn loss.
"There is also a sour taste in the mouth that IAG has accessed a £300 million loan and taken government money from the job retention scheme (JRS), both of which are underpinned by the UK taxpayer, while announcing that it was planning to axe 12,000 BA jobs and force the rest of the workforce to accept inferior contracts or face dismissal.
"The abrupt announcement of these job losses and the attack on the remaining workforce are a mark of shame for this iconic UK company.
"BA is rushing through these job cuts, while, cynically, planning for recovery to start as soon as July.
"These actions go well beyond any economic response to the Covid-19 crisis, and are about a cynical and opportunistic attempt to make everyone else pay for their past mistakes and contribute more in the future to their profits."
A spokesman for BA said: "We can’t comment further while we consult with our unions."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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