British Airways asking staff to work for free
On Tuesday June 16, 2009 :
British Airways is asking thousands of its staff to work for free for up to four weeks, spokeswoman Kirsten Millard said Tuesday.
In an e-mail to all its staff, the airline offered workers between one and four weeks of unpaid leave -- but with the option to work during this period. British Airways employs just more than 40,000 people in the United Kingdom.
Last month, the company posted a record annual loss of £400 million ($656 million).
Its chief executive declared at the time there were "absolutely no signs of recovery" in the industry.
"I'm 30 years in this business and I've never seen anything like this. This is by far the biggest crisis the industry has ever faced," said Willie Walsh, British Airways' chief executive.
A spokesman for one of Britain's biggest unions said its workers could not afford to work for free for a month.
"It's all well and good for Willie Walsh to say he's prepared to work for free when he earns four times in a month what they do in a year," said Ciaran Naidoo, a spokesman for Unite.
He pointed out that the airline was not ordering staff to work without pay.
"It's a request -- you can take unpaid leave or you can work for free, and the chances of people working for free are very unlikely, but there might be some people who want to take unpaid leave."
Demand for the airline's passenger seats and cargo holds fell during the last financial year, while its fuel bill rocketed to almost £3 billion ($4.7 billion).
Walsh said British Airways' woes were inextricably linked to the downturn in the global economy and that there had been no sign of any "green shoots" of recovery.
Like its premium-class competitors, British Airways is losing customers to cheaper rivals.
The airline's premium passenger numbers fell 13% in the second half of last year, in line with the industry average.
Total traffic fell 3.4% and while the airline carried 33.1 million passengers last year, it was a drop of 4.3% on the previous year.
The dip in demand for British Airways' flights has forced a switch in strategy at the airline.
From the end of last year, it has been trying to tempt passengers with lower fares, sacrificing profit per seat for "bums on seats."
It plans to reduce capacity by 4% next winter by parking up to 16 aircraft.
-END-
It's game theory...
If no one takes unpaid leave, or works without pay, the airline will be forced to cut its headcount.
So you can stay at work and hope that others take the time off, but you run the risk of losing your job.
Or, you can give up 4 week's salary, and protect your job for the foreseeable future.
I myself will not work for 4 weeks without pay until I am promised or given hope which will compensate.
But atleast, I am glad to see that they dint demobilize their staffs inspite of this big loss & no expection to cover the same while here in Qatar QASCO did it (demobilized approx. 600 & more - not sure about figure) just at the begining stage when the crisis hit Qatar.
~noms~
-----------------------------------------
"Before God we are all equally wise ' and equally foolish" - Albert Einstein
i would work 4 weeks for free if i get a promotion after the 4unpaid working weeks.
or
i would take an unpaid leave and work some other place part time to set up my monthly budget.
in any case no loose for me !!!
action speaks louder than words
And who picks out that guys wardrobe???
I know.... what was with that HORRIBLE suit he was wearing when he was being interviewed on CNN????????
if i were one of the staff, i would rather take a break from a long distance and long hours working and have leave without paid. spent time with my family would b better as if i never see them lots of the time.
about being they put me on bad evaluation, i will simply said its a choice. it say there "the airline was not ordering staff to work without pay. "It's a request -- you can take unpaid leave or you can work for free. so putt the bad review for my hard work over this is not fair.
And the Aussies have had like three close calls...
With the same type of situation...
And who picks out that guys wardrobe???
And glad I'm flying on the boeing...
And that's all folks...
You can't teach experience...
------------
mai lain pa!
"I'm 30 years in this business and I've never seen anything like this. This is by far the biggest crisis the industry has ever faced," said Willie Walsh, British Airways' chief executive."
And yet we still see Akbar Al Baker swanning around the globe as if the industry is healthy.
Although perhaps we should interpret his increasingly desperate remarks to Boeing and Bombardier that Qatar Airways too is starting to feel the pinch from the aviation sector downturn.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/06/16/328264/paris-air-show-qatar-airways-issues-stern-warning-to-boeing-to-quickly-resolve-787-delay.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601104&sid=aBPNyJrkYaNc
work records of its employees when its time to make some redundant, and naturally they will pick those they see as been 'traitors' to be the first to go.
---------------------------------------------------------
I think you have me confused with someone who gives a sh1t.
I aint sure if they will loose their Job, but for sure they will get a bad remark / image in the Company's HR.
~noms~
-----------------------------------------
"Before God we are all equally wise ' and equally foolish" - Albert Einstein
how much percentage do you think with agree to work for free upto four week?!
If you were one of the staff, would you work Voluntarily ?! :)
~noms~
-----------------------------------------
"Before God we are all equally wise ' and equally foolish" - Albert Einstein