Unite say just 216 offer to train as BA emergency cabin crew
26.01.10
The Unite union has said that only 216 members of BA's 25,000 non cabin crew staff have volunteered to retrain as stand-in cabin crew. The news comes as 96% of BA's 12,000 cabin crew started to vote on strike action in the long-running and bitter row over pay, jobs and working conditions.
In preparation for the new threat of strike action, the airline's chief executive, Willie Walsh, wrote to staff last Monday seeking volunteers to train to act as stand in cabin crew in the event of industrial action. However, Unite claims that just 216 workers out of an available 25,000 put themselves forward for this training, which started yesterday.
Cabin crew would normally have 3 months' training, but Unite claims BA is planning a 21-day intensive training programme to fast-track the volunteer workers, who will work alongside experienced cabin crew who do not strike.
Len McCluskey, Unite's assistant general secretary, was scathing about the airline's plans to train other staff - including pilots - to work as cabin crew. He said: ‘With a cabin crew of 13,500 [we think the number is closer to 12,000] does BA seriously think a handful of inexperienced individuals will be able to operate a service?'
The airline, which declined to disclose how many volunteers it had, said its contingency plans were intended to enable it to ‘operate the best flying programme possible under the circumstances’. BA also plans to hire fully crewed planes to operate some services, according to other reports.
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