The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) said its
members employed by Easyjet have filed a vote of no confidence in the company’s
chief operating officer Peter Bellew over news the carrier is planning to make more
than 700 pilots redundant in the UK.
The ballot was organised by the union, which represents more
than 90 per cent of Easyjet’s UK-based pilots, following the redundancy notices.
BALPA said the outcome “clearly shows that there is a serious and widening rift
between Easyjet plots and the airline’s senior management”.
Easyjet is planning to make around 2,000 redundancies in the
UK, 727 of which will affect pilots, as part of its plan to reduce overall
staffing numbers by up to 30 per cent. This includes the closure of its bases
at Newcastle, Southend and Stansted. The carrier is attempting to cut costs
after it grounded its fleet in April due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bellew joined the airline from Ryanair in January and BALPA
claims morale among pilots has been in decline ever since.
In a statement, the union said: “It is absolutely vital that
Easyjet takes immediate steps to restore trust in the senior management team
that has completely broken down. This means treating the Easyjet pilot
community and their representatives with respect and negotiating honestly and
in good faith.”
Meanwhile, Easyjet has confirmed that it will reduce its
fleet in Berlin from 34 to 18 aircraft and axe all domestic flights within
Germany as part of its restructuring, putting half of the company’s 1,540
employees in the country at risk of redundancy.