Calls for Walsh to go
One of the unions in talks with BA over redundancies and a pay freeze is planning to stage a demonstration outside the airline's AGM tomorrow (July 14).
Shareholders will also be handed an open letter from the union the GMB which has 7,000 members at UK carrier as they arrive for the AGM in London.
The letter accuses the airline of putting pressure on its 40,000 staff to "agree to measures - like working for free - that they simply can't afford."
It adds: "There is also no merit whatsoever in management adopting unrealistic and intransigent positions during discussions with staff representatives about how to respond to BA's situation.
"Developing solutions to the Company's problems requires honesty, transparency and flexibility-something which is sadly lacking at present."
The union letter comes after BA asked staff to work for nothing or take unpaid leave it help what its ceo Willie Walsh has called a battle for survival.
Talks between BA, the GMB and a second union, Unite which has 28,000 members at theairline, are expected to resume on Wednesday (July 15) at the UK arbitration service ACAS.
The airlines wants 3,700 redundancies as well as a two year pay freeze and changes in working practices.
Talks failed to reach an agreement by the time the airline's self-imposed deadline arrived on June 30 and went to arbitration last week.
The GMB demonstration will feature two cages with six live lemmings in each and have placards saying: "British Airways deserves better than to be led by lemmings" and "Willie, time to head to the departure gate?"
The union's letter, signed by Mick Rix, its national officer for civil aviation, says BA is a "company that has got a very strong track record of overcoming all the difficulties that have seriously affected the market for air travel in recent years."
But it accuses the management of making "doomladen statements" which diminish the confidence of investors, customers, employees and companies with which the airline does business.
It adds: "This ‘talking down' of British Airways lowers morale amongst hard-working BA people and should stop.
"In our view, it is incumbent upon the board and chief executive to show strong and positive leadership to steer the company through these troubled times.
"All BA employees are ready and willing to pull together to secure a vibrant future for the Company, but they desperately need to see that BA senior management want to work with them towards this objective, not blame them for a situation which is not of their making."
The failure of the talks has left the threat of a strike hanging over the airline as the holiday season gets under way.
A meeting of about 2,000 Unite members last Monday (July 6) "overwhelmingly" rejected the BA package and backed its union's own plan which it said would save the troubled airline £130m a year.
The unions have accused the airline, which posted a £401m pre-tax loss for last year, of asking for too much.
BA has said little since the talks broke down other than that it had called on ACAS to intervene.
During its current crisis the airline which has been hit by a drop in demand and a rise in fuel prices, has also asked staff to accept pay cuts or work for nothing for a month.
BA has already reached agreement with Balpa, the pilots' union over a pay cut which will save it £26m a year.
The union, which has 95% membership among BA's 3,200 pilots, has recommended they support the deal. The pilots are currently voting on it and the result should be known this week.
Under the agreement, the pilots will take a 2.61% pay cut and a 20% reduction in their flying time allowance.
This part of the deal will save BA £16m a year.
The second part of the deal will increase pilots' annual duty hours, bring in a shorter turn around time on short haul flights and cut crew on some long haul flights. This will save £10m a year.
In return the pilots will, from June 2011, receive BA shares worth £13m if set company targets are reached.
The pilots will not be able to sell their shares for three years.
The package also allows for 78 voluntary redundancies.
BA said last week that 6,940 staff - 17% of its 40,000 workforce - had agreed to take pay cuts, work for nothing or take unpaid leave for a month.
About 800 said they would work for nothing. The majority have opted for unpaid leave.
Mr Walsh said it would help achieve as much as £10m in savings.
Mr Walsh and his chief financial officer Keith Williams have both said they will work for nothing in July. In Mr Walsh's case this will mean forgoing £61,000.
www.ba.com www.unitetheunion.com www.gmb.org.uk www.acas.org.uk