Coronavirus: Row over BA staff future deepens

BA is in a bitter standoff with unions over sweeping proposals to restructure its business. As well as proposing to make up to 12,000 staff redundant, BA also wants change pay and conditions for its workforce. This restructuring could include pay cuts and worse conditions for some staff, while others could benefit. Pilots union Balpa is engaging with the airline, but some other unions are refusing to come to the table. The company has already warned that thousands of jobs could go at the airline, as it struggles to deal with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. But according to the trade union Unite, which represents cabin crew and check-in staff, the reality is much worse than that. It claims the company wants to fire virtually its entire workforce, before re-employing most of them on inferior terms and conditions. It is a charge the company vehemently denies. BA says it is currently burning through its cash reserves at a rate of around GBP1m per hour, and the CE, Alex Cruz, has made it clear that the very survival of the business is at stake. <br/>