Iberia-BA merger must not be at any cost, Unite says
8th April 2010
With the proposed merger between British Airways and Spain's
national carrier, Iberia, today (Thursday) moving one step closer,
Unite has repeated that the merger must not be at any cost for the
workforce.
Unite has said it will help deliver the merger and will work
with its Spanish counterparts to do so - but has warned that the
goodwill of the workforce in both countries must not be taken for
granted. Unite wants guarantees from the new parent
company - International Airlines Group - that the
workers and their unions will be fully and meaningfully consulted
on all matters relating to the strategic development of the new
airline.
Steve Turner, Unite national officer for civil aviation, said:
"Of course we accept the logic of the merger in the challenging
economic climate for aviation. But in the rush to complete
the deal, both BA and Iberia must not forget that tens of thousands
of workers are following this process with a great deal of
anxiety. We support this move - but not any cost.
"Mergers mean synergies and synergies usually mean job losses
and the levelling down of terms and conditions. It is vital
that BA and the new International Airlines Group make it clear now
to its 60,000 plus workforce that they will have a place at the
table, through their unions, so that key decisions about their
futures are taken in full consultation with them."
Unite is working with its colleague unions in Spain (the CCOO
and UGT) to press both BA and Iberia on full and proper union
representation at the decision-making heart of the new
business.
Brian Boyd, Unite national officer for civil aviation, said:
"Given the amount of work that BA employees in all areas of the
business have undertaken along with management to reduce costs and
ready the company for the future, they are entitled to guarantees
in relation to job security.
"This merger should bring new opportunities for both BA and
Iberia employees, not further insecurity to two loyal and highly
skilled workforces
"It is vital to us that both BA and Iberia are clear from the
outset that our support for this merger is not unconditional and
firmly depends on us obtaining a number of guarantees and
commitments on the jobs of our members."
Unite represents over 30,000 BA workers based in the UK,
including engineers, administrative staff, ground support staff and
cabin crew. Last year, Unite wrote to BA stating that it was
seeking commitments on 12 separate areas of concern to the UK
workforce including, that BA:
- Retains its UK traffic and slot rights
- Protects its long and short haul products, which are
industry-recognised as premium quality
- Retains its cabin crew, cargo, customer service, information
management, ramp operations and flight deck in-house.
- Ensures all current BA engineering remains both in-house and in
the UK, including the maintenance of all aircraft types.
- Maintains existing bargaining structures and industrial
agreements with its recognised trade unions, retaining all current
employment terms
- Guarantees no compulsory redundancies; and
- Establishes negotiating and consultative arrangements with any
new parent/holding company for recognised unions in both the United
Kingdom and Spain.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Pauline Doyle on 020
7420 8928
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