http://www.uk-airport-news.info/heat...ws-190206c.htm
British Airways is said to have tabled plans to slash staff pensions by more than a third. It is feared that the move, aimed at plugging BA's £1.4bn pension black hole, could trigger a forth summer of strikes for the airline.
The proposal was discussed in briefings with staff and union representatives last week, The Business newspaper claims. A final decision will be put to BA's workforce next month.
The airline also mooted equally unpopular proposals in the meetings, which include making staff work longer or requiring them to pay more towards their pensions.
The whole workforce will be affected by the changes, from pilots and cabin crew to check-in staff. For their part, union representatives have said they will do 'whatever it takes' to block any reduction in payments for BA staff.
The airline is seeking to tackle a £1.4bn deficit in one of its main pension schemes, which has 34,500 members. Proposals under consideration include recalculating pension payments to reflect average salary over the length of a career rather than final salary. This could reduce pensions by 36% in some cases, and would particularly hit pilots, who start on a low salary but typically retire on around £100,000.
Balpa, the pilots' union, said it would resist any moves to cut pensions. A spokesman said: 'We will defend our position whatever it takes.' Balpa says it does not accept that changes to BA's pension scheme are inevitable.
It said: 'Pensions are your future, your family's future, and a promise from the company. BA's massive communications exercise gives the impression that the future of your pension is precarious and major changes are required. We do not accept that.'
The GMB union, which represents check-in and administrative staff, said any proposal to cut pensions by more than a third would not be acceptable. The GMB has 5000 members in the BA pension scheme.
BA insisted that no decisions have been taken. A spokesman said that possibilities such as the shift to 'career average' pensions were examples of action contemplated by other FTSE 100 companies, rather than hard and fast measures. He said: 'With some of these companies, the answers tabled hadn't been lasting solutions. We're really looking for lasting solutions.'