Unite to Ballot Virgin Atlantic Cabin Crew for Strike Action
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Nov. 2, 2007) - Virgin Atlantic cabin crew have voted to reject the company's latest pay offer. Unite the Union has today written to give notice to Virgin Atlantic that the union will ballot its members for strike action.
The staff believe that they have been undervalued for too long by Virgin. Their pay considerably lags behind the pay of cabin crew staff working for British Airways who can earn up to GBP 10K more than Virgin cabin crew flying the same business routes. On holiday routes Virgin cabin crew also earn considerably less than their competitors.
In a clear majority, 60% of Virgin's cabin crew voted to reject the company's latest pay offer. Virgin have offered a two year deal where cabin crew staff would receive 4.8% in the first year (from April 2007) and RPI in the second year (from April 2008).
Unite National Officer, Brian Boyd, says:
"Virgin Atlantic cabin crew believe that their professionalism and dedication has been undervalued for far too long. On the same business routes, cabin crew at British Airways can earn GBP 10K more than the cabin crew at Virgin.
"Unite is calling upon Virgin Atlantic to deliver a long term solution to this problem. It has gone on for too long and our members have had enough. Unite has written to the company today to inform them that the union will ballot its members for strike action within the next two weeks."
Unite has 3200 members at Virgin Atlantic.