BASSA look more and more isolated every day.
Heathrow customer service colleagues vote for productivity deal
British Airways’ Heathrow customer service colleagues have voted overwhelmingly to accept new working practices, agreed with the Unite and GMB trade unions.
The deal covers 2850 colleagues based at Heathrow Terminals 3 and 5 and creates more flexible and customer focused working arrangements.
The changes will reduce manpower by 500 by March 2011 with 300 of the reduction already being delivered using voluntary redundancy and new opportunities for flexible working options, such as voluntary part time contracts.
Significant productivity gains have been secured through the introduction of more flexible working arrangements making staff more able to respond to the needs of customers when required.
This follows agreements already reached with Balpa, the union representing the airline’s pilots and its engineers represented by Unite.
British Airways has recently concluded its pension plan consultations in agreement with its trade unions earlier this year.
British Airways chief executive, Willie Walsh, said: “This is another important step towards securing permanent structural change and the long term future of the company. It also underlines our commitment to working with all of our trade unions, including Unite.
“I’m delighted that our colleagues have voted in favour of the productivity deal that offers them future job security and will provide a more flexible, cost-efficient and customer focused ground operation at Heathrow.”