My offer to you Heathrow December 2010
If you are not a member of the union, I am offering you the opportunity to accept the assurances outlined in this letter.
Pay
I can confirm that there will be no changes to your incremental pay and you will continue to receive rises until you reach the top of the scale for your grade.
Basic Pay
I am also offering you a two year pay deal that guarantees you will receive a pay rise in 2011/12 and 2012/13.
Year one 2011/12 the company will increase base pay based on December 2010 RPI and capped at 2.9%.
Year two 2012/13 the company will increase base pay based on December 2011 RPI and capped at 3%
Your next pay review will be from February 2013.
The new fleet
The mixed flying fleet for new crew, with separate terms and conditions and bargaining rights will begin flying on 1 November 2010. There will be a separate negotiating body for the new fleet, which will not discuss your terms and conditions.
Assurances for you
I know that you have some questions about what the introduction of the new fleet means to you. To continue to demonstrate my commitment to you and to address these questions, I am offering you the following assurances.
Your terms and conditions I can assure you that your existing contractual terms will be maintained for the future, unless amended through negotiation.
Part-time I will continue to honour commitments to make part-time offers to all crew on existing lists. The offer will be on existing fleets, terms and conditions. Future part-time opportunities will continue to be available.
Access to route network I intend to ensure a fair and transparent distribution of routes to all fleets, based on commercial need.
Access to aircraft type I intend to deploy new aircraft based on commercial need across existing and new fleets. New aircraft will be introduced on a fair and transparent basis across all the companys fleets. Your existing terms, conditions and fleet agreements will apply when new aircraft are operated on existing fleets. As new aircraft are introduced across all of the companys fleets, you will be trained in order to receive the necessary licenses as required by regulation.
Career structure and opportunities for current crew The career structure for current crew within current fleets will continue on the basis of existing practice, unless amended through negotiation. I can confirm that where there are opportunities available, existing crew will be promoted on existing terms and conditions on current fleets.
Honouring current and future agreements The importance of honouring agreements is acknowledged, and the company is committed to working with current arrangements.
Ability to transfer fleet/base on current terms and conditions As with the current process, there is no guarantee of achieving a transfer. However, I am committed to continue with the current practice of transfers at Heathrow between Eurofleet and Worldwide, and to find a mechanism to aid limited transfers from Gatwick under current terms and conditions.
Variable pay top up - To provide increased assurance in relation to security of earnings, the company will introduce a variable pay top up. For those Heathrow crew whose annual variable pay falls below the average earnings for their grade and fleet in 2009/10, the company will pay a top up lump sum every year after the launch of the new fleet. The amount to be topped up will be the difference between the variable earnings achieved by the crew member and the average amount for the grade and fleet, if there is a shortfall.
The average variable pay for grade and fleet will include variable pay elements listed in appendix I. Adjustments will be made for non flying time, including unpaid leave, sickness, line trainer duties and TU duties and activities.
The payment will be pro-rated for part-time crew.
The payment will only be made to those crew who do not participate in industrial action.
You will have the opportunity to apply for all roles on the new fleet if you choose. This will provide promotion opportunities for many current crew. All crew joining the new fleet will have separate terms and conditions.
People
It is important that there is no victimisation arising from the dispute and the company will work to ensure that any issues are settled in a mature and professional way. Where there are disciplinary or grievance cases, it is my intention that these will be resolved quickly. Where behaviour is found to be serious, any resulting action will be measured and proportionate.
Summary
This individual offer maintains your contractual rights at their current level. This offer, if you choose to accept it, does not reduce or extend them from where they are today.
This is a genuine offer made on behalf of the company. We are continuing to try and reach a collective agreement with Unite, with whom we will continue to collectively bargain. However, after such a long time unsuccessfully trying to reach agreement, I have decided to make this offer directly to you so that you can move on, with certainty and reassurance about your future with British Airways.
If you want to accept this individual offer, then please complete the attached form, and return it in the enclosed pre-paid envelope. Please do not return the whole document this is for you to keep.