Easy Jet job cuts
 

As the other thread has been closed due to a problem with cookies. here is a link to the same news on the BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52830665

30% of their workforce

Hopefully not 30% of their pilots though. Those first in the firing line are likely to be lower skilled employees who the company haven't already made a big investment in and can be replaced easily and trained up quickly once things pick up. Higher skilled workers whose performance is more critical and require a greater training investment in time and money are more likely to be kept on, though possibly on reduced conditions. Where a reduction is unavoidable, it might be mitigated by offering early retirement, job sharing, part time or casual with a place at the front of the queue when hiring restarts.

Sympathy to all affected though, not just aircrew.

Yes, the whole things is very very sad.

Customer Service roles and their associated skill sets are invariably transferable. Sadly however, the same cannot be said for Pilots & Engineers.

I guess that given the potential lack of a decent job market that people will be facing in the coming months, everyone, no matter what their skill-set is, will be hugely affected.

Best wishes to all those affected at EJ, and indeed across the entire industry.

My sympathy for everyone affected, but I think that this is another wake-up call for the policy makers - although, again, at a tremendous human cost.

The UK has no plan for going out of lockdown - even worse than that, whatever was left of air transport will now be smashed up by the newly-introduced quarantine rules. With no end in sight, companies are left with no choice but try to ensure their long-term survival by slashing costs and jobs. All these restrictions and the uncertainty surrounding them, combined with the ensuing political and economic uncertainty of the present financial crisis and Brexit, have a deadly impact on airlines. With limited to no support and almost non-existent negotiation between the government and the industry leaders, sad news is yet to come. If there's no working strategy within the next month or two, the second round of retrenchment towards the late summer or the autumn is going to be much worse than this one.

Considering the statement that they are reducing the size of the fleet, it's pretty much on the cards for aircrew to be affected. Costs need to be trimmed to stay competitive in a very poor market for flight loads.

Winter could be even worse, airlines in Europe rely on filling up the coffers during the summer season to tide them over the cold months. Even if normality returns soon, this years holiday season is already a washout, the best that can be hoped for is some last minute bookings for a few days in Spain from those who can still afford to travel and are determined to get away for a break.

With reduced incomes and uncertainty over jobs, many people will simply write this year off and defer travel plans until next year when their situation is clearer and virus fears have receded.

The key to pilot reduction is likely to be the reduced number of hulls on fleet. If none, then the simplest, fairest and, in the longer term, most effective solution would be that gaining significant support in IAG. Part time contracts for the duration.

Kinda depends on whether EJ management regard the Covid crisis as a smash and grab, or perhaps they have a modicum of humanity and decide to take a long term view.

Part-time with seniority-based bids to return to full-time as demand recovers would be a good solution. Even if it means working half of the time and hence getting 50% salary, it's still better than redundancy and living off unemployment benefits or stacking shelves. The individual is still working, earning some money and contributing to the state budget rather than relying on it for benefits. And they are still current as a pilot. For the company that's good news as well since personnel will be current and good to go full-time as soon as demand picks up. So, that would be the closest semblance of a win-win solution under these circumstances.

PilotLZ

Does seniority exist in EJ? I'm sure it didn't in the past. I'm intrigued how people will be selected for redundancy if it comes to that. Let's hope a lot of this is management bluster to strong arm the government into action.

The trouble is, the government couldn't give a sh!t about aviation. It never has and it never will.

Seniority doesn’t exist per se - there isn’t “a big list” and there is no way of finding specifically where you sit within a base or company.

There is obviously however ‘Date Of Joining’, which is used for certain admin purposes. I’m certain that the company wouldn’t order all crew into one list sorted by DOJ, but instead it would be each base sorted by DOJ, and then cuts made roughly from the bottom of each base list where crew numbers need adjusting in each location for the future.

Seniority
 

so different to the US where there is literally ‘a
big list’ that everyone can see. Any reductions start at the bottom and work up. For better of worse; you always know exactly where you stand...
best of kick to everyone. We’re tested all the time. This is just a Another test...

Seniority doesn’t exist per se - there isn’t “a big list” and there is no way of finding specifically where you sit within a base or company.

There is obviously however ‘Date Of Joining’, which is used for certain admin purposes. I’m certain that the company wouldn’t order all crew into one list sorted by DOJ, but instead it would be each base sorted by DOJ, and then cuts made roughly from the bottom of each base list where crew numbers need adjusting in each location for the future.

Problem with this is that movement in the past has been at easyjet behest. Be it for downsizing or command oportunities. Coupled with the threat on bases dare l say it time flying easyjet aircraft will be the biggest and fairest method. Not across easyjet as a company but across each AOC.

UK AOC. I can see bases like Newcastle and Glasgow definitely going. The market in the NE serviced by W rotations from other bases and Edinburgh being a mega base in Scotland.

I then foresee a cost neutral relocation of crew based on EasyLIFO if you are prepared to commute. Problematic for cabin crew who are second earners in families or pilots who cannot relocate.

neilki

This is not specific for easyjet, but as it is one of many transnational airlines in europe, something that the US doesn't have, any comparison is somewhat moot. Working laws differ all over europe and in many of those a simple seniority based order of dismissals is not legal as other factors have to be taken into account, like social situation for example.

I was in the unfortunate situation to have to get to know the german system quite intimately in the past, and there we have very strict rules. For example jobs have to be directly comparable, and that means that one employee has to be able to do the job of another employee without any training, which means first officers and captains are different jobs according to the law and each has to have its own order of dismissal. For each group of employees there are four criteria that have to be taken into account, length of service, age, support obligations and handicapped status (yes, that affects pilots as well, being a diabetic is enough to be officially handicapped and therefore specially protected). Those criteria have to be weighted and a compensation plan has to be negotiated, which can take up to a few months if done right.And even then every employee can sue the company for unlawful dismissal which can take another few years, and has a quite high chance of being won by the employee. So any dismissal has to be done very carefully by the company or they have a huge legal risk.

That said, i wonder how much salary easyjet actually pays currently to their german employees, under short work rules the government pays 60% (67% with kids) of the employees salary, which goes up to 70% (77%) after three months and after another three months up to 80% (87), based on maximum €6.900. That is limited currently until the end of this year, but it is extremely likely that that will be extended until the end of 2021. If easyjet doesn't pay them anyway because the government does, why not just keep them officially employed and have qualified personnel once demand picks up?

Captain

That was an assumption when an Airline went bust, not a whole Industry. Customer Service roles are indeed transferable but probably three of them equals one Pilot.
If Easyjet reduce their fleet the 'easy' option is to reduce the manpower per aircraft. Come 2023 or whenever the Industry recovers then their will be Pilots and Engineers still out there.
I sincerely hope I'm wrong and my thoughts are with all Airline Staff particularly those where the Mgmt are going after T+C also

Douglas Bahada

it’s not going to be based on AOC but per country. Every country where easy has a base has very different legislation when it comes to redundancy. You cannot apply UK law to a crew based in Nice. And every country has different unions. And for the record, the crew contracts per country are all different in many aspects in every state.

FWIW as a piece of SLF, who's flight to TFS has not been cancelled yet ( ex LTN 18th June ) but sure will be, I can only make the following observation. Apart from my brother, who is cabin crew with a UK airline, I know of nobody in my family circle, friends nor business contacts who is contemplating flying as a passenger anytime soon, and probably not before this time next year. Why ? many reasons, first and foremost people are sceptical about avoiding COVID-19 whilst being transported in a sealed tube full of other people. They also wonder what awaits them 'on the other side' - are all the facilities open, is everywhere they want to visit open ? What if they become ill with the virus whilst overseas ?

the other consideration is that, travelling by air in general, has become a heavily regimented and time consuming procedure prior to boarding, understandably post 9/11. However, you can now add to the list, distancing, wearing of masks, not being able to consume food or drink on board, and having to 'put yer hand up' to use the loo. So air travel will no longer be any pleasure, but a chore for those that do not need to travel.

So what I am trying to say is, if all the people that I know , who generally take at least 1 overseas holiday per year and at least one continental 'city' break per annum, are not intersested in flying any time soon, then aviation and travel are going to be really badly affected for the forseeable future. Obviously attitudes will soften over time with confidence, and hopefully a viable treatment or vaccine, but I anticipate such a time will be at least a year in the coming. So all airlines are going to have to reduce their outgoings as a matter of urgency to survive. BALPA and co can complain all they want, but the ultimate 'boss' on this issue is the virus and the lack of passenger confidence that accompanies it.

Of course, I hope I am wrong !

PilotLZ

Much of EasyJet’s fleet isn’t even UK based so this is a worldwide issue and not a just a UK problem as you are hinting.

Norvernsuvna - I don't think you are wrong at all. The already unedifying process of 'flying' is going to get worse and I think that apart from those addicted to their week-in-the-sun come hell or high water, a very great many will be thinking the same as your friends and relations namely 'I simply cant' be bothered'.

Human beings get accustomed quickly to changes ; before low cost carriers kicked in, going on vacation by plane was a treat the majority of middle class workers could not afford, or could afford maybe once or twice in their life time. So alternative measures were in place, such as driving to the nearest seaside city, lakes, mountains or ferry boats. We could all easily see all of that coming back in the near future.

A 25% pay cut to someone on £100 000 per year is much more manageable then it is to someone on £25 000 per year, as long as the higher earner hasn't committed himself right up to his income level. A temporary pay cut pay is preferable to a jobs cut so hopefully everyone can work together to minimise redundancies. Once normality returns, which may take a few years, then it's time for some serious bargaining over pay and conditions but at the moment it's belt tightening.

Once normality returns, which may take a few years, then it's time for some serious bargaining over pay and conditions but at the moment it's belt tightening.

Well good luck with that, the serious bargaining that is, not the belt tightening

In March, I lost my job and after 48 years in aviation, of which 31 was in Civil aviation I’m calling it a day. For personal reasons, I’d like to give something more back in a ground training role, but quite honestly I’ve had my time and there are going to be dozens of younger, equally qualified people available that need the job more than I do.

But not once, in those 31 years did ANY union bargain for ANY improvement in my Terms and Conditions and any increase was offset by increased productivity requirements. The only progression in Ts and Cs was achieved by changing companies.

I weep for the future of of this industry but I would graciously submit that the chances of clawing things back in 2 to 3 years time are nil. In those years there are going to be thousands of pilots out of work who will give their right arms to get a job in the RHS of an Airbus or Boeing. And how many outfits do you know that have achieved any REAL gains in the last 20 years?

People like MOL and WW, to name just 2, know this and they’ll exploit it to the full. I don’t like BALPA for what they did (or more to the point what they didn’t do) when I was part of an outfit that needed their help many years ago, so I can’t see them doing anything more than spouting a load of hot air and then quietly moving off in another direction.

sonicbum

Evolution of society only goes one way. Once the world opens up (and it's already starting to, at least at a regional level), people will start travelling again. Some will definitely be back travelling earlier than others due to health or financial worries, but I absolutely can't see staycations and not going any further than a half-day driving distance from home becoming the "new normal". Very few will subscribe to that, if anyone. Hence the need to keep the technical, human and organisational resources required for wide-scale travel ready for when it's up and running again.

The LTN aviation community has been decimated massively in the last few months, but also in the last couple of years. For a town that is unusual that it has a higher number of better paid jobs than what you'd perceive, it has a far bigger impact than others.

(All numbers global)
8000 TUI jobs - will Wigmore House survive with the owner looking to convert to homes?
4500 EZY jobs - will they continue with their new HQ?
MAL / MAEL gone completely in 2017-2019 and no replacement
Gulfstream moving to FAB
New WZZ UK AOC, but many crews based overseas?

The terminal expansion has helped somewhat, but apart from temporary construction jobs, these are few and far better bar the minimum wage paying occupations. It's a sorry sight.

PilotLZ

Not completely sure about that. Evolution also means adapting to changes and hence changing habits and behaviors in order to survive the new scenarios. People will resume traveling in big numbers once they will be satisfied that it is perfectly safe to do so from an healthcare point of view. As for business travel, smart working has proven to be very effective in those past 3 months so I don’t really see why somebody would want to seat around a table to discuss important matters when it is feasible by using a webcam and wearing a jacket and your underwear. That is my opinion in the short-medium range. I hope we will get soon rid of that crap of a virus to go back to normal human interactions of course.

krismiler

But the question is what sort of break would it be? If it's likely to be one with lots of restrictions then it may end up being a fairly joyless one and who wants to pay for that? Personally I'm inclined to wait for next year when I'll have a better idea of what the new normal is likely to be in terms of hassle and restrictions on what was previously possible.

I have no doubt that in time peple will start to fly again in numbers, but it's not going to be any time soon. Yes things will become 'normal' again but it will be a different normal. Many airlines will cease to exist. Many experienced people will find themselves out of a job. Management of the airlines that survive and the new ones that emerge will have a completely differnt idea of how much they need to pay people.

What is an experienced jet captain with no other significant skill set going to do if he's offered 40 or 50k a year rather than the 100k he might have had before, when the alternative is 20k driving a bus? especially when he knows there are another thousand waiting behind him? This could become the normality.

I am old enough to remember being taken on for my first commercial job, and having my type rating and all other requirements, wet drills, fire/smoke etc etc etc paid for. All the while on full pay, allowances etc. Slowly people started accepting less and less and ended up with reduced or no salary, paying for type ratings, paying to fly etc. This became the new normal before Covid-19.

Sad as it is, the reality I fear is for a new base line. This will be an employers market for a significant (years) time to come.

Good luck to all.

I agree completely with the post above unfortunately.

Pilot pay has always been something of an anomaly, considering that the bar for entry into the profession is extremely low (no qualifications required) and entry level job opportunities are always vastly oversubscribed.

This is the opportunity airline management has been waiting for to ‘correct’ pilot salaries.

My 2p worth.
I remember 9/11, I remember it well. Flying stopped and everyone was terrified. Video conferencing was the new norm and getting on an aeroplane for leisure was too risky. Demand dried up. Then companies noticed that sales were slow and face to face contact was quite important to do business. Video conferencing faded and we returned to business travel like before and more. Leisure? Too scary unless it's £9.99 a seat then suddenly safety concerns fade and we slowly discover that it isn't that dangerous, partly because of new security measures and partly because the risk is lower than we first think. We returned to leisure travel like before and more.
So when we slowly get back in the air and it looks safe, partly because we have taken precautions and partly because the risk is probably lower than we first think then we'll forget the scare stories and get out there. It might take a month or so of £9.99 tickets but we'll get out there.

I reckon it's not an if but a when.

As for our employment terms, they're pretty s**te already. If they offer £50K to captain 250 tonnes of 550mph craft without a lay-by or traffic light in sight then I'd go and drive a train for £67k. Or ask my 911 driving IFA how difficult his exams are. just sayin'

Business travel cannot be eradicated by technology. There's still no technology to replace face-to-face contact for some of the most important negotiations. It's been a long while since routine work has been brought online and nobody travels to the other end of the world just to put their signature on a piece of paper. Fax and telex were widely available a good 20 years ago, now there are far more advanced versions of them for sending routine paperwork to and fro. Quick progress meetings to catch up on an already running project can also happen by Zoom. But the most important part of it, those 10% of effort that end up sealing 90% of the big deal, still require personal contact and networking - and they always will. All those important talks are something far beyond discussing an agenda by Zoom. They are what happens over dinner, in the coffee break, in the elevator. You can't form the same bond over videoconferencing.

As for leisure travel, people's memories of bad things tend to be rather short. As long as there is no external threat in the form of a looming health crisis and no restrictions exist for free travel, things will pick up. Some of our colleagues will inevitably get on the wrong side of 65. Others will decide to call it a day for other reasons. Some will perhaps successfully reinvent themselves and not go back into flying even if given the chance later on. So, there will be an end to the dogfight for every single job and for the readiness to accept any T&Cs for the sake of staying in the saddle. Ever since aviation exists, there has always been a rise after the fall - and I have no reason to believe that this time it will be different.

1982 - World recession.
1991 - Gulf War
2001 - World Trade Centre
2008 - Global Financial Crisis
2020 - COVID - 19

Going by past events we were due for something about this time anyway. Aviation always recovered afterwards even if it took a couple of years. I’m just hoping that the next big downer will be after I’ve retired.

It’s reasonably safe to say that we’re over the worst now, there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel and whilst the road to recovery may be difficult at least we are on it. Until/unless there is a vaccine there will be a different normal, but we will adapt.

I fully agree with the rest of the post but just as a point of order I’d edit number 2 to 9/11 attacks personally. I’m not normally a stickler (or very woke!) for these things but just saying World Trade Center when a couple of hundred also died in Washington and Shanksville as a result of AA77 and UA93 is a smidge disrespectful to those victims. :ok:

Here's my version
1991 - World recession
2001 - World recession
2008 - World recession
2020 - Unrecoverable failure of modern capitalism

Indeed, this also seems a lot more accurate to me. This is "the big one". Look at the USA, these are not "normal" times but dare I say it revolutionary ones with extreme polarisation.
Sure, some low cost airlines will survive and certainly the ultra low cost ones like Wizz Air may actually take advantage, but that is only because it is a further race to the bottom.

bbc news-

EasyJet hopes to reopen 75% of route network by August
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52892397

Potential Mass HQ easyJet Redundancies
 

So I have heard easyJet are currently in consultation with of all the HQ staff, the area which will most likely affect everyone on here is being massively cut.

The ICC (Ops Centre) is being chopped, so no more crewing assistants, the crewing team will loose 13 crewing officers. Ops will be down 9 people and the same goes for disruption.

To add to this crewing will now have to deal with Training Delivery.

I dread to think what the call time will be like if easyJet do operate them 300 aircraft in the next year.....

Some EZY flights operating from Gatwick today.
CNN reporter highlighting how quiet the field is otherwise - “considering it has one of the biggest, if not the biggest runway in the world”.
Wow, must have missed that...

Busiest, maybe? It was the busiest single runway in the world, for a time

Busiest international airport in the world is currently Anchorage.

Current cash position £2.4 billion. 22 June 2020. 3 month full grounding to cost £1 billion. 6 month full grounding £2.1 billion.

15% of shares to be "placed" or created to gain £400 to 500 million.

Company will be "rightsized".

Company is " overhedged" for fuel and financial exchanges. Net charge of £164 million first half 2020 and further impact second half 2020.

As easyJet progresses through the consultation process of reducing staff numbers by up to 30% there is a heightened risk of industrial action that may disrupt operations...

We will see what transpires.....