BA to lay off 1400 senior staff after Christmas

Millions of airline passengers could have their travel plans impacted by the chaos that would be caused by BA’s plan to lay off 1,400 senior staff on 31 December.

The significant number of redundancies has been announced as the airline tries to reduce its wage costs by £170 million.

Letters will be sent to salaried managers who earn from £40,000-250,000 on 25 September regarding the redundancies.

If a large majority do not accept the terms of voluntary redundancies, compulsory redundancies will be necessary, according to a spokesperson for the airline.

Allowing for a consultation period of three months, the last day of employment for the management staff will be New Year’s Eve – 13 December.

A source at BA said: “We are all in shock. It’s like being sacked by Santa. It will not be a Happy New Year.”

In the past, British Airways has never instituted compulsory redundancies and is now facing the reality of a strike.

A secret meeting was held at Heathrow Airport on Friday, and details were leaked, angering the airline’s chief executive, Willie Walsh.

Most senior staff affected by the plan are only finding out on Saturday morning about the pending cuts, which come on the heels of BA’s plans for closer ties and joint operations with American Airlines and Iberia.

www.britishairways.com