Cabin crews at the airline easyJet are to be balloted for industrial action by their union, Unite, following a breakdown in negotiations over pay. The dispute affects over 2,000 easyJet cabin crew at 11 bases throughout Britain. The airline carries 30,000,000 passengers a year to and from Britain.
Easy Jet said it will go ahead with a pay award to staff of a 4.1 per cent rise and 5.1 per cent for cabin managers over the next two years, despite it being rejected by union members.
Unite regional officer, Kevin Hall, said: “We would urge easyJet to drop its high-handed approach and enter back into talks. Cabin crew have worked hard to make easyJet a success, enabling the company to record pre-tax profits in excess of half a billion. At the same time director’s pay has soared by over 18 per cent while the chief executive has seen her pay rise to more than £6 million, over 240 times more than the average cabin crew member.
“All our members are asking for is a decent pay rise that reflects the important role they have played in making easyJet a leading airline.”
Voting papers are going out to Unite members towards the end of this week. It will take some time to hold a ballot and give the required seven days’ notice of a walk-out, meaning action is unlikely before the beginning of August
The basic cabin crew pay is around £13,000, to which are added pay-per-trip sums of about £10,500 to compensate for antisocial hours, a £500 bonus and commission worth around £1,000 for selling items on board.