Scottish Labour leader calls for UK Government to intervene in British Airways restructuring plans
In a letter, Richard Leonard urges Grant Shapps to ask BA bosses to halt restructuring "until a strategy is developed that supports the whole of the aviation industry.”
Last updated 30th May 2020
Richard Leonard has urged UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to intervene against British Airways re-structuring proposals which could result in 12,000 lay-offs.
In a letter, the Scottish Labour leader urges Mr Shapps to “ask the management of BA to halt this aspect of their restructuring until a strategy is developed that supports the whole of the aviation industry including airports and their supply chains.”
Mr Leonard has also written to BA chief executive Alex Cruz, asking him to reconsider the plan.
He writes that: “it is regrettable that, rather than engage with government and representatives of your workforce to develop a strategy that will help BA emerge from this crisis strengthened and better able to meet those challenges, it has rather chosen to attack the terms and conditions of its own workforce.”
BA’s parent company IAG announced last month that it had plunged to a loss of €535m (£465m) in the first three months of this year, which has widely been credited to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The re-structuring plan is being fiercely resisted by trade unions.
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on airlines across the world.
“But knee-jerk job cuts are not the answer. To reject government support and pursue such a destructive course while thousands of workers are furloughed seems reckless and nonsensical.
“That’s why I’m urging BA management to think again. But if it does not, then government has a responsibility to save what is still a strategic national asset and Britain’s flag carrier, in spite of it being privately owned.”
In a statement, British Airways said: "We are acting now to protect as many jobs possible. The airline industry is facing the deepest structural change in its history, as well as facing a severely weakened global economy.
"We are committed to consulting openly with our unions and our people as we prepare for a new future."
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