Fact Service October 2020

Issue 39

EasyJet redundancies ‘breakthrough’

Pilots’ union BALPA has announced what it describes as a breakthrough in negotiations at airline easyJet, where hundreds of redundancies had been feared.

According to the union, a huge community effort to do everything possible to reduce the need for compulsory redundancies has now resulted in 60 pilots leaving voluntarily and a further 1,500 offering to work reduced hours.

Pilots based at Southend, Stansted, and Newcastle airports, all of which have been closed, will be offered jobs elsewhere on the UK network.

Brian Strutton, BALPA general secretary said, “This is a remarkable achievement which has only been possible because of three groups of people: the BALPA reps, easyJet management who have worked with us constructively during this process, but most of all the easyJet pilots themselves who have volunteered in record numbers for part-time work and voluntary redundancy to help save their colleagues’ jobs.”

Captain Sean Casey, chair of the BALPA easyJet Company Council said, “I have been overwhelmed by the take up of part-time. Each pilot who has volunteered to work less has done so because he or she wants to help colleagues keep their jobs.

“I want to pay tribute to our easyJet management colleagues who we’ve been working with throughout this process. We’ve had tough talks, but in the end we have come to a sensible and fair arrangement in light of the crisis the whole aviation sector is facing.”

https://www.balpa.org/Media-Centre/Press-Releases/Breakthrough-means-no-compulsory-redundancies-amon