The result of the British Airways pilots vote on industrial action is not looking good

A quick extra article today to share this bit of news.

There is currently a wave of industrial unrest brewing at British Airways.  This is being driven by the strong financial performance of the business, which is not being reflected in pay or bonuses.

A number of votes are underway across the various unions involved.  BALPA, the British Airline Pilots Association, has just released the results of its ballot and it is not pretty:

Question 1:

Do you accept BA’s revised pay offer?

Yes – 1%

No – 99%

Question 2:

If we cannot secure an acceptable offer through negotation, do you wish BALPA to conduct an official ballot for industrial action, including strike action?

Yes – 96%

No – 4%

Turnout was 89% which is very high as these things go.

According to the last set of figures I could find, BALPA represents about 90% of BA pilots so any industrial action will effectively ground the airline.

British Airways put out this statement in response:

We continue open discussions with our trade unions. Our pay proposal is fair, reasonable and reflects typical pay awards given by other companies in the UK.

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