British Airways plans to award one-off bonuses to its pilots, cabin crew and ground staff as the airline strives to rebuild morale among its 20,000 employees.
The UK flag carrier will give a 10 per cent bonus as a “gesture of thanks” to its operational employees, which includes flight attendants and ground staff.
Pilots will receive a 5 per cent bonus – the equivalent of £7,500 ($10,168) for those on a salary of £150,000 – in separate negotiations with their union, the British Airline Pilots Association. The lower rate is believed to be reflect their higher pay.
The inflation-beating payments are part of pledge from BA chief executive Sean Doyle, who took on the role in October 2020, to boost staff morale during the crisis and help improve services for passengers.
Inflation rose 5.5 per cent in January, as Britain faces a cost-of-living crisis amid soaring energy bills and rising taxation.
Staff need to be put “back at the heart of the company” Mr Doyle said in an interview last month, although he added that “honest conversations about what it takes to compete” are needed in the aviation sector.
Cabin crew salaries have risen throughout the airline industry in recent months as carriers compete to fill vacancies.
The easing of coronavirus restrictions has encourage more travellers to return to the sector since the hammering it took at the onset of the pandemic.
The industry is now “optimistic” about the outlook for 2022 as Omicron-related restrictions ease.
Annual passenger traffic returned to 42 per cent of 2019 levels last year and cargo volumes rose 7 per cent from 2019, the International Air Transport Association said.
Skilled workers abandoned aviation sector early in the pandemic, many of whom left their jobs permanently in search of more stable employment.
Many airlines were forced to restructure as government-imposed travel restrictions caused uncertainty.
Last month, Ryanair chief executive Ryan O’Leary said the airline paid its cabin crew up to £40,000 a year, “significantly ahead of hospitality … [and] retail”.
“It’s probably double or triple of what food makers are earning,” he said.
British Airways’ bid to sweeten relations with staff and stop them hunting for more lucrative roles, comes as Britain experiences a labour crisis with vacancies surging to a record high of of 1.298 million in the three months through January amid a labour shortage and cost-of-living crisis which is encouraging workers to seek out better-paid jobs.
In December, BA was forced to pay its ground staff at London Heathrow double the usual rate to lure them back to work.
Mr Doyle’s olive branch to his staff came after former chief executive Alex Cruz laid off 10,000 staff when the airline sought to cut costs at the height of the pandemic.
Politicians called the airline a “national disgrace”.
In October, BA went on a hiring spree to recruit cabin crew to work this summer.
At the time, the airline said it had already contacted former employees who were made redundant in 2020 and had expressed interest in returning to their roles.
Unions have yet to formally discuss the bonus proposal with members, according to sources, and have until the end of the month to respond.
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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Manchester City 0
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
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The Gandhi Murder
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Notable Yas events in 2017/18
October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)
December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race
March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event
March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
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The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
