Posted on: 26 March 2024

Dear GMB Member,

As you are aware, in early June 2023, British Airways (BA) and IAG informed employees that Zellis, a company providing payroll support services, had suffered a cyber-attack. As a result, the personal data of current and former BA/IAG employees paid in the UK or Ireland held by Zellis had been hacked. You will recall that your union wrote to the CEO to raise your concerns at the time.

The personal data compromised included employees’ names, contact details (home address and work email), dates of birth, national insurance numbers, banking details (account number and sort code), pay and reward details and other ancillary data relating to the employees’ roles.

Investigations by law firms into the cause and consequences of the data breach are continuing. However, for hackers to be able to access this personal data, something clearly went badly wrong somewhere.

Those affected by the data breach may have claims against BA/IAG and / or Zellis and / or IBM and / or Progress Software for failing to take the necessary action to keep their personal data safe and if so may be entitled to compensation for the distress and / or any financial losses that this data breach has caused.

GMB were inundated at the time of the data breach with concern from our members in BA/IAG. Having listened closely to you – our members – we have now agreed a referral arrangement with Leigh Day who have more than 20 years' experience in bring data protection and group claims and are currently investigating bringing a group claim on behalf of those affected by the Zellis data breach. This includes not only BA/IAG but also BBC, Boots and DHL. They are currently instructed by over a thousand clients. They are acting for them on a so-called “no win no fee” basis, which will ensure that they receive a percentage of any compensation they are awarded if the claim is successful. Clients will not be required to make any up-front payment or similar.

The preferential arrangement that your union have now arranged with Leigh Day will result in GMB members receiving at least 80% of any compensation awarded if the claim is successful. Again, clients will not be required to make any up-front payment or similar. There is no guarantee of any success with these claims. This 80% figure is guaranteed to us to be the best that Leigh Day are offering any potential clients. This rate is exclusively for GMB members.

Leigh Day are currently developing a dedicated webpage especially for GMB members to use to sign up with the firm, should you wish to do so. This should be available soon.

In the meantime, if any members wish to pre-register, without any obligation or commitment on your part, please follow the link below. Leigh Day will then email you the link to the webpage as soon as it is ready.

https://staging.leighday.co.uk...

There is also an email address for members to use if you wish to contact Leigh Day with any specific queries or information. This is GMBBAStaff@leighday.co.uk

We hope this is a helpful facility to our members at this time, should you wish to use it.

In solidarity,

Matt Roberts

GMB National Officer

Posted on: 3 August 2023

Dear Colleague,

Following a full ballot, we are pleased to announce that GMB members have accepted the company pay offer by a significant margin.

We have also been informed that Unite have also accepted, meaning that this deal will now be implemented and that members can expect to see the uplift in their August pay packet.

We would like to take the is opportunity to thank all members who took part in this ballot and the reps who have been instrumental in negotiating the offer.

Yours sincerely

Andy Prendergast

National secretary.

Posted on: 21 July 2023

We are pleased to announce that after several months of meetings, we have managed to negotiate an offer which has is being recommended for acceptance by your shop stewards. The pay offer covers both 2023 and 2024 and is a without-strings deal, meaning that there are no cuts to any terms and conditions as a result. In terms of the pay offer, this is as follows:

*Applicable pay is basic or personal basic pay and includes any pay that normally increases in line with increases to basic or personal basic pay.

The next pay review date will be on 1^st December 2024. Members should be aware that we have built in an inflation protection element to the second year of the deal which would be triggered if inflation was higher than expected in June 2024.

Aside from the general pay increases, we have also managed to achieve the following commitments for the relevant groups:

1. Market Rate Increases (if applicable)

Colleagues who have had permanent market rate review increases agreed with their local NSP will receive this pay award in addition to their market rate increase. Market supplements will continue to run as market supplements.

2. Pre-2020 Restoration (if applicable)

In addition to the payments set out in the above table, colleagues who remained below their 2019 or 2020 pay rates on 1 January 2023, will receive full restoration for A Scales from December 2022. Colleagues who still remain below Pre-2020 rates will then be subject to further local discussions to resolve this.

3. Shift Pay

Shift pay uplifts will be continued or confirmed for all applicable non-banded groups and uplifted in line with existing agreements. Any additional increases above this would solely be based on market review and again these will be confirmed.

Next Steps

The timescale to ballot is tight as Pay Services need time to process what are particularly complex adjustments however this will mean payments can be made in the August pay run. Therefore, it will close at 1200 on 3^rd August 2023. Please take the time to understand the offer before casting your vote. Your stewards will also provide some Q&A’s with a view to answering any questions you have about the proposed deal.

Yours sincerely

Your National Secretary and BA Stewards

Posted on: 28 June 2023

We are pleased to announce that after several months of meetings, we have managed to negotiate an offer which is being recommended for acceptance by your shop stewards. The pay offer covers both 2023 and 2024 and is a without-strings deal, meaning that there are no cuts to any terms and conditions as a result. In terms of the pay offer, this is as follows:

*Applicable pay is basic or personal basic pay and includes any pay that normally increases in line with increases to basic or personal basic pay.

The next pay review date will be 1^st December 2024. Members should be aware that we have built in an inflation protection element to the second year of the deal which would be triggered if inflation was higher than expected in June 2024.

Aside from the general pay increases, we have also managed to achieve the following commitments for the relevant groups:

1. Market Rate Increases (if applicable)

Colleagues who have had permanent market rate review increases agreed with their local NSP will receive this pay award in addition to their market rate increase. Market supplements will continue to run as market supplements.

2. Pre-2020 Restoration (if applicable)

In addition to the payments set out in the above table, colleagues who remained below their 2019 or 2020 pay rates on 1 January 2023, will receive up to 2.5% from December 2022. Colleagues who still remain below pre-2020 rates will then be subject to further local discussions to resolve this.

3. Shift Pay

Shift pay uplifts will be continued or confirmed for all applicable non-banded groups and uplifted in line with existing agreements. Any additional increases above this would solely be based on market review and again these will be confirmed.

Next Steps

It should be noted that whilst the company indicated payment of first phase in July, the reality of pay cut off and ballot procedure means it is most likely to be paid in August. In our opinion this is a sensible course to take and gives more time to ensure uplifts are applied without error.

We are currently in the process of agreeing the timescale for the ballot to establish our final position on the offer. Your stewards will be able to update you of this shortly and will also provide some Q&As with a view to answering any questions you have about the proposed deal.

Yours sincerely

Your National Secretary and BA Stewards

Posted on: 26 June 2023

Dear GMB Member,

GMB Members Survey

Thank you to the 300 members who responded to our survey, from Heathrow, Waterside, Engineering, Cargo, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. This is what you said:

• Most of you (70%) had heard about the breach from BA, but many had heard it from the news (20%) or from colleagues (6%).
• Nearly all of you (96%) were aware of the offer to sign up for Experian data protection, and most of you (82%) had already signed up.
• Of those who hadn’t signed up to Experian, lack of time and lack of understanding were the most common reasons.
• Nearly everyone was either very concerned (74%) or somewhat concerned (23%) about the breach.
• Here are some of the most common themes from your comments:
  • How stressed many of you were feeling about the loss of your personal information.
  • A belief that people should be compensated.
  • Frustration that BA had only recently been involved in the loss of customer data.
  • A feeling that such events are more likely due to IT outsourcing.

BA response

BA have responded to our letter concerning the loss of our members’ data. This is attached, with the main points being:

• BA say they learnt of the incident on Friday June 2^nd and informed those who were affected on Monday June 5^th
• They confirm the problem was due to ‘MoveIT’ software used by Zellis.
• BA are monitoring the ‘dark web’, to see whether any of your data has been published, but have not found any so far.
• They did not take the opportunity we gave them to apologize, but said their priority was providing you with support.
• They claim that no data protection laws have been breached and are not expecting a fine.

Link to letter from Company

Click here for documents letter GMB

We expect to meet with BA in the near future to address these issues and to share the results of our members’ survey.

Yours in Solidarity

Matthew Roberts, National Officer

Posted on: 20 June 2023

Dear GMB Member,

We are running a confidential survey of our members to better understand the impact of the recent BA data breach has been – and to hear what you would like BA to do.

This survey is completely anonymous and doesn’t involve any personal data so we would encourage you to share your views and feelings.

To access the survey please use this link: https://forms.office.com/e/5NYthX5Xs3

Yours in Solidarity

Matthew Roberts

GMB National Officer

Posted on: 15 June 2023

Dear GMB Union Members,

This is an update regarding the breach of members' personal data at BA.

Legal Claims

Our legal team are currently looking at the question of making a claim for compensation over the Data Breach - for example, who may be able to do this, and in what circumstances they could. We are establishing whether there is a realistic prospect of success, and if there is, who we should be claiming against. There is also the question of whether this can be done on a group basis, or whether it would need to be done individually. If members have unfortunately suffered direct financial loss arising from this breach, and significant distress, it is potentially more likely that there could be a legal avenue than if these situations do not apply.

Once we have a clear position, we will send out further information. In the meantime, please contact us immediately if you have incurred any actual financial loss.

We would encourage you to be suspicious of organisations who contact you out of the blue making exaggerated claims about what they can deliver. It is also possible that scammers could try to exploit the situation further, so please do treat all contact with suspicion.

Letter to Sean Doyle

We have not received a response to the letter we sent last week to Sean Doyle. We will be writing to him again and, in response to feedback from our members, will ask an extension beyond the two years currently offered for Experian cover.

Our advice

While we are evaluating our members' options overcompensation, we would encourage our members to:

If you haven’t got an Experian account, then take up the offer to sign up for Experian Identity Plus.

If you already have an Experian account, you can upgrade to Identity Plus (your rep will have details of how to do this).

Contact your bank to tell them about the breach of your bank details. All banks should have a Fraud Team who are able to offer advice. You may wish to consider moving to a new account number (but you will need to update this on ESS to ensure your pay goes into this account). You can also place restrictions on credit requests.

Check the FAQ section on the Intranet as there are regular updates.

Yours in Solidarity

​Matthew Roberts

National Officer

GMB Union

Mary Turner House, 22 Stephenson Way, Euston, London, NW1 2HD

Telephone: 020 7391 6705

Posted on: 9 June 2023

Dear GMB Union Member,

We are pleased to advise you that increasingly significant progress is now being made in the pay talks. The thirteenth round of talks was held at Waterside today. Due to the increased rate of progress, a further two meetings have been arranged for Monday in anticipation of similar progress, moving towards conclusion. This of course may change, but we are moving in the right direction currently.

We ask members to ensure your details are up to date for a potential ballot. Only members get a say on pay, so non-members need to join GMB online as soon as possible. Thanks as ever for your support of your reps.

In solidarity,

Your GMB Negotiating Team & National Officer for Aviation

Posted on: 6 June 2023

Dear GMB Union Member,

You should have received notification from the employer regarding a serious and disturbing “cyber security incident” involving a payroll contractor called Zellis.

Your reps and officers would advise members to urgently follow all relevant advice in relation to this incident if you have not already done so, and to take up the offer of the free credit monitoring service.

As your union, we will be providing further advice as soon as more information is available.

In the meantime, we have written to British Airways CEO, Sean Doyle and a copy of this letter is attached.

Click image below to open PDF letter to Sean Doyle, CEO, British Airways

Please be vigilant at this time and treat all messages with suspicion until verified.

In solidarity,

Your BA GMB Union Reps and National Officer

Posted on: 6 June 2023

Dear GMB Union Members,

Since our last update, there have been more negotiation sessions with senior management, taking us to twelve rounds of pay talks in total at the time of writing.

We are moving ever closer towards a conclusion, and would both thank members for your ongoing patience and request that you ensure your details are up to date with your GMB Region or Nation. Perhaps you have moved house or changed job title or surname and have not updated your union membership? www.gmb.org.uk/myGMB

It is vital that we have up to date details for all of our members, and the employer do not inform us of any changes. When we come to balloting, we will need our records to be up to date.

The reason the talks have been so complex and lengthy is due to us negotiating around such a range of factors, referring to our pay claim, all of which we have managed to make progress on. Your reps are working hard to try to reach the best position we can.

We aim to provide a conclusion in the near future. Only union members will have a say on pay so please encourage any non-members you work with to join GMB online today. www.gmb.org.uk/join Together we can achieve more than we achieve alone.

In solidarity,

Your GMB Reps Negotiating Team & National Officer for Aviation

Posted on: 3 May 2023

Dear GMB Union Member,

Your negotiating team met the company reps at Waterside on 2nd May 2023, for the latest pay talks meeting. The company negotiators presented their opening overtures to the pay proposals to your reps on a ‘without prejudice’ basis for further discussion.

After asking various questions and certain clarifications, it is the unanimous view of your negotiators that further work will be required on the proposals before they become a firm offer that we can bring to you to vote on. Your reps have already started the process of working on a detailed response and we have arranged to reconvene next week for further talks.

Thank you for your support and please encourage any non-member colleagues to join the union.

In solidarity,

Your GMB 2023 BA Non-Banded

Pay Negotiating Team

Posted on: 17 April 2023

Dear GMB Union Member,

Last Thursday, your negotiating team met the company at Waterside for the eighth meeting of this years' pay talks.

Intense negotiations took place on the exact structuring of the pay deal. We then adjourned for your negotiator reps to finalise our position. The company then returned to the room for us to present our position.

There were six areas of the structure that we fed back on. In one area we are potentially well aligned, in four areas we may be fairly aligned, but have put forward some tweaks or caveats which we do not believe are massive, and in one final area of the six we are potentially not yet aligned with the company. The company negotiators will now go away for a short time to develop their response, as well as getting feedback from our sister unions. We are keen to ensure the deal is structured to best provide relief from the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Our aim is to work with the company negotiators to finalise these points around the structure in the ninth meeting. Due to the confidentiality of these negotiations we regret that your reps will be unable to answer any specific questions around this briefing which we hope members will understand.

Again, we do thank all members for your support and membership of your union as these talks continue. Please keep talking to your reps about pay and conditions and encourage non-members to join your union.

In solidarity,

Your GMB 2023 BA Non-Banded Pay Negotiating Team

Posted on: 29 March 2023

Dear GMB Union Member,

On Tuesday, the seventh round of this years' pay talks were held between BA senior management and your GMB negotiating team.

We mentioned in the last update bulletin that we believed we would now get to the point of a firm offer in this seventh meeting. Whilst we do now have the outline of an offer structure, we did not manage to complete this with the company on Tuesday, so we remain in a position of not having a figure to bring to you.

Your reps are working very hard in these intensive negotiations, and we are grateful for the ongoing support of members.

Please keep talking to your reps about pay and conditions and encourage non-members to join the union.

In solidarity,

Your GMB 2023 BA Non-Banded Pay Negotiating Team

Posted on: 22 March 2023

Last week, the sixth round of pay talks took place between your GMB negotiating team and the company at Waterside.

Further discussion took place on the company finances, restoration and other relevant matters. As mentioned in our last update, due to the usual sensitivity and confidentiality of any ongoing negotiations, we are limited again this week on providing further commentary just yet, but the talks remain at a crucial stage and your support remains vital and appreciated.

As we enter the seventh round of the pay talks, we believe we will now reach a firm offer on pay from the business. Thank you for your ongoing patience in this process.

Please keep talking to your reps about pay and conditions and encourage any non-members to join the union.

Together we are stronger.

In solidarity,

Your GMB 2023 BA Non-Banded Pay Negotiating Team

Posted on: 8 March 2023

Non-Banded Pay Talks Update

On 28^th February, your GMB negotiating team, composed of reps from all areas and the GMB National Officer for Aviation, met the company at Waterside for the fifth round of this year's pay negotiations.

Your team began the meeting by requesting more data from Cargo, as this is the one area it was felt we had not received enough data during the talks so far. We then discussed the full year financial results in some detail, and it was agreed that a 'Town Hall' style meeting will be held at Waterside on 13^th March, for a wider rep population to receive an update and Q&A on these results (outside of the pay talks). If members have any specific questions about the results, you should speak to your rep before that meeting, so we can have an opportunity to get a response for you.

Your team made the point that Covid recovery is slower in the UK due to decisions made by the employer during the pandemic, which GMB members and sister unions warned against at the time, and a lack of loyalty to employees.

We also jointly discussed points around restoration, productivity, and the components the pay offer needs to be built around. We made the point that it is you, GMB members and other union members, working across BA, who will know best how the company can be improved. Due to the usual sensitivity and confidentiality of any ongoing negotiations, we are limited this week on providing further commentary just yet, but the talks are at a crucial stage and your support is vital and appreciated. We will need to go forward to a sixth round of negotiations, and your GMB team are ready to hear a firm offer on pay from the business.

Thanks for reading this brief update and as we always say, please keep talking to your reps about pay and conditions and encourage any non-members to join GMB.

In solidarity,

Your GMB 2023 BA Non-Banded Pay Negotiating Team

Posted on: 27 February 2023

Dear GMB Union Member,

On 21st February, your GMB Pay Negotiating Team met with the Company Negotiators for our fourth meeting, which was again held at Waterside. The Team were also joined for this meeting by two Regional Officers from GMB London Region.

From the start of the meeting, a considerable amount of time was spent going through points previously raised by your GMB reps, with the company now being in a position to respond more fully having considered your reps input. This prompted further discussion and debate.

The remainder of the meeting was spent analysing and discussing further data on pay rates across the company.

Thereafter the negotiations were adjourned without firm proposals on the table, and will now go forward to a fifth round this week. Please continue to encourage anyone you work with who is not a union member to join GMB online and keep talking to your reps about pay and conditions.

As ever, together we are stronger.

In solidarity

Matt Roberts, National Officer for Aviation

And your BA GMB Negotiating Team

Posted on: 6 February 2023

Dear GMB Union Members

Your GMB Pay Negotiating Team met the Company Negotiators for a further meeting on 2nd February at Waterside. This week, negotiations focused around analysis of the market and from our point of view, the need for BA to be a leader in the market in terms of all aspects of pay and conditions.

Whilst your Negotiating Team and the business are coming at the issues from different perspectives, the sense is that we are nonetheless moving forward and we believe in the next couple of meetings we may get to a place of their being a concrete initial offer on the table.

Please continue to talk to your reps about your aspirations on pay and conditions, and continue to encourage other non-member colleagues to join GMB Union.

Together we are stronger.

Eagle eyed members have noticed that in last week's update we didn't explain the 'extra 5%' from your GMB Reps' initial pay claim. Apologies for this oversight - the extra 'bucket' which we have put this figure into is based on a suggestion of a real terms reward for all BA employees, to thank us for all of our hard work and dedication to the company over an extremely turbulent few years. This is in additional to the other two 'buckets' - cost of living/inflation, and the third year of the last pay deal that was not honoured.

We will update members again next week.

In solidarity

Matt Roberts, National Officer for Aviation

And your BA GMB Negotiating Team

Posted on: 26 January 2023

Dear GMB Member,

We are sending you this message because we believe you are a GMB Banded member who is in receipt of shift pay. Please let us know if this is incorrect.

Shift Pay Increase

In this month’s pay you should notice an increase in your shift pay.

The increase is for 11.7%, which is the RPI figure for July 2022.

There should also be a one-off backdated payment related to this increase going back to the same date.

Your Agreement

The reason why BA are making this payment is because of a provision in the ‘Management Agreement’ – the collective agreement that covers all Banded staff,

This requires the company to increase your shift pay every year in line with RPI (which is the measure of inflation written into the agreement).

It has taken many months for us to persuade BA to make this payment and we believe it is due the persistence of your Banded MGNSP TU reps that you are being paid it now.

For us this demonstrates that union membership is absolutely relevant for Banded employees at BA.

Outstanding Issues

We are obviously pleased that our members are receiving the increases and the back-dated payments. However, the question of increases related to 2020 and 2021 remain outstanding. We will be communicating with you further on this matter in due course.

In the meantime, please contact us if you have any questions or issues.

In solidarity,

Matt Roberts, National Officer for Aviation

On behalf of your BA GMB Negotiating Team

Posted on: 26 January 2023

Dear GMB Union Members

Your GMB Negotiating Team met the company alone again for our second meeting on 24th January 2023. The company have now begun to share with us confidential financial and other data to inform the negotiations and for our scrutiny during the talks. The second meeting was largely taken up with your Reps reviewing and scrutinising this data with extensive two-way discussion.

Prior to this week's meeting, your Negotiating Team also submitted the formal Pay Claim letter to set out our starting point for this pay round. We used direct feedback from members to compile this claim in additional to reviewing other sources.

The Claim is split into three elements:

• Firstly, is a pay rise equal to the recorded rate of RPI inflation at the time of the pay anniversary date (14.0%).
• Second, is the currently non-implemented 4.1% of the previous pay deal that was scrapped by the company due to the Covid pandemic despite the agreement that was in place.
• Third, and finally, is that your Reps are calling for a real terms pay increase, to reward all of our members for our hard working within BA over extremely difficult times and to recognise our ongoing dedication and hard work for the company.

This represents an unashamedly ambitious starting point of 23.1%, recognising the unprecedented cost of living crisis that you, our members, are facing.

Your Negotiating Team will keep you updated on future meetings during the negotiations. Our position remains that issues with MoA's and MoU's are still outstanding and need to be resolved locally. The central pay talks are without prejudice to local claims regarding the MoA's and MoU's.

In solidarity,

Matt Roberts, National Officer for Aviation

On behalf of your BA GMB Negotiating Team

Posted on: 2 April 2020

The GMB is pleased to announce that we have, today, reached an agreement with BA that will protect jobs during the current crisis. The agreement is signed jointly with Unite and is the result of the hard work of union representatives over the past few weeks.

The agreement protects up to 80% of our members pay and gives a firm commitment to protect terms and conditions. The agreement also 'pauses' the existing redundancy consultation.

The agreement was made possible by the government's 'Job Retention Scheme' which pays compensation to employers who ‘furlough' staff instead of making them redundant. Whilst the government scheme caps 80% of pay at £2,500 the joint union agreement with BA removes this cap.

If you are furloughed you are 'laid off' or 'stood down' from your duties, you do not need to come into work or work from home for your furlough period. You may be furloughed more than once on a rotational basis.

The furlough arrangements will need to be applied differently across different sections of the business, based on operational need. The GMB will continue to work with BA on which staff will be furloughed and for how long but our aim is to ensure the process is applied fairly and consistently.

All furlough will be for a minimum of three weeks but could be for a maximum of two months (at present)

We know that you will have questions about the scheme and we will be sending out our detailed advice / FAQ soon.

Thank you for your continued support through this difficult time but a special thank you to your senior reps who have worked so hard to get an agreement for our members.

Posted on: 30 April 2020

British Airways has announced that it intends to cut up to 12,000 jobs; but the GMB will not stand by as BA use the current crisis to attack our members while alternative solutions remain on the table.

The GMB and our sister trade union Unite stood shoulder to shoulder when BA attempted their first round of job cuts, we repeatedly called for BA not to act in haste. Sure enough, after the GMB led the charge, the government announced the Job Retention Scheme and we negotiated with BA to furlough 80% of staff instead of making them redundant.

Whilst options remain on the table - jobs can still be saved. BA and the sector will still need loyal, trained and skilled staff for the future.

The GMB believes that the current proposal to consult with staff who are furloughed is unlawful. It is shameless that BA have used taxpayer money to furlough staff and then moved so swiftly to make redundancies, this flies in the face of the spirit of the government's Job Retention Scheme.

Opportunism from BA will not be tolerated, not by the union and not by the public and passengers. At a time when everyone needs to do their bit for the greater good, BA must step up and act responsibly and fairly.

We know this is a worrying time for so many of our members, but your reps are stretching every sinew to support you, your union is here for you.

Nadine Houghton

GMB National Officer

Posted on: 4 May 2020

The GMB firmly believes that whilst the majority of BA's staff are 'furloughed' and whilst the country remains in 'lock down' collective consultation cannot be meaningful. This is also the position of our sister union Unite. The current advice to our membership is, to engage in consultation meetings via electronic or other means would undermine the collective position of the unions. If BA were acting as a reasonable employer and genuinely wanted to engage in meaningful consultation they would wait until the end of Furlough and until such a time when staff are able to safely meet and discuss proposals.

At the start of this crisis BA said they had a strong balance sheet and substantial cash liquidity and yet the clamour to cut jobs, terms and pay at a time of national crisis leads GMB to conclude that BA are acting opportunistically; seeking to exploit colleagues’ fears and the fact that many of us remain isolated from our colleagues. The public will not forgive a national company for exploiting a crisis in the pursuit of profit. Now is the time for us to pull together and act in the national interest, BA would do well to remember this.

BA has a legal obligation to do all they can to mitigate against job losses. To date, BA have refused to take out a government loan, despite the fact that the parent group IAG have accepted Spanish state handouts for Iberia and Vueling. Some have argued this is to give BA a competitive edge over less solvent airlines. Whatever the reason, can BA sincerely demonstrate they have done all they can to protect jobs? The GMB would argue not.

We will be building our political campaign over the coming days and weeks. This is an issue of national importance. What BA decides to do will have ramifications for the wider economy and other companies will be watching closely. Politicians now have the chance to be on the right side of history on this issue. Do they choose to stand by loyal key workers who will be pivotal to getting this country back on its feet again or do they choose to stand with disaster capitalists who want to exploit this crisis for profit.

We will, of course, continue to update you.

Stay safe.

Nadine Houghton

GMB National Officer

Posted on: 13 August 2020

Dear GMB member,

I know it has been some time since I have written to you. I know that what you are facing at the moment is a bitter pill to swallow and I know that many of you will be saying good bye to colleagues - and friends.

I want to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to your GMB representatives, who for the past 3 weeks have spent many, many hours in intense and difficult negotiations on your behalf. I won't go into the detail of those negotiations here as you will have had comms and discussions with your reps about the details of what's been 'negotiated' for your local area and many of you will now be, or will soon be voting in ballots.

The GMB representatives in BA are some of the finest in our movement. I learn from them every day, I continue to be inspired by them and remain incredibly proud to work alongside them. They have given hours of their time to do the best for you - the membership, in the most difficult of circumstances. 

My main purpose for writing today is to ensure that all GMB members have access to the GMB's solicitors for those needing independent legal advice for Settlement Agreements.

The dedicated email address to send your agreements to is sas@unionline.co.uk and you can contact the dedicated Unionline solicitor Diarmuid Deeney on 0114 296 5421.

I wish you and your families well in these troubled times.

In solidarity,

Nadine Houghton

Posted on: 6 September 2021

Dear GMB member,

It has been suggested in recent BA communications that GMB has been in talks with BA regarding the end of furlough. I wanted to let you know that, to date, no formal talks have taken place.

As always, the GMB is committed to protecting jobs, pay and conditions during the industry's worse ever crisis. However, we have been clear with BA; our members have given all they can. Our reps have gone above and beyond to protect jobs but are now asking what more members can be expected to sacrifice.

The GMB does not appreciate the misinformation that is deliberately being spread or the hints from senior managers that our members will have to take unpaid leave before any discussions with the union have even taken place.

GMB members working for BA have faced a torrid 18 months, the last thing they need is further uncertainty.

The GMB has agreed to meet management this week but ultimately any next steps will be determined by our members. We will keep you updated on the outcome of those discussions.

Nadine Houghton

GMB National Officer

Posted on: 16 September 2021

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you with an update on the situation at BA.

BA Forum

On Tuesday this week I attended a BA Forum meeting, involving senior representatives from BA and my counterparts from Unite and from BALPA. This was a welcome change from the approach taken by Alex Cruz during the ‘fire and rehire’ period last year, where all negotiations were conducted locally, and without proper coordination with the trade unions from a national perspective.

However, the meeting was a sombre one. The aviation industry remains extremely fragile and BA say they do not expect to fly a full programme for some time to come. The government subsidies for colleagues on furlough are scheduled to end in a couple of weeks. BA signalled that they are considering the use of unpaid leave as a response to these difficulties.

The GMB made the point loud and clear that we can not find ourselves in the same position we did last Summer and that, if there is an agreement to be made, it would only be done if it was genuinely fair and equitable to all, with those with the broadest shoulders bearing most of the load.

Lobbying Government

The GMB strongly believes the government should be extending its support to protect workers in aviation, being the industry that has been most impacted by the COVID crisis. We were part of a trade union delegation that met with the Aviation Minister earlier this month. We expect to meet with the Treasury soon. We are looking for a special package of measures to extend beyond the end of September.

Unpaid Leave

Despite this, we think that BA will still want to implement some form of unpaid leave scheme. It is our belief that they need to secure the agreement of the unions to do this successfully.

There is no doubt that this will be difficult. Our members have had a wretched time over the last 18 months. Prices are rising everywhere you look, and nearly everyone’s income has reduced due to pay cuts and furlough. We know that many of you are unhappy that those at the top, at BA and at IAG, have been protected, or rewarded, during the crisis.

We have had a lot of feedback saying that work should not be going out to places like India or South Africa if there is a shortage of work here. We would agree – particularly given the money BA have received from government, supposedly to protect jobs.

Our Commitment

So while we recognise the depth of BA’s problems we will push back if necessary. As we enter these negotiations we will do our best to protect our members and report back on any significant developments. You can help by writing to your MP asking for them to support our fight for continued government support. Let us know your thoughts on how we should be responding to the ongoing crisis in aviation.

Stay strong, take care.

NADINE HOUGHTON

NATIONAL OFFICER

Posted on: 29 September 2021

Dear GMB Member,

On Monday 27tth September, I met with senior BA representatives at the BA Forum, alongside Unite.

We were told that BA do not intend to enforce unpaid leave in response to the end of the CJRS scheme on October 1^st.

This has now been confirmed to you all in the ‘Vlog’ from Sean Doyle, where he says: ’When the CJRS funding goes, your basic pay will continue to be paid, in full, by British Airways’.

For some of you there are still local arrangements around pay and hours in place , for example a percentage cut in your hours and pay and these are to be discussed locally as a matter of urgency .

We are in the process of getting clarification on the company’s intentions going forward, but this is undoubtedly good news. We hope it is of some relief to you all.

You are the best

We were glad to see Sean say in the same Vlog: ‘You are the best people in the industry’. Because over recent years that hasn’t been the message coming from the top. Too many senior people across IAG have made careers from criticising their employees as being too expensive or too inefficient.

So we hope this marks a turning-point in BA’s attitude towards their workforce. You are vital to BA’s recovery and it’s time that this was acknowledged.

Your health comes first

For many of our members, particularly in Head Office functions, October will see a move to ‘hybrid’ working, involving a partial return to the office. We know that this may worry some of you and we will do our best to support you in this. So if you have any concerns please raise these with your local representatives - your health comes first.

Take care, Stay strong,

Nadine Houghton.

GMB National Officer.

Posted on: 30 September 2021

Dear GMB members,

I wanted to share with you a communication that has come from BA following the most recent BA Forum between GMB and Unite and BA representatives.

There is something very significant missing from this summary. The GMB requested that BA remove the layoff clauses from local agreements reached during the fire and rehire last year. BA refused to do this, however, in the meeting they committed to supplying the unions with a form of words which gave a much clearer, national structure under which lay off clauses could potentially be implemented (for example in the event of another lockdown / closing of borders)

This form of words is missing from the summary provided by BA following the meeting.

We have today written to BA to request this. Our members need and deserve some certainty.

BA have also made clear that they intend on sticking to the arrangements set out in the local agreements. GMB members must now consider what, if any, elements of the agreements need to be reviewed or challenged.

Summary of meeting from BA:

Winter Measures

• Sean released a vlog on Monday afternoon, in which he recognised and thanked colleagues for their contributions and efforts
• We’re looking forward to welcoming colleagues back with effect 1 October 2021
• From 1 October everyone will be unfurloughed.
• We will not however have enough work for the number of people returning and so we will offer opportunities to colleagues to work in other areas of the airline such as our Global Engagement Centres
• We will also offer voluntary options to colleagues such as BRS or unpaid leave should this be attractive to individuals. We will work through the comms and processes to support this locally
• On return, post furlough, colleagues will move onto the new agreements ie. New rates of pay, ways of working etc.
• There are no plans for further redundancies associated with the end of furlough.
• We now need to focus on implementing the agreements we created last year, and look forward to working with you on this.

Next steps

• We will start communicating locally, welcoming colleagues back and the options available to them.
• We will continue to review our delivery progress, and in the event we cannot or are not able to deliver the agreements we will reconvene the BA Forum to discuss.
• We know you’ll be interested in our progress and rebuilding the airline and we will continue to meet as regularly as we need to in order to keep you updated and keep our dialogue going

NADINE HOUGHTON

NATIONAL OFFICER

Posted on: 25 January 2022

Dear GMB members,

Last week myself and some of your leading reps met with senior managers from BA. The message that we gave them was very clear: our members have had enough.

Your Issues

We focussed on 3 main areas:

Pay: Over the last 2 years most of our members have had to endure pay cuts and pay freezes, making their lives even harder in the face of the rising cost of living. As for our members who are on ‘new’ contracts, like HCS2012 and ABS, pay freezes have kept them stuck on wages that could hardly pay the bills in the first place.

Work-Life Balance: Work changes introduced in 2020 and 2021 are ruining the health and the work-life balance of our members across the company. Examples include: leave reductions in Engineering; impossible rosters at Heathrow, Global Ops & Cargo; and restrictions on leave, swaps etc. in the Contact Centres.

Workload: As the company begins its return to ‘normal’, reduced staffing levels coupled with higher turnover are already leaving many of our members feeling swamped. This situation is particularly acute at Heathrow, where the COVID crisis means our members are also having to take on extra responsibilities and deal with increasingly anxious and bad-tempered customers.

Poisoned Legacy

Each of these problems arise directly from the measures taken in 2020-1 under the leadership of Willie Walsh and Alex Cruz, who callously took advantage of a national crisis to inflict permanent damage on a weakened workforce. The ‘Memorandums of Agreement’ that resulted were signed by the unions under duress. We cannot see any way for BA to move forward successfully while these remain as they are.

Deeds not Words

BA’s new leadership say that they recognise the hurt that has been caused. It is likely that the recent ‘Reality Check’ survey will confirm how low morale has fallen. Many colleagues are simply voting with their feet and getting jobs with companies that will pay them better and treat them with some respect.

The GMB view is that BA needs to urgently address this crisis of morale and doing so requires more than just positive words. The following measures would make a start on the rebuilding process the airline desperately needs:

• Renegotiation of the Memorandums of Agreement;
• Discussions on pay that recognise the rising cost of living;

• Acting now to address work-life balance issues (eg rosters, leave etc) across the company.

We will continue to update you as talks progress.

Yours fraternally,

NADINE HOUGHTON

GMB NATIONAL OFFICER

Posted on: 12 December 2022

Dear Members

Following the positive outcome of the ‘A-Scale’ dispute at Heathrow, we now have a new pay offer from BA for the rest of 2022 and covering all parts of the business (except Cargo):

• A pay rise of 5%, from 1 September 2022
• A 5% one-off payment, paid in August 2022
• A further pay rise of 3% effective from 1 December 2022

These would replace the one-off payments previously envisaged for September and December.

Our HCS2012 and Head Office ‘A-Scale’ members would also receive the 5% ‘Reward 2022’ bonus that they have not yet been paid.

Further details of the offer are available from your local GMB reps.

Ballot

BA require the agreement of the Trade Unions to implement this offer so we are balloting our members with a recommendation to accept. The ballot will conclude on Friday, August 5th at 12.00. So look out for communication from your local GMB reps.

Unions Make A Difference!

We believe this is an encouraging step from British Airways, which is why we are recommending you vote ‘Yes’ in our ballot.

Recent events have shown beyond doubt that being in a union and acting together can benefit us all.

Take Care, Stay Strong,

NADINE HOUGHTON

NATIONAL OFFICER

Posted on: 10 November 2022

Dear Member, I am writing to you as the new GMB National Officer, replacing my colleague Nadine Houghton.

Banded Shift Pay

We believe that BA should have increased shift pay rates for our Banded members in July 2020, July 2021 and July 2022 in line with inflation (RPI). This is due to a paragraph in the MG Agreement - the national agreement that covers Banded and APPG colleagues. As a result we believe that money is owing from BA to our members. The amounts may not be huge, but we believe you are entitled to it.

Update

We have raised this matter formally with the company on your behalf – both in writing and at two meetings of the MG NSP. They have requested more time to consider this matter and we now expect their response at the end of November.

In the meantime if you have any questions please do not hesitate to speak to your local GMB rep.