I've been a BA cabin crew member for 21 years. BA has consistently stated that its costs are so high that it cannot keep paying such inflated wages and benefits and still make a profit. Indeed, it says cabin crew's remuneration needs to be cut to the market rate of other UK competitors, plus an additional 10%.
In the war of attrition against us, our CEO published blatantly inaccurate figures about our salaries on the company website to support this argument. The figures bore no relation to reality, but I found myself having to justify my salary at every party, during every flight and in every conversation. People believe what they read, so I decided to investigate.
Just like the untruth that "very few cabin crew went on strike" according to Willie Walsh, when it has now been confirmed over that 70% took industrial action, the published cabin crew salaries present a gross inaccuracy.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reveals the true figures. BA cabin crew are already the lowest paid personnel within the company. The average salary cost for pilots is £107,600. Cabin crew costs are 72% lower. The average maintenance and overhaul personnel salary cost is £39,800. Cabin crew costs are 25% lower. The average ticketing and sales personnel salary cost is £34,600. Cabin crew are 13% lower. And, the salary costs for pilot is some 40% higher than the average market rate of UK pilots.
The company compares our salaries with Virgin, easyJet and other UK carriers. But on every internal training course I have ever done, BA make it clear we are a global, full service, premium airline.
Comparing our salaries with our biggest competitors, namely, Singapore and Emirates, BA's proposal for the "new fleet" salaries of £11,000 basic plus £2.40 an hour is not an attractive one. By contrast, Singapore pay £20,792 (not including the annual supplement of one month's salary or the profit share), flight pay and health and pension packages
CAA reports also show that BA cabin crew expenditure has been dropping since 2006 while easyJet and Virgin salaries have increased. For example, from 2006 to 2008, BA salary costs have fallen from £24,709 to £23,654, while easyJet's have risen from £20,818 to £28,998.
Virgin also offer more favourable staff travel perks – 10 free tickets per year for any friend as against BA's one after eight years and two after 20 years for two nominees. BA's pensionable pay is on basic pay only. After some 30 years of service, many staff will retire on less than £12,000 per year.
Between 2006 and 2008, BA passenger revenue increased, with 2008 being BA's most profitable year ever. Yet, according to Walsh, in June 2009 company cash reserves were so low that he asked staff to work for nothing.
One year on, the BA board has awarded itself a remuneration package of £14m (for 11 members) and wasted £1.4bn on facing down strikes rather than reaching a negotiated settlement.
BA charges the most expensive prices in Britain, yet regards its cabin crew as instantly replaceable without it affecting the quality of the brand. The standard of recruits will drop, staff morale will be low but the ticket price will remain high. Customers and shareholders will suffer the most in the end, as there will be nothing to differentiate BA from any other airline.
