Around 24,000 British Airways employees will get a pay rise of 13.1% over an 18-month period as demand for air travel soars, following disruptions across the industry as workers push for higher wages.
Along with the salary increase, BA’s workers will also receive a one-off payment of £1,000 ($1,270), the Unite union said in a statement on Friday. Pilots and management are excluded from the deal, it said.
The union agreement ends sporadic wage disputes by various groups of BA workers as the UK grapples with soaring inflation and a cost of living crisis. Unite said it has reversed BA’s decision at the start of the pandemic to “fire and rehire” employees, while securing additional pay rises for other groups of staff at the airline.
Owned by IAG SA, BA dismissed as many as 10,000 workers and cut wages for others at the peak of the Covid pandemic. As a result, it was hard hit by a staffing shortfall last summer when travel came roaring back as restrictions ended.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the pay rise was “sizeable”. BA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Updates with details of the accord throughout.)
