Business Comment: Ba Backlash Looms After Staff Agree to Work for Free

Summary

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WILLIE Walsh may have won a battle in his bid to cut costs and ensure the survival of British Airways, but the war is far from over. The chief executive of the struggling airline last week hailed it as a victory that 800 staff have volunteered to work for nothing for up to a month after being told the company's future was "definitely at risk". He was given a further boost when the entire 11-member board of the airline also agreed to follow his lead and forfeit a month's salary.

Walsh described the agreement as a "fantastic first response". But just how fantastic is the fact that only a tiny percentage of BA employees agreed to work for nothing? Walsh has also angered unions, which are accusing him of using scaremongering tactics to get low- paid workers, many on salaries of GBP 11,000, to give up their income.

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Business Comment: Ba Backlash Looms After Staff Agree to Work for Free

It's hardly surprising, therefore, that the backlash against Walsh has intensified. The Unite union, which represents the BA cabin crew, is threatening a summer of strikes to protest aga...

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