Cabin crew gear up for strike vote

Unite has urged easyJet bosses (July 6) to get around the table for proactive pay talks, as about 2,000 of their cabin crew gear up for a strike ballot later this month.

easyJet management broke off talks with Unite on July 3. The company is seeking to impose a two per cent pay rise for cabin crew and 2.5 per cent for managers.

The ballot for strike action will open on Tuesday July 14 and close on Monday  August 3.

Unite pointed out ‘the glaring pay disparity’ between the average £25,000 salary for cabin crew and the massive £6m plus pocketed by the chief executive Carolyn McCall.

“We would urge easyJet to drop its high-handed approach and go back into talks,” Unite regional officer Kevin Hall said.

“Cabin crew have worked hard to make easyJet a success enabling the company to record pre-tax profits in excess of half a billion pounds.

“At the same time, directors’ pay has soared by over 18 per cent while the chief executive, Carolyn McCall has seen her pay rise to more than ÂŁ6m – over 240 times more than the average cabin crew. The disparity in pay is glaring.

“All our members are asking for is a decent pay rise that reflects the important role they have played in making easyJet, a leading European short haul airline. We hope easyJet will reconsider its position and enter into meaningful talks.”

He added, “There is a quite considerable amount of time before the result of the strike ballot and plenty of opportunity for the management to come up with a fair pay offer – the ball is very much in their court.”

Unite cabin crew operate from 11 UK bases: Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Southend and Stansted.