STRIKING British Airways Mixed Fleet Cabin Crew are travelling up to the TUC headquarters in central London this morning to garner support from the TUC for their strike against poverty pay.
Speaking on the picket line at Hatton Cross Tube Station on the perimeter of Heathrow Airport yesterday morning, Unite member Sasha Gawish told News Line: ‘We’re getting really good support. The other fleets are saying they are proud of us.
‘BA must come back to the negotiating table. It’s costing them millions to charter other airlines to take on our work. The rest of the airport should be called out on strike to support us. An injury to one is an injury to all.’
Pedro Azevedo, BA Mixed Fleet Unite shop steward, said: ‘We have 3,000 mixed fleet members and we’re all very angry at our poverty pay. Our basic salary starts at just £12,000 a year, it’s impossible to live on it.
‘Bring out the rest of BA workers. How can an airline that makes £1.4 billion profit not be able to afford decent wages for their front line employees? Last year we saw our CEO Willie Walsh taking an £8.8 million bonus. How can they be proud of their company?
‘Yesterday the local Labour MP and shadow chancellor John McDonnell came and spoke to us. He said there is a growing gap between rich and poor, and that’s true. It’s certainly what we see at BA.’
Tamer Gatas, Unite shop steward and equality rep, said: ‘We are meeting at the TUC at 11am on Saturday. The TUC will be welcoming us and we want them to put out a call for support from the whole trade union movement. BA, the most famous company in the country, makes millions every day and wants to give us just 6p. We’re not having it!’