British Airways’ pilots to strike in September as pay talks break down

The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) union has announced that as a result of long-running negotiations with British Airways (BA) failing to reach a settlement, pilots will be going on strike for three days in September on the 9^th, 10^th and 27^th of the month. The union has rejected BA’s offer of 11.5 percent spread over three years, which the airline was keen to point out had been accepted by other employees. 93% of pilots had voted in favour of industrial action which will cost BA approximately £40 million (US$49 million) per day. BALPA made it clear that pilots had made previous sacrifices to assist the company, including cuts to salary, pension and leave. And with BA now recording profits of £2 billion (US$2.46 billion) a year, the strike was “a last resort and with enormous frustration at the way the business is now being run.”