Unite, Britain’s biggest union, is seeking an urgent meeting with BMI management, to demand assurances from the company over jobs, following the news that Bmi Chairman, Sir Michael Bishop, is to sell his controlling stake to Lufthansa.
The union is concerned that consolidation across the airlines will affect employment and that the fight for control of the already overloaded Heathrow runways between BA and it’s rivals, has little to do with maintaining customer service and high quality jobs.
Unite National Officer Brian Boyd Stated.
“The future may be bright for Sir Michael, but many loyal and dedicated workers are being left in the dark. We need assurances that jobs will not be affected. Lufthansa has shown little interest in BMI’s regional and low cost business. We believe the company is only interested in the 11% slice of Heathrow take-off slots which it will gain in purchasing Bmi.
“We see no benefits for the UK as a whole, nor for the workers which keep these airlines running. The workforce are once again the last group to be considered. It’s time for the airlines to be open and transparent with their employees and to focus on the whole of the UK, not just Heathrow.”
This news comes on the back of BA’s decision to close its Glasgow base, and raises questions about UK based airlines’ commitment to the whole of Britain and not just Heathrow. Unite has thousands of members at the other main UK based rival Virgin Atlantic and the union is concerned that the battle to consolidate will hit jobs, customer services and will leave many parts of Britain without the transport infrastructure it deserves.
