British Airways staff to retrain as cabin crew
January 26, 2010
Trade union Unite has called the move cynical and dangerous but British Airways and the Civil Aviation Authority seem happy that the new cabin crew crash-course will not put passenger safety at risk. British Airways CEO, Willie Walsh recently announced to staff at British Airways that if they are eligible to do so they can volunteer to retrain to work in the aircraft cabins. The move was made to ensure that the disruption caused by a possible strike by the airline’s present cabin crew would be limited.
A ballot is now being held following the High Court ruling at Christmas saying that a strike by BA cabin crew would be unlawful due to irregularities in the voting system. Unite have since said they have ironed out the creases and called for a new vote. They have condemned the retraining of staff to take over from the existing crew by saying that it is an insult both to members of the cabin crew and the airline’s passengers who fly with BA because they want a superior service. It usually takes three months to train a steward or stewardess but the new course will take just three weeks.
Unite claim that passenger safety could be put at risk. British Airways have stated that their passenger’s interests and safety would always come first and that they would ensure that the new training programme complies with all standards set by the regulatory authorities. The Civil Aviation Authority has already said that the training course meets all of their criteria.
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