EasyJet cabin crew threaten to strike for first time in history
Holidaymakers may be in for a shock this week after cabin crew from easyJet threatened to strike for the first time in the budget airline's history.
The planned action adds to the travel chaos that has already blighted thousands of holidaymakers this summer after strikes at Calais and planned air traffic control strikes over France.
The flight attendants are thought to earn £25,000 a year currently, but Unite claims this just isn't enough, the Daily Mail reports.
Unite officials were in talks with easyJet last week about the pay dispute. The airline is thought to have offered its cabin crew a 4.1 per cent pay rise and a 5.1 per cent increase for cabin managers before the debate broke down on Thursday.
EasyJet said: "We believe it is right to make the award now since cabin crew, the majority of which are not union members, have been waiting for a conclusion to the pay discussions for a number of months."
The airline added: "EasyJet is disappointed that in a recent Unite pay ballot members voted to reject the offer however we note that the majority of easyJet's cabin crew are not members of Unite and we estimate that only one in five of easyJet's UK cabin crew voted against the offer."
According to City AM, Unite will announce a ballot for strike action tomorrow, but they also say that the opportunity to continue talks is still available.
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. At the same time, director's pay has soared by over 18 per cent while the chief executive, Carolyn McCall, has seen her pay rise to more than £6 million, over 240 times more than the average cabin crew member."
EasyJet was founded in 1995 by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and operates on more than 700 routes in over 30 countries. The budget airline is thought to currently employ nearly 9,000 members of staff.
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