BA staff get 'stress' perks
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004401204,00.html
By GARY O’SHEA
BRITISH Airways has rewarded staff with £4million of perks for coping with “stress†during last week’s chaos.
The airline announced it will give 17,500 workers two free flights each.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded at Heathrow last week as around 100 flights were axed due to staff shortages and engineering problems.
Many passengers were forced to sleep overnight in terminals. In the midst of the crisis dozens of staff stayed home “sick†— heaping even more misery on travellers.
But the perks announced yesterday will go to ALL baggage handlers, call centre workers, engineers, check-in and cargo staff — even if they were off “sickâ€.
A British Airways spokesman said: “It’s our way of saying thank you to these staff, in recognition of the stress and inconvenience they suffered during recent operational difficulties.â€
The seats — mostly on less busy routes — will be made available through BA’s internal hotline service which makes cheap flights available to staff.
BA’s spokesman added: “The offer will be open from October 2004 to February 2006, so the costs will be spread out.â€
But a Tory party spokesman last night blasted the move.
He said: “Thousands of holidaymakers have spent days in misery, and to hear that staff are now being rewarded will annoy them. Something is not right here.â€
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004401204,00.html
By GARY O’SHEA
BRITISH Airways has rewarded staff with £4million of perks for coping with “stress†during last week’s chaos.
The airline announced it will give 17,500 workers two free flights each.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded at Heathrow last week as around 100 flights were axed due to staff shortages and engineering problems.
Many passengers were forced to sleep overnight in terminals. In the midst of the crisis dozens of staff stayed home “sick†— heaping even more misery on travellers.
But the perks announced yesterday will go to ALL baggage handlers, call centre workers, engineers, check-in and cargo staff — even if they were off “sickâ€.
A British Airways spokesman said: “It’s our way of saying thank you to these staff, in recognition of the stress and inconvenience they suffered during recent operational difficulties.â€
The seats — mostly on less busy routes — will be made available through BA’s internal hotline service which makes cheap flights available to staff.
BA’s spokesman added: “The offer will be open from October 2004 to February 2006, so the costs will be spread out.â€
But a Tory party spokesman last night blasted the move.
He said: “Thousands of holidaymakers have spent days in misery, and to hear that staff are now being rewarded will annoy them. Something is not right here.â€
