Yesterday Gavin Newlands MP (SNP, Paisley and Renfrewshire North) introduced a bill in the House of Commons which would end the controversial practice of ‘fire and rehire’ which is currently being threatened in British Airways and other companies across the UK.

BALPA has welcomed this bill which has got cross-party backing, and has urged the Government to consider how it can support its aim to ban this practice.

‘Fire and rehire’ is a legal but appalling industrial relations practice where companies essentially blackmail their employees to accept inferior terms and conditions or else threaten to fire and then rehire them, often on even worse terms. This is exactly what British Airways threatened its cabin crew workforce with, and recently its pilots too.

Brian Strutton, BALPA General Secretary, said, “It is absolutely right that this practice of essentially legalised blackmail should be outlawed in the UK and we welcome Gavin Newlands’ work on this.

“We’ve heard warm words from Government Ministers and even the Prime Minister on the situation in BA – here is some action they could take.”