British Airways is set to appear in court after its method of allocating holiday pay to pilots was questioned by the Balpa union.
The issue revolves around the fact that BA currently provides holiday pay on the basis of the pilots’ basic salary. Balpa challenge this, saying that payments should be made taking into account other allowances.
Allowances can prove significant as BA pays pilots for time in the air, night flying and time away from home, all of which is in top of basic pay but none of which is taken into account in holiday pay calculations.
The airline is currently struggling financially and says changes could lead to 15,000 staff receiving an average of £600 more each year – perhaps not a gigantic sum for a business more used to measuring cash in millions and billions. Balpa has also challenged other airlines, including Virgin, BMI, Easyjet and Cityflyer.