British Airways has warned its pilots union that it will fire all 4,300 airline pilots and re-employ them on individual contracts unless the union reaches an agreement with the company.
The union said in an e-mail that the airline, which is negotiating to cut 1,130 jobs represented by the Palpa union, sought to give up other jobs to pilots on Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported today.
"This has seriously undermined our currently suspended talks with a thin thread," said Brian Sturton, union secretary-general.
A spokesman for the company, which is currently working to cut 12,000 jobs across the company, said it was "working to protect as many jobs as possible".
He pointed out that "the company is currently facing the biggest structural change in its history, and it is also facing a global economy that has been subjected to severe weakness."
The company CEO, Alex Cruz, said in a letter to employees, seen by Bloomberg, that she was losing 178 million pounds a week without realizing any revenue, which prompted her to keep her cash.