Brits' summer holiday plans could be thrown into disarray as easyJet pilots threaten to strike after rejecting a pay rise.
The low-cost British airline's pilots have reportedly turned down a pay offer, putting industrial action on the cards. If the deal isn't sweetened, the pilots will go on strike, according to The Sun.
Following the ballot rejection, representatives from the Balpa union and easyJet management were forced back to the negotiation table. Both of them have downplayed the chance of a strike. The number of pilots who might strike and when remains uncertain, but the union may opt for a busy summer holiday day to gain more leverage in negotiations with the budget airline.
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In the UK, trade unions must provide employers with at least 14 days' notice before starting industrial action, which could leave many Brits unable to change their holiday plans if they coincide with a strike day.
Captains with ten years of service at easyJet reportedly earn £163,589, which would have risen to £190,000 in October and up to £200,000 by April had they accepted the deal. Senior first officers were reportedly offered a £20,000 pay increase, bringing their annual salary to £112,879, while first officers' yearly pay would have increased to £75,446.
A source told the paper: "Balpa has already sounded out members about strike action. They are holding all the cards and the airline knows it. Bosses need to find even more money for pilots, or jets won't get off the ground this summer and holidaymakers face travel agony."
An easyJet spokesperson expressed their disappointment at the failed negotiations. "We are disappointed that the pilot pay deal was narrowly rejected. We remain in constructive dialogue with BALPA and no strike action is planned," they said.
If the pilots decide to strike, it would mark a first in recent UK history. Last year, their Spanish counterparts downed tools for several days in August amid a spat over wages and working conditions. Just a month prior, easyJet's Spanish cabin crew ditched a three-day walkout after bagging a deal with the airline that promised fatter pay checks, as reported by Union Sindical Obrera.
EasyJet was also in the news again this weekend for another, very different reason. Phil Lisle from Cardiff, had flown from Bristol to Benidorm with the airline along with a group of mates for a 60th birthday bash. But he was slapped with a £48 charge at Bristol Airport due to the size and weight of his leather holdall.
"I didn't want to kick up a fuss so I paid for it," Phil told WalesOnline, "but I was peeved. I knew it was a tad heavy but I'd just chucked some clothes in there without giving it much thought. It was really annoying because my shirts wouldn't have cost £48. They are the sort you pick up in Lidl's middle aisle. I asked if I could chuck them all but they said no."
But the night before Phil was due to fly back from Benidorm, he came up with a cunning plan to wear every single item of clothing in the bag - minus a couple of pairs of shoes. The bag contained 13 shirts, two pairs of trousers, four pairs of shorts and five pairs of underpants.
"I was roasting," he said. "If I was an octopus I'd have got the shoes on too."
