British Airways' pilot union requested new negotiations on Tuesday to resolve the conflict, which has paralyzed the company's operations for two days with billions of dollars in costs for owner IAG.
New strikes are threatening on September 27 unless negotiators reach a solution, according to Bloomberg. However, no talks are planned before the strike is called off a minute before midnight on Tuesday.
”"The pilots have shown a resolute stance and British Airways must now start listening and coming up with solutions to the dispute," general secretary Brian Strutton told the news agency.
British Airways pilots are already among the world's best paid, according to statements from the company's CEO Alex Cruz for the BBC. An earlier proposal, which the pilots rejected, had given a pay rise of 11.5 percent to 202,000 pounds per year. That's just over 2.4 million kronor. British Airways pilots have not struck since 1979, according to Bloomberg.
However, the pilots' union is critical of the data, claiming that a solution would have cost IAG the relatively small sum of £5 million.
The conflict is based on the pilots wanting back benefits that were part of agreements before the 2008 financial crisis, when cabin crew agreed to pay cuts to help the airline's financial difficulties. Now they want share benefits and profit sharing. IAG's positive profit development may have contributed, as profits increased by 18 percent in the first quarter.
Several airlines rose sharply on European stock exchanges on Tuesday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's proposal for a snap election was voted down in parliament. IAG was up 5.7 percent with a few hours left before the stock market close.
Source: news agency direct
