BALPA calls for “last ditch” Virgin talks

The British Airline Pilots’ Association  (BALPA) has called on Virgin Atlantic to hold “last ditch” talks concerning a dispute over the minimum number of rostered days off for the carrier’s pilots. In a statement on the BALPA website the association said it had asked Virgin to participate in talks tomorrow (Tuesday August 24), in order to “avoid confrontation between the airline and its pilots”. BALPA says the dispute is over “the way the company is denying pilots their entitlement to a minimum number of rostered days off which are allowed for in an agreement the pilots have with the airline. These 120 rostered days off per year are the equivalent of an office worker's weekends and bank holidays but without the same predictability.” Jim McAuslan, General Secretary of BALPA, said: “BALPA always does what it can to assist airlines through downturns, as many airlines will testify, and we did this with Virgin during these past difficult years. To now find that the company is breaching an agreement and denying many pilots their entitlement to the equivalent of a weekend off is a real slap in the face and one which we cannot accept.“We call on the company to pick up our offer of talks and to find a way through.” In response to the BALPA statement Virgin said: "We have not had any notification of a ballot. We have a routine, monthly meeting with our pilots on this coming Tuesday and we will be discussing any issues that arise, in that forum." For more information visit virgin-atlantic.com, balpa.org.