With Easyjet the latest airline to announce major job cuts of almost a third of its entire workforce, is it now time to face an uncomfortable truth?
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have already announced intended cuts of around a quarter of their respective workforces, with their bosses not expecting recovery to pre covid-19 levels until at least 2023. Resting below the headlines is a further unsettling prospect, and one that is currently testing the unions, and that is the spectre of sweeping reductions to cabin crew and pilot terms and conditions.
Having been engaged in a ‘race to the bottom’ in working conditions for years the budget and charter carriers have long grappled with increasing demands upon it’s workers. Now it would finally seem the industry has changed for ever. That there is no best option, no bastion of a company for which the lure and glamour will entice and retain the best people in service of a vocation that once offered so much.
What we have seen as a result of the coronavirus crisis is the adoption of new universal ways of working, with home-working and zoom calls the norm. It is also the case that in adapting to the challenges ahead companies are shifting from replaceable to renewable workforces.
The question for airlines is what will their hardworking cabin crew and pilots do while we await full recovery and what will we do to re-skill and support them in the meantime?
Miramar Connect is working hard with industry leaders, training providers and the CBI to meet this current redeployment challenge and we are dedicated to supporting our colleagues face the uncertainties ahead.
#MiramarConnect. www.miramarconnect.com
