Cabin crew members of British Airways are continuing with their strike as they oppose low wages meted out by the authorities.
With a poverty pay of a paltry £16,000 (approximately $19,859) per year, the crew members can barely afford a proper meal. Due to unavailability of hotels, the attendants have to sleep in cars before heading on for their next shift.
One of the cabin crew members Charly Bacon speaks about her experience of working with British Airways. She has been a part of the "poverty pay" strike for quite some time now.
Charly has been flying with the airline for four years. What attracted the 25-year-old to this profession was the glamor quotient.
"You expect to be able to afford things like phone bills, rent and petrol for your car as well as work and love the job that you do but unfortunately that is not the case," said Charly.
Since not many can afford the crew or the hotel rooms, some of them have to spend the night in cars. With so much being sacrificed, the employees are now looking up to the authorities to listen to their demands and hike their salary, which will enable them to afford a comfortable and better existence even while continuing with this profession.
Around 2,900 crew members are involved in this strike and are all hoping to receive a hike in pay and also resume work.
The row between British Airways authorities and the cabin crew is intensifying with neither willing to give in. It remains to be seen what ultimately unfolds and if a compromise can be reached.
The British Airways authorities has reportedly threatened its crew members that it will increase the penalties for those who are partaking in the strike. Moreover, employees who continue to be a part of the strike shall be deprived of bonuses and staff perks for nearly two years.
New cabin crew recruitment apparently starts at around £12,000 (approximately $14,894) and that the bonuses and grants and increase it to almost £21,000 (approximately $26,065) per Unite, the union which represents the British Airways crew.
"We've been talking to Unite now for several months about cabin crew pay so we've offered a very fair and reasonable pay rise to our cabin crew colleagues which has been accepted by over 92% of our colleagues across British Airways," said Karen Slinger, British Airways cabin crew head.
With maximum support for the operations, a British Airways spokesperson has revealed that the airline plans to continue providing superior quality service to its customers and will fly 100 percent of the customers to their destinations.
So far, the airlines has faced an 11-day strike this year, with an additional 8 days scheduled in the next fortnight by the cabin crew members.
