In British Airways, Employees Were Forced To Participate In The "Voluntary Dismissal" Program
British Airways decided to lay off 12 thousand people after the flights came to a halt due to the corona virus outbreak.In this direction, the "voluntary dismissal" program was prepared.The company announced that 6 thousand people applied for this program.According to the news in the BBC, in British Airways, some employees were forced to participate in the "voluntary dismissal" program.An employee using the pseudonym Carol said in a statement, “British Airways said I should apply for a job if I do not participate in the voluntary layoff program.It was stated that otherwise I could only receive a legal layoff payment.It was also emphasized that I will be in the 'fire and recruit' category, but will not be recruited.This behavior I encountered after working for the company for 23 years made me feel like I was slapped in the face ”.Carol said, “Even when I haven't applied for the voluntary withdrawal program yet, tell me‘ Thank you for your service.Good luck 'message.That's all I've gotten after 23 years.Since the payment to be made will not cover my loan installments, I have to sell my house.In fact, we were subjected to age discrimination and we were thrown out ”.Another former employee who voluntarily quit and asked to be called 'Erica' said an increasingly 'toxic' work environment was developing at British Airways.“Yes, the pandemic has had dire effects on the industry,” says Erica, who has served the company for many years to work as a flight attendant on a Concorde aircraft.However, these are permanent actions towards a temporary situation."It has been an opportunity for the configuration that the company has planned for a long time."In British Airways' "fire, re-hire" policy, it was stated that they re-employed their employees at much lower salaries and conditions.“I am a single mother,” said a 15-year-old cabin crew employee who asked to be called "Vicky."Losing half of my salary is a situation I cannot afford ”.The company denied allegations that it was pressuring to quit voluntarily.In the statement made, it was noted that more than 6 thousand people applied to it, and this number refuted the allegations of repression.British Airways spokesperson said that the company had to implement this plan, saying, “The impact of the Corona virus outbreak on our financial statement has been devastating."We have to take all possible precautions with difficult decisions to keep as many of our staff in the company as possible."