[UK] Virgin Atlantic cabin crew sue airline alleging unfair dismissal

Virgin Atlantic is being sued for unfair dismissal by hundreds of long-serving cabin crew. They allege that the airline used pandemic redundancies to target older employees, The Guardian reports.

In June, an employment tribunal in London will examine more than 200 cases as former crew argue that Virgin unfairly made them redundant yet retained cheaper new hires.

From March 2020, Virgin Atlantic - like most airlines - grounded the majority of its fleet in the wake of pandemic lockdowns and global travel restrictions.

Sir Richard Branson’s airline cut 3,000 jobs and went on to shed more than 40 per cent of its 10,000-strong workforce. It established a “holding pool” for redundant staff so they could potentially be hired again when flights resumed.

But disclosure documents reportedly show that Virgin Atlantic retained 350 new cabin crew via the pool, some with as little as one week’s training. Onboard managers, by contrast - who were an average of 45 years old with 20 years of experience - were made redundant.

A further 150 former staff are reportedly pursuing claims via the Cabin Crew Union while 11 are represented elsewhere.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told The Guardian, “Following the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry, Virgin Atlantic had to make very difficult decisions. Sadly, this included reducing the number of people employed across the business by 45%.

“Our people are incredibly important to us, from those who have been with us since 1984, to our newest recruits. Throughout the redundancy process, we were committed to ensuring all our people were treated fairly and compassionately.

“To allow as many of our people to return as soon as demand allowed, we introduced a holding pool, which meant that more than 1,000 of our cabin crew returned at their previous level of seniority.

“Where people had to unfortunately leave us, it was for unbiased, objective and lawful reasons, after full consultation with our recognised unions, elected colleague representatives and clear and open continued communication.”

Source: The Guardian

(LInk and quotes via original reporting)

Virgin Atlantic is being sued for unfair dismissal by hundreds of long-serving cabin crew. They allege that the airline used pandemic redundancies to target older employees, The Guardian reports.

In June, an employment tribunal in London will examine more than 200 cases as former crew argue that Virgin unfairly made them redundant yet retained cheaper new hires.

From March 2020, Virgin Atlantic - like most airlines - grounded the majority of its fleet in the wake of pandemic lockdowns and global travel restrictions.

Sir Richard Branson’s airline cut 3,000 jobs and went on to shed more than 40 per cent of its 10,000-strong workforce. It established a “holding pool” for redundant staff so they could potentially be hired again when flights resumed.

But disclosure documents reportedly show that Virgin Atlantic retained 350 new cabin crew via the pool, some with as little as one week’s training. Onboard managers, by contrast - who were an average of 45 years old with 20 years of experience - were made redundant.

A further 150 former staff are reportedly pursuing claims via the Cabin Crew Union while 11 are represented elsewhere.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told The Guardian, “Following the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry, Virgin Atlantic had to make very difficult decisions. Sadly, this included reducing the number of people employed across the business by 45%.

“Our people are incredibly important to us, from those who have been with us since 1984, to our newest recruits. Throughout the redundancy process, we were committed to ensuring all our people were treated fairly and compassionately.

“To allow as many of our people to return as soon as demand allowed, we introduced a holding pool, which meant that more than 1,000 of our cabin crew returned at their previous level of seniority.

“Where people had to unfortunately leave us, it was for unbiased, objective and lawful reasons, after full consultation with our recognised unions, elected colleague representatives and clear and open continued communication.”

Source: The Guardian

(LInk and quotes via original reporting)