Easyjet CEO Carolyn McCall has written to all pilots pledging to work with them and BALPA general secretary Jim McAuslan to repair relationships and aim to make the airline a good and fair employer with an open honest approach to its staff.
In her letter McCall said: "I am going to be blunt. There has been a continued deterioration in relationships between the company and pilots and pilot representatives over the last few years. For whatever reasons management lost sight of how big a difference having great people makes. It has taken its toll on how pilots feel about working for EasyJet, building mistrust and a lack of respect."
She said in the past there had been a failure to meet commitments which the company had made. "I don't want it to be this way and I know pilots and BALPA don't want it either," she added. "I want to lead a fundamental change in style and approach."
McAuslan added: "This is a brave and game-changing approach. There has been some tough talking but I have nothing but praise for the imaginative move made by Carolyn McCall and Easyjet's new leadership. But we all know this will not be delivered without a lot of hard work and proper support."
One of the agreements between BALPA and Easyjet is that there should be an independent review body with an independent chairperson to look at pilot work patterns.
The commitments form part of a package of changes that also includes a 4% increase in basic pay and 5% increase in flight pay effective 1 October 2010, immediate changes to a number of rostering issues in advance of a more substantial review which already has financial support of £1.2 million earmarked and conversion of a number of temporary staff onto permanent contracts.
