LONDON: The trade union battling British Airways (BA) has met investors in its parent company IAG, seeking to ramp up pressure on the airline over plans to cut staff, pay and conditions.
BA plans to cut 12,000 staff, or more than a quarter of its workforce, to tackle the coronavirus crisis and has also angered unions by proposing new contracts for the workers it keeps.
Unite, the union which represents BA cabin crew, has responded by lobbying for law to be changed to allow BA to be stripped of some valuable take-off and landing slots at London’s Heathrow Airport if it proceeds with it plans.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s executive officer, said it had won significant political backing for its campaign and met investors this week to highlight the risks to BA’s profits if it lost key airport slots.
She said Unite had support from 90 lawmakers from several parties. A minister said earlier in June that BA’s slots could be reviewed.
Graham forecast the battle with BA could last a year and said its significance went beyond the airline industry.
“If we let this company get away with this, then other companies will follow suit. There’ll be things people would like to do and they’ll use the crisis to do it,” she said.
Under historical rights, BA operates over 50 percent of slots at Heathrow and losing any would hurt its profits.
At the moment, about 22,000 BA staff are furloughed.
Unite says the 30,000 staff it plans to keep are being given new contracts, some with pay cuts of up to 70 percent. BA says it has proposed pay cuts to a maximum of 20 percent.
The union says other airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic have all agreed that pay cuts and other changes would be temporary.
Alex Cruz, BA’s boss, told staff in June that if slots were removed, more jobs would go.
British Airways trade union pleads case to IAG investors
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British Airways trade union pleads case to IAG investors
- Unite meets investors of BA’s parent company IAG to ramp up pressure over planned staff cuts
Global brands shut Middle East stores as conflict causes chaos
- Luxury brands and retailers close stores in Middle East
- Conflict threatens the region that has been luxury’s fastest growing
- Mass-market retailers monitor situation, adjust operations in region
PARIS: In Dubai and other major Middle Eastern shopping hubs, many stores are closed or operating with a skeleton staff as the escalating conflict in the region causes chaos for businesses and travel.
The US-Israeli air war against Iran expanded on Monday with no end in sight, with Tehran firing missiles and drones at Gulf states as it retaliates for a weekend of bombing that killed Iran’s supreme leader and reportedly killed scores of Iranian civilians, including a strike on a girls’ primary school.
Chalhoub Group, which runs 900 stores for brands from Versace and Jimmy Choo to Sephora across the region, said its stores in Bahrain were closed, while other markets, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan remained open though staff attendance was “voluntary.”
“We operate with a lean team formed of members who volunteered and feel comfortable to come to the store,” Chalhoub’s Vice President of Communications Lynn al Khatib told Reuters, adding that the company’s leadership team personally visited Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates on Monday morning to check in with workers.
E-commerce giant Amazon closed its fulfillment center operations in Abu Dhabi, suspended deliveries across the region and instructed its employees in Saudi Arabia and Jordan to remain indoors, Business Insider reported on Monday, citing an internal memo.
Gucci-owner Kering said its stores were temporarily closed in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar and it has suspended travel to the Middle East.
Luxury growth engine under threat
Shares in luxury groups LVMH, Hermes, and Cartier-owner Richemont were down 4 percent to 5.7 percent on Monday afternoon as investors digested the knock-on impacts of the conflict.
The Middle East still accounts for a small share of global spending on luxury — between 5 percent and 10 percent, according to RBC analyst Piral Dadhania. But the region was “luxury’s brightest performer” last year, according to consultancy Bain, while sales of expensive handbags have stalled in the rest of the world.
Now, shuttered airports have put an abrupt stop to tourism flows into the region and missile strikes — including one that damaged Dubai’s five-star Fairmont Palm hotel — are likely to dissuade travelers, particularly if the conflict drags on.
“If you assume that it’s a $5 billion to $6 billion (travel retail) market and let’s say it’s going to be shut down for a month, we are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars that are definitely at risk,” said Victor Dijon, senior partner at consultancy Kearney.
If Middle Eastern shoppers cannot travel to Paris or Milan, that could also hurt luxury sales in Europe, he added.
Luxury brands have been investing in lavish new stores and exclusive events across the region. Cartier unveiled a “high-jewelry” exhibition in Dubai’s Keturah Park just days before the conflict started.
Cartier and Richemont did not reply to requests for comment.
Luxury conglomerate LVMH has also bet big on the region. Last month, its flagship brand Louis Vuitton staged an exhibition at the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab hotel, and beauty retailer Sephora launched its first Saudi beauty brand.
LVMH does not report specific figures for the region, but in January Chief Financial Officer Cecile Cabanis said the Middle East has been “displaying significant growth.” LVMH did not reply to a request for comment on how its business may be impacted by the conflict.
The Middle East has also attracted new investment from mass-market players. Budget fashion retailer Primark said in January that it plans to open three stores in Dubai in March, April and May, followed by stores in Bahrain and Qatar by the end of the year.
“Primark is set to open its first store in Dubai at the end of March but clearly this is a fast-moving situation which we are monitoring closely,” a spokesperson for Primark-owner Associated British Foods said.
Apple stores in Dubai will remain closed until Thursday morning, the company’s website showed, while Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M said its stores in Bahrain and Israel are closed.
Consumer goods group Reckitt has told all employees in the Middle East to work from home, temporarily closed its Bahrain manufacturing site and suspended all business travel to the region until further notice.
