British Airways Asks Staff to Work for Free

BA boss vows to forego a month of his $1.2M salary

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 17, 2009 4:17 AM CDT

(Newser) – Thousands of British Airways staff have been asked to help boost the airline's battered bottom line by working for free for up to a month, CNN reports. Chief executive Willie Walsh emailed workers urging them to help the company survive by taking several weeks of unpaid leave and considering doing some work during the time off. Walsh promised to lead by example and forgo pay for a month.

"Many of you from across the airline are stepping up to help the company," wrote Walsh, who earns $1.2 million a year. "I am looking for every single part of the company to take part in some way in this cash-effective way of helping the company's survival plan. It really counts." Union officials said employees couldn't afford to work for free.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (2)]

A British Airways airplane at London's Heathrow Airport. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

No figures are available on how many British Airways staff have decided to take the airline up on its work-for-nothing offer. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways, poses for photographs in JFK Airport. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

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It's all well and good for Willie Walsh to say he's prepared to work for free when he earns four times in a month what they do in a year. - Union spokesman Ciaran Naidoo

I'm 30 years in this business and I've never seen anything like this. This is by far the biggest crisis the industry has ever faced. - Willie Walsh, British Airways' chief executive.

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 7 comments

Robert_Dada

Jun 17, 2009 12:32 PM CDT

Yes and in the grand scheme, he really doesn't make all that much for a CEO. Other than salary, I could only find 22,000 pounds worth of stock options. Again, not very much.

cfbailey

Jun 17, 2009 10:53 AM CDT

This is ridicules....what he should have offered was pay in company stock..why should anyone work for free?

doingtherightthing

Jun 17, 2009 9:51 AM CDT

I'm waiting for Obamanomic's to kick in so he can ask GM workers to give up there salaries for a month because of all the spending he is doing.......no new taxes just work free for a month.....I see it coming next. Thanks Willie Walsh you just gave Obama this idea.....

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British Airways Asks Staff to Work for Free