(Changes sourcing, adds quotes, detail)
LONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - London's Heathrow Airport said it
is consulting with unions about redundancies as a result of a
downturn in the industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which
could see over 1,000 frontline roles go.
The airport has informed union officials that it was
triggering a 45-day consultation period about the proposals,
which involve voluntary severance schemes as well as pay and
recruitment freezes and salary reductions for management.
The proposals, which Sky News said could see up to 1,200
front-line roles go, followed four months of discussions with
trade unions, the airport said, adding that the final offer had
been informed by feedback received from them
"But with air travel showing little sign of recovery, these
discussions cannot go on indefinitely and we must act now to
prevent our situation from worsening," a spokeswoman for the
airport said on Wednesday.
"We have now started a period of formal consultation with
our unions on our offer, which still guarantees a job at the
airport for anyone who wishes to stay with our business.”
Heathrow said the cuts were in response to an
"unprecedented" drop in passenger numbers at Britain's biggest
airport, with provisional traffic figures for August showing
them down 82% on last year.
It has previously said that Britain's quarantine rules for
testing should be replaced by a testing regime as the current
arrangements are stalling the economy and could lead to job
losses.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Kate Holton and
Stephen Addison)