Employees ‘should not pay for the economic crisis’

Posted 17/06/2009

People in the UK should not be made to pay for the economic crisis by working for free, the Institute of Employment Rights (IER) has insisted.

This week, British Airways offered staff the option of working unpaid for a set period of time to aid its business recovery plans.

However, the IER believes that while forgoing their monthly salary may be an option for senior figures such as chief executive Willie Walsh, the average employee cannot afford to take similar measures.

“It shows how the management don’t live in the real world,” said director Carolyn Jones.

“The idea that they might have their desk staff, cleaners or baggage handlers work for nothing is an insult.”

She added that typical workers cannot afford to fall back on their savings and work for free, particularly as many have had below-inflation pay rises in the last few years.

This comes as more and more workers in the UK face the prospect of redundancy, as official figures have revealed that unemployment is now at the highest level since July 1997.