British Airline Pilots' Association

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) is the professional association and registered trade union for UK pilots. BALPA represents the views and interests of pilots, campaigning on contractual, legal and health issues affecting its members and the flying public.

BALPA
British Airline Pilots' Association
Founded27 June 1937
HeadquartersWest Drayton, England
Location
Members
Decrease 14,530 (2021)[1]
Key people
Captain Paul Naylor, Executive President; Brian Strutton, General Secretary
AffiliationsTUC
Websitewww.balpa.org

Membership and governance

BALPA represents 85% of all commercial pilots in the UK and represents over 10,000 members. These include helicopter winchmen and ground instructors.[2] The association holds the largest collective resource of pilot qualification and experience in the UK.[3]

BALPA is one of the founder members of the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations (IFALPA), which co-ordinates the views and opinions of well over 100,000 flight crew around the globe.[4] In Europe, BALPA is a founding member of ECA, the European Cockpit Association.[5] BALPA also works with the Civil Aviation Authority, the Department for Transport, the Department of Trade and Industry and many other bodies where pilots have an interest in being represented.[6]

BALPA is governed by an Annual Delegate Conference (ADC) made up of representatives of the Company Councils and a National Executive Committee (NEC) composed of elected pilots.[7] As well as generating policy and association strategy, the NEC ensures that the organization is run in an efficient, legal and responsible manner.[8]

Structure

BALPA has recognition agreements with airlines in multiple sectors.[9] BALPA members in each of these companies elect a Company Council that leads a community of members.[10]

There are eleven sub-committees of the NEC; Flight Safety and Security, Accident Analysis and Prevention, Air Traffic Services Study Group, Ops Aviation Medicine Group, Occupational Health and Safety Group, Aircraft Design & Operations/Aircraft Ground Environment, Security Group, Fatigue and Scheduling Group, Helicopter Affairs Committee, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Work Group and Retired Flight Crew Committee.[11]

Membership

To qualify for Full Membership applicants must hold a current professional pilot licence or flight engineer licence issued by the UK or one of the JAA countries, be engaged in British commercial flying and be based in the UK or employed by a UK Company abroad. Alternatively members may qualify as a ground instructor or helicopter winchman employed in British commercial flying.[12]

There are also membership categories available for overseas, retired, military, unemployed and trainee pilots.[13]

Industrial Activity

BALPA campaigns on a wide variety of issues which affect pilots and the flying public.

Air Passenger Duty

Air Passenger Duty (APD) is the UK Government tax that is charged on all passengers departing from a UK airport. BALPA is an active member of the A Fair Tax on Flying campaign, a coalition of more than 30 leading travel and aviation organisations including airlines, airports, trade associations and destinations who believe that APD is too high and is doing growing damage to jobs, growth and the UK economic recovery.[14]

Casualisation

Casualisation and the use of contract labour is a growing issue in the aviation industry.[15] BALPA has been campaigning on this issue and have had success in formulating a New Entrant Contract that delivers significant improvements to those entering the profession at EasyJet.[16] Driving casualisation out of the whole industry remains one of BALPA's key priorities.[17]

As part of its campaign to combat the growing use of contingent workers in the aviation industry, BALPA commissioned the Labour Research Department (LRD) in 2012 to work with the union to produce a booklet focusing on the use of contingent workers in airlines where BALPA is recognised. The booklet highlights the legal framework, in particular the Agency Workers Regulations, which became law in October 2011.[18]

Flight Time Limitations

Flight Time Limitations exist to ensure the safe operation of commercial aircraft and to avoid the onset of pilot fatigue.[19] Pilot fatigue is a state of serious tiredness and exhaustion that reduces a pilots ability to operate safely. 15-20% of fatal accidents related to human errors have listed pilot fatigue as a contributing factor.[20] BALPA has continuously sought to protect high safety standards of Flight Time Limitations in the UK.[21]

British Airways "Fire and Rehire" dispute

In summer of 2020, British Airways and its parent company International Airline Group announced a restructuring programme that included up to 12,000 redundancies,[22] including 1,255 pilots.[23] BALPA members eventually accepted a deal that included a temporary 20% pay cut and a reduced number (270) of compulsory redundancies.[24]

BALPA was featured in the Monty Python's Flying Circus television episode "Déjà Vu" in which Eric Idle portrays the BALPA spokesman in the 'Flying Lessons' sketch.

See also

References
  1. "Form AR21 (Annual Return for a Trade Union): British Air Line Pilots Association" (PDF). GOV.UK. 26 July 2023.
  2. "British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA)". Archived from the original on 2 March 2000. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  3. "Flight Global Archive" (PDF).
  4. "Who Are IFALPA?". BALPA. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  5. ""BALPA's technical contributions"". BALPA. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  6. "Joint statement from the DfT and transport trade unions". BALPA. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  7. "NEC". BALPA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  8. "NEC". BALPA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  9. "'Historic' deal sees Ryanair agree to recognise UK pilots' union". Irish Examiner.
  10. "Ryanair reaches historic agreement with UK pilots as it agrees to recognise trade union". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  11. "Committees". BALPA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  12. "BALPA". Archived from the original on 2 March 2000. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  13. "Join BALPA". BALPA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016.
  14. "Home - A Fair Tax On Flying". A Fair Tax On Flying. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  15. ECA reflects on economic crisis implications for aviation | European Cockpit Association (ECA). Eurocockpit.be. Retrieved on 2013-07-18. Archived 22 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  16. EasyJet agrees pilot recruitment terms with BALPA. Flightglobal.com (2013-06-07). Retrieved on 2013-07-18.
  17. Casualisation - Breakthrough In Easyjet. BALPA (2008-11-08). Retrieved on 2013-07-18. Archived 17 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  18. Casualisation. BALPA (2008-11-08). Retrieved on 2013-07-18. Archived 12 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  19. SemiColonWeb. "Flight Time Limitations | PACTS". www.pacts.org.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  20. Fatigue in Accidents | European Cockpit Association (ECA). Eurocockpit.be. Retrieved on 2013-07-18. Archived 10 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Flight time limitations (24th February 2012)". www.publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  22. Leggett, Theo (12 June 2020). "British Airways: A breakdown in trust?". BBC.
  23. "British Airways pilots to be consulted on job protection package". BALPA. 22 July 2020. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  24. "BA pilots accept jobs deal". BALPA. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
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