British Airways staff have been renowned for decades for their commitment to first-class customer service, and long before lockdown and furlough, BA was in receipt of public funding, not least through the air fares of generations of Members of Parliament, peers, and Ministers from Scotland and elsewhere in the UK travelling to this place. So to say that my constituents and I are disappointed at BA’s proposals for a fire and rehire policy towards its staff is a significant understatement. BA must listen and this Government must act.

The petition states:

The petition of residents of Glasgow North,

Declares that job losses at British Airways, Rolls-Royce and across the aviation and aerospace industry will be a devastating blow to employees of these firms and will cause major economic damage to the whole of the UK; supports the early intervention by the Scottish Government in removing the business rates liability for one year and urges the UK Government to follow suit.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to secure a sustainable future for the aviation industry, to ensure that urgent discussions take place between relevant ministers and these firms to protect the maximum number of jobs, and to ensure that workers play a full role in the decisions being taken about this industry.

And the petitioners remain, etc.

[P002590]