Aviation open letter
Dear Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP,
It is sad news for the sector but welcome that the government has acknowledged that the aviation industry was amongst the first to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and will be amongst the last to recover.
We also welcome the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which has provided an essential safety net for workers and businesses across the UK.
While the scheme is still in place, no company acting in the national interest can justify the need for redundancies.
However, as potential future job losses mount and hard-earned pay, terms and conditions and livelihoods are on the line, it is time that further assurances were given to this key strategic sector.
The aviation industry works in seasons with significant forward planning, which means current uncertainty has already affected the upcoming Winter season. As such the schedule is fixed with limits to the capacity to scale up
We know now that there is no realistic prospect for a quick return to normal when lockdown is lifted, particularly while COVID-19 health measures and social distancing guidance remain in place.
In light of this logic, we urge the government to consider the merits of announcing a long-term extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for the aviation sector.
We propose that the scheme is tied to the phased unlocking of restrictions, recognising the sectoral pressures, in this case on the quarantine arrangements and the industry’s seasonal way of working. This means extending the scheme until March 2021, with a review of the extension taking in place in November this year. We propose that the scheme should continue to be set at 80% of pay, with any government contribution being commensurately reduced by any rostered hours worked and paid for by employers. At the very least this should be conditioned on the fair treatment of the workforce, for instance on preventing redundancies and changes to terms and conditions.
This proposal has the backing of business, airports, trade unions and cross-party politicians alike who recognise that this would provide some much-needed stability to the industry and would be a vital lifeline to aviation workers across the country.
We also believe that it would make sound economic sense.
Furloughing workers and smoothing a possible unemployment spike is potentially more economically viable and certainly more sustainable than government expenditure on benefits and upskilling those currently employed in the industry. Importantly it would also ensure that the skills and the infrastructure that the industry requires to return to capacity are retained.
We know that this would make all the difference in ensuring our aviation industry recovers, which is of invaluable importance to the UK economy.
We are extremely concerned about the future of UK aviation and as a result we recognise that urgent action must be taken to save the industry, protect jobs and give security to aviation workers across the country.
Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of jobs depend on this sector - we urge you to support these workers and adopt this proposal.
Afzal Khan - Manchester Gorton
Alan Brown - Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Alan Campbell - Tynemouth
Alan Smyth - Stirling
Alex Cunningham - Stockton North
Alex Davies-Jones - Pontypridd
Alison Thewliss - Glasgow Central
Allan Dorans - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
Andrew Gwynne - Denton and Reddish
Andy McDonald - Middlesbrough
Andy Slaughter - Hammersmith
Angela Eagle - Wallasey
Angela Rayner - Ashton-under-Lyne
Anna Mcmorrin - Cardiff North
Barbara Keeley - Worsley and Eccles South
Barry Gardiner - Brent North
Bell Riberiro-Addy - Streatham
Beth Winter - Cynon Valley
Bill Esterson - Sefton Central
Carla Lockhart - Upper Bann
Cat Smith - Lancaster and Fleetwood
Catherine West - Hornsey & Wood Green
Charlotte Nichols - Warrington North
Chris Bryant - Rhondda
Chris Elmore - Ogmore
Chris Matheson - City of Chester
Chris Stephens - Glasgow South West
Christina Rees - Neath
Christine Jardine - Edinburgh West
Claudia Webbe - Leicester East
Dan Carden - Liverpool Walton
Dan Jarvis - Barnsley Central
Dawn Butler - Brent Central
Deirdre Brock - Edinburgh North and Leith
Diana Johnson - Kingston upon Hull North
Diane Abbott - Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Ellie Reeves - Lewisham West and Penge
Emma Hardy - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
Emma Lewell-Buck - South Shields
Gavin Newlands - Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Gavin Robinson - Belfast East
Geraint Davies - Swansea West
Gerald Jones - Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
Gill Furniss - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
Grahame Morris - Easington
Henry Smith - Crawley
Ian Lavery - Wansbeck
Ian Mearns - Gateshead
Ian Murray - Edinburgh South
Ian Paisley - North Antrim
Jack Dromey - Birmingham Erdington
James Murray - Ealing North
Jeff Smith - Manchester Withington
Jeremy Corbyn - Islington North
Jess Morden - Newport East
Jim McMahon - Oldham West and Royton
John McDonnell - Hayes and Harlington
John McNally - Falkirk
John Nicolson - Ochil and South Perthshire
John Spellar - Warley
Jon Trickett – Hemsworth
Jonathan Reynolds - Stalybridge and Hyde
Justin Madders - Ellesmere Port and Neston
Karl Turner - Kingston upon Hull East
Kate Green - Stretford and Urmston
Kate Osborne - Jarrow
Kenny Macaskill - East Lothian
Kevin Brennan - Cardiff West
Kim Johnson - Liverpool Riverside
Lisa Nandy - Wigan
Louise Haigh - Sheffield Heeley
Lucy Powell - Manchester Central
Margaret Ferrier - Rutherglen and Hamilton West
Margaret Greenwood - Wirral West
Mark Tami - Alyn and Deeside
Marsha DeCordova - Battersea
Mary Foy - City of Durham
Matt Western - Warwick and Leamington
Mick Whitley - Birkenhead
Mike Kane - Wythenshawe and Sale East
Nav Mishra - Stockport
Neale Hanvey - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
Neil Gray - Airdrie & Shotts
Nia Griffiths - Llanelli
Olivia Blake - Sheffield Hallam
Patricia Gibson - North Ayrshire and Arran
Peter Dowd - Bootle
Rachael Maskell - York Central
Rachel Hopkins - Luton South
Richard Burgon - Leeds East
Richard Thomson – Gordon
Rosie Cooper - West Lancashire
Ruth Jones - Newport West
Sam Tarry - Ilford South
Sarah Champion - Rotherham
Sarah Owen - Luton North
Sharon Hodgson - Washington and Sunderland West
Stephen Doughty - Cardiff South and Penarth
Stephen Farry - North Down
Stephen Morgan - Portsmouth South
Steph Peacock - Barnsley East
Stuart McDonald - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East
Tonia Antoniazzi - Gower
Virendra Sharma - Ealing Southall
Wayne David - Caerphilly
Zarah Sultana - Coventry South