British European Airways Flight 548 - Industrial Relations Background

Industrial Relations Background

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) had declared Monday 19 June 1972 (the day after the accident) as a worldwide protest strike against aircraft hijacking which had become commonplace in the early 1970s. Support was expected, but the British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) nevertheless organised a confidential postal ballot to ask its members at BEA whether or not they wanted to strike. Because of the impending strike action, air travellers had amended their plans to avoid disruption, and as a result Flight BE 548 was full, despite the service operating on a Sunday, traditionally a day of light travel.

BALPA was also in an industrial dispute with BEA, concerning issues of pay and working conditions. The dispute was highly controversial, with those in favour being mainly younger pilots, and those against mostly older pilots. A group of 22 BEA Trident co-pilots known as Supervisory First Officers (SFOs) were already on strike, citing their low status and high workload. To facilitate the further training of a number of newly-qualified co-pilots, SFOs were instructed to occupy only the third flight deck seat of the Trident and to act in the capacity known as "P3", involving operating the aircraft’s systems and assisting the captain (known as "P1" on the BEA Trident fleet) and the co-pilot (known as "P2") who between them handled the aircraft. In other airlines and aircraft, the job of BEA Trident SFO/P3s was usually performed by flight engineers. As a result of being limited to the P3 role, BEA Trident SFOs/P3s were denied experience of aircraft handling, a measure which led to loss of pay, which they resented. In addition, their status led to a regular anomaly: experienced SFO/P3s could only assist while less-experienced co-pilots actually flew the aircraft.