British Airways says outsourcing not to be blamed

BA thrashes GMB union's claim that outsourcing of IT jobs to India is responsible for meltdown

British Airways on Sunday trashed GMB union’s claims that the airline’s decision to outsource IT (information technology) jobs to India was responsible for the meltdown on Saturday. “We will never compromise the integrity and security of our IT systems," BA said on the union’s claim. 
 

Mick Rix, national officer for aviation at GMB, had said, “This could have all been avoided. In 2016, BA made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India. BA has made substantial profits for a number of years, and many viewed the company’s action as just plain greedy.”

The move had sparked protests and outrage from union members. 

At the time, a BA spokesperson had said: “A contract has been signed with TCS to be the supplier of some IT activities in BA. The airline has been in consultation with those IT staff affected, about 200. BA employs around 35,000 people in the UK, providing high-skilled and well-paid jobs. It hires 1,000 people a year and has a strong apprenticeship programme." 

TCS is yet to comment on the matter.