The British Airways has said that 7,000 of its employees have opted to take

RELATED ARTICLES Employees likely to see 12% pay hikes this fiscal MTNL to offer VRS to about 20k employees; seeks BWA refunds Kingfisher plans to pay Jan salaries from May 9 Accor to hire over 1,100 employees in India this year

pay cuts while 800 will work for free as part of the company's measures to cut costs and deal with recession.

The company said that 6,940 employees had volunteered for unpaid leave, part-time working or unpaid work by June 24, saving the company 10 million pounds.Willie Walsh, British Airways' chief executive, said: "This is a fantastic first response. I want to thank everyone who has volunteered to help us pull through this difficult period. This response clearly shows the significant difference individuals can make."

The employees who opted to work without pay will still receive shift allowances and other payments, although they will forego their basic pay Walsh himself will draw less salary in July, saving the company 60,000 pounds.

However, employees unions have criticised the plans on the ground that its members could not afford to work for free.

Mick Rix, a spokesman of the GMB union, alleged that the company was exaggerating the scale of the crisis.