British Airways bosses have asked employees to work for nothing in a desperate bid to save money.

Following the announcement of the airlines £401m loss in the last financial year, the company introduced their Business Response Scheme (BRS) where staff were offered the chance to take one month’s unpaid leave or change to part time contracts. 1,000 of the companies 40,000 employees volunteered to take part.

Now, chief executive Willie Walsh has extended the scheme so that workers can opt to take one week blocks off at a time, unpaid, or work without pay. The salary deductions will be split over a 3 to 6 month period to minimize the financial loss on those who participate.

Walsh commented in the company’s magazine that he hoped everyone would be prepared to get involved in the scheme, saying “I am looking for every single part of the company to take part in this cash-effective way of helping the company’s survival plan.”

Walsh has agreed to work without pay for one month; a gesture that is estimated will cost him around £61,000.

Union bosses reacted angrily to the suggestion stating it was easier for people on high salaries to be able to work a month without pay, but general workers would not be able to cope with lower wages.

One cabin crew member whose basic salary is £11,000, could not take the request seriously and added that workers at his level were treating the request as “a joke.”