Britain's BALPA pilots' trade union has reached a provisional agreement with British Airways over plans to cut wages by 20 percent and potentially shed about 270 jobs. BA, which is owned by London-listed airline conglomerate IAG, wants to slash costs as it navigates a coronavirus-induced collapse in global demand for air travel. "After nearly three months of negotiations over British Airways' proposals to make up to 1,255 pilots redundant and change terms and conditions ... the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has opened a consultation among 4,300 BA pilots on a package to protect jobs," it said in a statement released late Wednesday. "BALPA is recommending its members accept these proposals as the best that can be achieved in these incredibly difficult circumstances." The union added that BA pilots were nevertheless "devastated" at the prospect of "around 270 compulsory redundancies" but added that this number might fall. The deal comprises voluntary part-time work, voluntary severance and a reserve pool of pilots on reduced pay -- who would be on stand-by to return when demand recovers for air travel. It also includes pay cuts that would start at 20-percent -- but this would drop to eight percent over the next two years before reducing towards zero over the longer term. BA's pilots in the BALPA union have until Friday July 30 to cast their vote over the proposed cost-cutting package. Parent group IAG on Thursday welcomed the union announcement and stressed that the measures were "in response to the COVID-19 crisis affecting the aviation industry". It added in a brief statement that it would provide a further update following the outcome of the ballot. British Airways had warned in April that it could slash up to 12,000 jobs, or a quarter of its workforce, in a drastic restructuring as the carrier grapples with fallout from the deadly pandemic. rfj/jh