BA staff vote in favour of strikes
Updated on 14 December 2009
Air passengers are facing 12 days of Christmas chaos as British Airways cabin crew vote in favour of walkouts in a row over pay and services.
The Unite union has decided to launch a series of walkouts by thousands of cabin crew in a long-running row over jobs, pay and conditions.
It follows a meeting at Sandown Park racecourse in Esher, Surrey. Staff voted massively in favour of the action, with a nine-to-one majority.
Hundreds of flights over the Christmas period will be affected. The walkouts will begin on 22 December and run until 2 January 2010. It is estimated around one million passengers face cancellations and disruption.
The strikes will cost the airline tens of millions of pounds every day.
Len McCluskey, Unite's assistant general secretary, said: "More than nine out of 10 staff are saying that what is happening is wrong - they want to be treated with dignity and respect.
"We have taken this decision to disrupt passengers with a heavy heart and we are hoping that the company can still avoid it happening."
British Airways staff have said they are "deeply saddened" to have reached the point where industrial action has to be taken.
Frances Tuke, from travel organisation Abta, said: "The strike announcement is bad news for the travel industry.
"People who have booked Christmas and new year package holidays involving BA flights will find that tour operators will either have to re-arrange flights for them or give them a refund.
"However, this is an extremely busy time of the year for air travel and it may be very difficult to find alternative flights."
In a statement released to news organisations earlier, BA said: "Given our record financial losses, our package for cabin crew is very fair and reasonable."
BA chief executive Willie Walsh had urged Unite members not to strike. Writing in the Daily Mail this morning, he said: "This is a critical day for the future of British Airways."
Meanwhile, the size of the British Airways pension deficit has grown to £3.7bn, an increase of 76 per cent.
BA said in a statement earlier: "The airline and trustees will now work together to develop a recovery plan, a process which will involve the company consulting with employees and their trade unions.
"The regulatory deadline for the valuation process, including agreement on future contributions required and the recovery plan, is June 30 2010."
