BA cabin crews announce 20-day strike

The cabin crews are walking-out in a bitter dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

The Unite union said its BA members would strike on 18-22 May inclusive, 24-28 May, 30 May-3 June and 5-9 June. The dates will cover the Spring Bank Holiday and school half-term holidays.

Unite’s joint general secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley said: “Passengers and investors alike will be dismayed that British Airways management rejected an approach by the union over the weekend, after their offer had been comprehensively turned down by their own employees.

“Cabin crew are left with no choice but to take further strike action. There can be no industrial peace without meaningful negotiations and while management victimises trade unionists and uses disciplinary procedures in a witch-hunt.

Unite said it was also planning to hold a further industrial action ballot of BA cabin crew over issues which have arisen from the company’s conduct during the dispute.

Cabin crew are left with no choice but to take further strike action. Derek Simpson, Unite

Asked by Channel 4 News whether the strikes would cause disruption to passengers, Mr Simpson said “there are other airlines. You don’t have to fly on BA”.

BA said it was already speaking to a number of carriers about leasing extra aircraft and obtaining thousands of seats from other airlines.

The airline said it planned to operate a “substantial” part of its longhaul schedule from Heathrow and predicted that flights to and from Gatwick would continue as normal.
Members of the Unite Union had voted by 81 per cent on a 71 per cent turnout to turn down the latest proposal from BA’s management.

While the dispute has dragged on for longer than a year, there are two major sticking points that both sides are unable to agree on.

These focus around the resumption of “staff travel benefits” which allow BA staff to travel on BA flights at a 90 per cent discount on a full-fare. BA’s chief executive Willie Walsh ordered the removal of this benefit for all cabin crew who participated in a series of strikes in March.

The second area of dispute is the Unite Union’s call for the reinstatement of 60 union members, either suspended or sacked during the dispute.

One senior union source likened the dispute to “a war”, adding “in the old days we would have a fight, come to an agreement and then shake hands, but its different now. This dispute will go on and on and on and on.”