The Unite union will ballot BA members on fresh strike action next week. The vote will end on Friday January 21, raising the possibility of more flight disruption early next year.
In a statement Unite said it had given BA seven days notice of its intention to ballot members, over what it says are five outstanding issues (see below for full details) including the restoration of staff travel concessions and the introduction of mixed fleet on different terms and conditions.
The union’s joint secretary Tony Woodley said:
"British Airways knows what it must do to end this dispute. Four of the five outstanding issues are no cost issues for the airline and are about treating cabin crew with dignity, respect and ending the climate of persecution. The fifth item is about stopping BA from imposing a near minimum waged workforce and killing their brand.
"Unite is still open to talks but BA must appreciate the strength of feeling across the airline about how badly they've handled this dispute. BA must get serious and work with us to settle the issues before us."
In response BA released the following statement:
“Unite struck a deal in October and reneged on it. The union agreed last week to hold further talks with us, but has instead issued a strike ballot. It continues to be riven by internal divisions and its behaviour remains dysfunctional.
“We have put forward very fair proposals that enable our existing Heathrow crew to remain the best rewarded in the UK airline industry. Despite the difficult economic conditions we have faced, we have made savings in ways that have avoided compulsory redundancies.
“Industrial action would be a grossly disproportionate response to the issues that Unite continues to press.
“Should any industrial action take place, we are confident that our well-established contingency plans will allow us to operate normal timetables at Gatwick and London City airports. At Heathrow, we will aim to run a substantial proportion of our short-haul programme and 100 per cent of our long haul operation.
BA Unite members have staged a total of 22 days of strike action thios year.
For more information visit ba.com, unitetheunion.org.
Unite’s five outstanding issues:
- The immediate restoration of staff travel concessions, in full, to the crew from whom they were taken by BA.
- Binding arbitration, through ACAS, of all cabin crew disciplinary cases related to the original dispute.
- The restoration of all earnings docked from crew who were genuinely off sick during strike dates.
- Full and proper discussion of the trade union facilities agreement at the company with the immediate removal of all threats and sanctions made by BA in relation to this.
- The introduction of mixed fleet on different terms and conditions without the agreement of the trade union.
