Oct 26 2009 : British Airlines cabin crew to vote on strike action

[Watchman]

BA cabin crew to vote on strike action
Thousands of British Airways cabin crew are to be balloted on industrial action in a row over new contracts that threatens to disrupt travel over Christmas.

Published: 12:40PM GMT 26 Oct 2009

BA's 14,000 cabin crew are to vote on strike action. Photo: Bloomberg

The Unite union said 14,000 of its cabin crew members at the airline will vote on whether to launch a campaign of action in protest over the imposition of new employment contracts.

Derek Simpson, Unite's joint general secretary, said in a statement on Monday: "BA management's determination to impose unacceptable contractual changes on cabin crew leaves us no alternative.

Related Articles
BA pay row with workers unlikely to be resolved this week
Summer of chaos feared as British Airways workers vote against job plans
BA strike threat increases
BA strike action, a British summer tradition
British Airways faces prospect of strike action as cost cutting talks end in deadlock

"We will strongly support our members if they vote for industrial action, while of course remaining ready to negotiate with the company. Negotiation, not imposition, is the only proper way to conduct industrial relations."

Cabin crew are already holding an emergency meeting at Sandown Racecourse in Surrey next Monday to decide whether to fight plans to cut jobs, freeze pay and introduce worse wages and conditions for new staff. Thousands of workers are expected to attend.

BA said in a statement that it was "extremely disappointed that Unite has decided to ballot for industrial action".

"We have put together a package of changes, which despite the unprecedented financial circumstances facing the company, not only protects current cabin crew but also offers many new benefits," the airline said.

"There will be no change to the individual terms and conditions of our current crew. They will not take a pay cut. In fact some 75pc of crew will receive a pay scale increase worth between 2pc and 7pc this year and again next year. Our current cabin crew remain the best paid in the country by some way."

The company said changes in cabin crew numbers allowed it accept large number of requests for "voluntary redundancy, part-time working and a transfer between fleets" and "to offer crew promotion opportunities for the first time in three years". It said the proposed new rates of pay for potential new crew would be ahead of the market rate.

While BA remained opened to meeting with unions, it said the changes had followed lengthy consultation and would go ahead from November 16 as planned.

BA shares fell nearly 5pc to 200p.