British Airways staff to vote on Christmas strike action
Passengers flying on British Airways over Christmas are bracing themselves for mayhem after 2,500 cabin crew backed union leaders’ decision to call a strike vote at a mass meeting.
The ballot – in protest over the company’s imposed job cuts and two-year pay freeze – will start next week and close on 14 December.
Unite is obliged to give BA seven days’ notice of action, meaning the earliest date for a walk-out would be 21 December – a peak period for travel which could result in flights being grounded for Christmas.
British Airways wants to sack another 1,200 staff after posting a record loss of £292m for the six months to September.
This latest round of redundancies means the firm will have axed 4,900 staff by next year. So far 1,900 positions have already been eliminated in the UK.
Unite the Union said that BA’s continued failure to consult properly on redundancies was “unfair and unworkable”.
More than 13,300 cabin crew staff will be balloted, with union leaders predicting a big “yes” vote in favour of action.