Unite delays strike ballot
THE Unite union has announced plans to postpone balloting British Airways cabin crew on further strikes to allow union members to consider the latest offer from the airline’s management.
BA made a new offer to cabin crew on Friday in a bid to end the long-running dispute over pay and conditions before the employees are formally asked to consider taking further industrial action.
The ballot over future walkouts was scheduled to begin tomorrow but Unite boss Tony Woodley said in a statement he now expected the vote to be delayed.
“The company has made it clear that the offer on the table will be removed if the strike ballot starts on Tuesday,” said Woodley, whose Unite union represents 90 per cent of BA’s 12,000 cabin crew.
“It would therefore be inexplicable if we did not put this offer to our members.”
The new offer from BA includes two years of guaranteed rises in basic salary from February 2011 in addition to annual incremental pay increases.
“We welcome this statement from the Unite leadership. We believe our offer is fair and reasonable and provides a genuine opportunity to end this dispute,” BA said in a statement.