British Airways cabin crew to strike for seven days this month

British Airways cabin crew represented by Unite announced Friday that members will strike for seven days this month, March 20-22 and March 27-30, and vowed that further industrial action could take place after April 14 "if the dispute has not been resolved."

Both parties made last-minute offers after mediated talks collapsed last Wednesday (ATWOnline, March 11). BA said, "To date, all proposals put forward by Unite fall significantly short of saving £60 million ($90.1 million) a year. . . Unite's action has no shred of justification." The airline said it would "consider refinements" in its plan to reduce crew numbers on flights from London Heathrow if the union could still find a way to reach that savings target. It said Unite proposals to cut crew pay and allowances by £1,000-£2,700 "lack credibility."

The union said it "welcomed" the fact that airline management "finally submitted a formal offer of its own" and thus "acknowledges that negotiated agreement, not imposition, is the only way to conduct mature industrial relations."

However, Unite Assistant General Secretary and lead negotiator Len McCluskey said BA's proposal "falls short of what we believe is needed to address the legitimate concerns they have about crew complement and service delivery." The union will conduct a consultative ballot of its cabin crew members to ascertain their view on the offer, with results expected to be announced by the middle of this week. "Should that ballot show a majority in favor of the company's offer, then all the strike action announced today will of course be cancelled," he said.

The strike, which analysts say could cost BA up to £20-£25 million per day, would be the first since Willie Walsh became CEO in 2005 and the first by BA cabin crew since 1997. The airline has contingency plans in place should a strike occur, which it hopes will allow it to operate all flights from London City, all long-haul and about half of the short-haul flights from Gatwick and a "substantial" portion of its schedule from Heathrow.