Hopes of avoiding BA strike in the balance
09.03.10
British Airways’ chances of avoiding a strike by its 12,000 cabin crew are no better than even, the Unite union told Bloomberg. Other news suggest that BA appears to not have accepted union's proposal over pay freeze and new cabin crew, ending hopes of a breakthrough before the 17:00 deadline today to reach agreement.
Negotiations held under the auspices of the TUC are due to end at 17:00. today, and Unite Assistant General Secretary Len McCluskey told Bloomberg: ‘It’s a toss of a coin. We’ve said all along we want to negotiate a settlement, and I remain optimistic about these things.’ He added that Unite, which has a strike mandate following a month-long ballot of BA flight attendants, will make a decision whether or not to call a walkout as soon as the deadline expires.
Other press reports suggest that BA has raised concerns over cost-cutting plans from the trade union. Unite has offered a two-year pay freeze and accepted the recruitment of new attendants on different pay and conditions. The proposals additionally tackle the core of the dispute - unilateral staffing cuts on BA flights from Heathrow imposed last November - by partially reinstating cabin crew numbers on some long-haul services.
However, BA is reported to have questioned the plans, which have been made in response to the airline's request for cost-savings of at least £60m a year from cabin crew. The Unite proposal to accept new recruits on a separate fleet of planes, with a series of guarantees protecting existing crew, has not been unconditionally accepted by BA because the airline believes it is not going to deliver immediate cost savings.
The union have to give BA seven days' notice of strike action, making Wednesday March 17 the possible date for the beginning of a first walkout. Cabin crew have got to strike by March 22 to maintain their mandate for industrial action, which means that if they strike for at least 1 hour next Wednesday they can stage a walkout after March 22.
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