BA strike chaos to hit half-term holidays

Published on Monday 10 May 2010 23:30

HUNDREDS of thousands of British Airways passengers face a month of disruption after cabin crew announced 20 more days of strikes, stretching into June.

The Unite union yesterday called four five-day walkouts, starting next Tuesday.

However, flights are also likely to be affected for several days after each walkout, if the experience of the seven days of strikes in March is repeated.

BA said flight cancellations would be restricted to Heathrow routes, but links to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen face being again hit hard.

The strikes coincide with mid-term breaks for schools across Scotland, including in Edinburgh next week and in Glasgow at the end of the month, over the spring bank holiday.

The inclusive dates are Tuesday 18 to Saturday 22 May, Monday 24 to Friday 28 May, Sunday 30 May to Thursday 3 June and Saturday 5 to Wednesday 9 June.

The last series of strikes reduced passenger numbers at Heathrow by 180,000 with numbers down at the three Scottish airports by nearly 30,000.

Scottish business leaders said Unite's decision to call new strikes in the long-running dispute "beggars belief".

Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron said: "In the present climate, the union needs a reality check. We have the hardest climate for airlines in a generation and a union which is wanting to deny customers a service.

"It really is time that some common sense was exercised."

Unite said the strikes followed cabin crew's overwhelming rejection of BA's latest offer aimed at settling the dispute.

More than 7,000 union members took part in the latest ballot, with over 5,600 (81 per cent) rejecting the deal and 1,375 voting in favour.

Unite's joint general secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley said: "Passengers and investors alike will be dismayed that British Airways management rejected an approach by the union over the weekend, after their offer had been comprehensively turned down by their own employees.

"Cabin crew are left with no choice but to take further strike action. There can be no industrial peace without meaningful negotiations and while management victimises trade unionists and uses disciplinary procedures in a witch-hunt.

"The seven days' notice period is sufficient time for BA management to do the sensible thing and reopen meaningful negotiations."

Unite said it was also planning to hold a further industrial action ballot over issues which have arisen from the company's conduct during the dispute.

The original dispute was over pay, jobs and conditions, including staffing cuts on flights, but the latest offer was rejected because BA has not fully restored travel concessions taken away from crew who went on strike, and because over 50 union members were suspended.

BA said it was already speaking to several airlines about leasing aircraft and booking thousands of seats on others.

The airline said it planned to operate a "substantial" part of its long haul schedule from Heathrow and predicted flights to and from Gatwick would continue as normal. London City flights would not be affected.

A statement said: "British Airways is saddened but not surprised that Unite has announced further plans for extensive disruption for potentially hundreds of thousands of our customers over a busy period that includes the May half-term holidays. This decision has no semblance of justification."