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Bloomberg
British Airways flight attendants will walk out next week after the carrier declined to extend their right to strike in return for renewed pay talks following the rejection of the latest offer, according to the Unite union.
So-called “mixed fleet†cabin crew, who work on both short- and long-haul flights, will take action for 48 hours from Tuesday, Jan. 10, the labor group said in a statement on its website. British Airways said it aims to ensure that all customers reach their destination and will publish contingency plans Friday.
Unite had scrapped calls for a walkout over the Christmas and Boxing Day holiday after British Airways proposed a new pay deal in talks at the U.K.’s Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. Staff rejected the offer in a ballot and the company declined to extend the strike mandate, the union said, adding that members must legally take action within 28 days of voting.
More than 2,500 of BA’s 16,000 cabin crew could potentially strike in what would be its first walkout since 22 days of action in 2010, after which workers accepted a deal that included drastic pay cuts for new recruits.
Salaries for mixed-fleet employees have been advertised as worth between 21,000 pounds and 25,000 pounds ($26,000-$31,000) a year, but in practice begin at 12,000 pounds plus 3 pounds for each hour flying, according to Unite.
BA, a unit of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, says it has proposed “a fair and reasonable pay increase†worth 2 percent this year and 7 percent over three years, in line with settlements at rival carriers.