Union says BA strike ’50:50’
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 reports suggest that BA appears not to have accepted union's offer 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 would like to negotiate a settlement, and I remain positive about these things.’ He added that Unite, which has a strike mandate following a month-long poll of BA flight attendants, will decide whether to call a walkout once the deadline expires.
Other press reports suggest that BA has raised concerns over cost-cutting proposals 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 also address 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 queried the proposals, which were 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 aircraft, with a series of guarantees protecting current crew, has not been unconditionally accepted by BA because the airline believes it will not deliver immediate cost savings.
The union must give BA seven days' notice of strike action, making Wednesday March 17 the likely date for the start of a first walkout. Cabin crew must strike by March 22 to maintain their mandate for industrial action, which means that if they strike for at least one hour next Wednesday they can stage a walkout after March 22.
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