British Airways ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew have announced further strike action for next month, in an ongoing dispute over pay.
Members from Unite the Union will walkout for six days from Sunday February 5 – Tuesday 10 and Thursday 9 – Saturday 11. It follows an open letter urging BA to “get back round the negotiating table”.
The airline said like previous strikes – where just 1 per cent of flights were cancelled – it will ensure all passengers will travel to their destinations.
BA plans to publish contingency plans on January 31 for the first three-days of strike action and on February 2 for the final three days.
Workers are striking in a dispute over pay for members on ‘Mixed Fleet’ contracts. They said they are underpaid and dispute the airline’s claim that staff are paid a minimum of £21,000 a year through pay, bonuses and incentives.
British Airways has described the call for strike action as “bizarre” and “completely without justification”.
“Our pay offer for Mixed Fleet crew is consistent with deals agreed with Unite for other British Airways colleagues,” British Airways said in a statement. “It also reflects pay awards given by other companies in the UK and will ensure that rewards for Mixed Fleet remain in line with those for cabin crew at our airline competitors.”
In a letter, sent to British Airways, Unite representatives for mixed fleet cabin crew urged the UK’s national carrier to take a different route: “Your reluctance to offer a reasonable pay deal to our members, yet spend what we believe is now reaching millions of pounds in trying to quash strike action, suggests money is available and this is a question of ideology. We urge you to recognise that there is a chance here for British Airways to take a different route.”
It goes on to add: “We urge you to avoid any further dispute and do the right thing for your cabin crew and our customers by engaging with mixed fleet Unite to negotiate a genuinely meaningful way forward. We would suggest that we get back around the table, with the starting point being the encouraging start that we made at Acas before Christmas.”
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