British Airways cabin crew that belong to the Unite Union are to stage a two-week continuous strike from 00:01 on Saturday 1 July to 23:59 on Sunday 16 July, in support of the long-running pay and benefits dispute that has continued for more than a year now.

 

The Unite Union said yesterday that its BA cabin crew members are taking action again after it claimed that the airline is refusing to accept the union’s final compromise position ‘on the outstanding issue of the sanctioning of striking cabin crew.’

 

In addition to the strike, Unite has also vowed to ‘vigorously’ pursue legal action against British Airways to the ‘highest court in the land’ on behalf of its 1,400 cabin crew, after they were allegedly ‘sanctioned’ for taking strike action in a long running pay dispute.

 

DISPUTE OVER ‘REMOVAL’ OF CONCESSIONS

The Union claims that these ‘sanctions ‘have included cabin crew seeing bonus payments worth hundreds of pounds taken away and the removal of staff travel concessions’.

 

The Union said yesterday that talks at the conciliation service Acas last week saw it express ‘deep frustration’ over British Airways’ failure to send its key decision makers to the talks. It says this led to the union writing to British Airways bosses with a final compromise position for acceptance by noon yesterday.

 

Commenting, Unite Assistant General Secretary Howard Beckett said: “The refusal by British Airways bosses to meaningfully consider our compromise offer is deeply disappointing.

 

UNION CLAIMS STRIKE ‘ENTIRELY AVOIDABLE…’

“A resolution to this long-running dispute was within the grasp of British Airways, but instead of grabbing that opportunity, bosses rebuffed it. It now means British Airways faces an entirely avoidable two-week strike and prolonged legal action on behalf of over 1,400 mixed cabin crew.”

 

The union adds that since 2010, all new BA cabin crew employees have joined what is called ‘mixed fleet’ where it says that ‘promises that pay would be 10% above the market rate’ have not materialised, with basic pay set at £12,192 ($15,585), with £3 ($7.66) an hour flying pay.

 

As such, it estimates that ‘on average’ these mixed fleet cabin crew earn £16,000 ($20,452), including allowances, a year.  Meanwhile, British Airways is understood to be disappointed with the Unite members’ decision to strike.