A majority vote amongst the 2,500 ‘mixed fleet crew’ at British Airways have voted to take more strike action by walking out for three days next week.

 

This follows the unsuccessful negotiations between BA’s Unite union members and the airline, which led to the two-day walkout by crew and the cancellation of several flights earlier this week.

 

According to the Unite Union, the 2,500 mixed fleet crew that comprise around 15% of the airline’s total cabin crew plan to for 72 hours from 00:01 GMT/UTC on Thursday, January 19.

 

STAND OFF IN NEGOTIATIONS IS NOT GOOD…

In a statement, Unite called upon British Airways ‘to drop its confrontational stance and start listening’ to the mixed fleet cabin crew’s concerns over pay, although British Airways had made no comment on this latest renewed strike initiative as this report went to press.

 

Unite National Officer Oliver Richardson said: “British Airways should be under no illusion about our members’ determination to secure a settlement that addresses their concerns over poverty pay.”

 

He added: “We would urge British Airways to avoid the inconvenience and disruption of industrial action by meaningfully addressing levels of poverty pay which are causing financial worry and distress to ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew.”

 

UNION CLAIMS BA MEMBERSHIP OF UNITE IS GROWING

Meanwhile, more than 800 new cabin crew members from British Airways’ mixed fleet have joined Unite since the start of the dispute over poverty pay, taking the union’s membership today to more than 2,900.

 

The union says that since 2010, all British Airways new cabin crew employees join the ‘mixed fleet’, where basic pay starts at £12,192 with £3 an hour flying pay. As such, Unite says it estimates that on average these cabin crew members earn a total of £16,000 ($19,460) –including allowances.