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BA strike ballot result awaited BA strike ballot result awaited
(about 4 hours later)
A strike by British Airways cabin crew before Christmas could move a step closer when the result of a ballot for industrial action is announced. The result of a ballot on strike action by British Airways cabin crew is expected later.
Members of the Unite union are in dispute with the airline over job losses and changes to work practices. The Unite union has balloted its 12,000 cabin crew members on industrial action as part of a dispute over job losses and changes to working practices.
The prospect of action grew after the failure of talks last week between BA - which maintains changes are essential to its survival - and leaders of Unite. If cabin crew vote in favour of a strike, a walkout could be called as early as 21 December.
The earliest date the union could order a walk-out is 21 December. BA have expressed their "urgent need to reduce costs" with the airline industry continuing to perform poorly.
If the cabin crew go on strike it will be the first since three days of action in 1997. The prospect of action grew after the failure of talks last week between BA and leaders of Unite.
The result of the ballot is set to be announced at Monday lunchtime during a meeting at Sandown Park racecourse.
'Fair package''Fair package'
The result of the ballot is set to be announced on Monday lunchtime during a meeting at Sandown Park racecourse. Last month, BA announced plans to cut a further 1,200 jobs in an attempt to slash costs.
BA posted a loss before tax of £292m ($485m) for the six months to the end of September. It also wants to cut the number of cabin crew from 15 to 14 on all long-haul flights, and freeze pay for two years.
BBC employment correspondent Martin Shankleman said a strike at Christmas would disrupt the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers, as well making the financial state of BA even worse. However, Unite has condemned the move.
But union leaders have vowed to hit airline hard if its members approve a campaign of industrial action, our correspondent said. "The new contractual changes are an attempt to force staff to pay the price for management failings with the company wringing more and more out of fewer and fewer staff who will be paid less," it said in a statement.
The dispute centres on BA's decision to impose redundancies and reductions in crew numbers after months of negotiations. At one stage the union offered a two-year pay cut, but this was rejected for not going far enough.
Following the talks between Unite and BA's chief executive, Willie Walsh, and leaders of Unite on Friday, the airline stressed it was open to considering new proposals.
BA has said the changes are "fair and reasonable, given our urgent need to reduce costs so we can move back toward profitability after two years of the worst financial losses in our history".BA has said the changes are "fair and reasonable, given our urgent need to reduce costs so we can move back toward profitability after two years of the worst financial losses in our history".
The company reported a loss before tax of £292m for the six months to the end of September.
BBC employment correspondent Martin Shankleman said a strike at Christmas would disrupt the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers, as well making the financial state of BA even worse.
But union leaders have vowed to hit the airline hard if its members approve a campaign of industrial action, our correspondent said.
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