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| BA cabin crew back strike action | BA cabin crew back strike action |
| (18 minutes later) | |
| British Airways passengers face the risk of strikes after cabin crew voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action over pay and conditions. | |
| Unite said that 80.7% of the 11,691 ballot papers issued were returned. Of those 78.7% (7,482) supported taking action with 1,789 voting against it. | Unite said that 80.7% of the 11,691 ballot papers issued were returned. Of those 78.7% (7,482) supported taking action with 1,789 voting against it. |
| Unite said it would not be announcing any strike dates as it hoped to continue negotiations with BA. | Unite said it would not be announcing any strike dates as it hoped to continue negotiations with BA. |
| The airline warned: "We will not allow Unite to ruin this company." | |
| BA said some progress had been made during recent talks but said it would do everything it could to protect customers' travel plans should strikes take place. | |
| The union's general secretary Len McCluskey said the ballot result was "a clear indication of the deep sense of grievance that our members feel". | The union's general secretary Len McCluskey said the ballot result was "a clear indication of the deep sense of grievance that our members feel". |
| "We can only hope that BA management will now recognise the only way to resolve this is through negotiation, not through litigation and certainly not through intimidation," he said. | "We can only hope that BA management will now recognise the only way to resolve this is through negotiation, not through litigation and certainly not through intimidation," he said. |
| Support for the strike was lower than seen in an earlier ballot, which had a higher turnout and which saw 92.4% of those voting backing a strike. However that vote, which would have led to stoppages over Christmas, was deemed illegal by the High Court. | Support for the strike was lower than seen in an earlier ballot, which had a higher turnout and which saw 92.4% of those voting backing a strike. However that vote, which would have led to stoppages over Christmas, was deemed illegal by the High Court. |
| Legally, the union must give a week's notice if it plans to take action - meaning strikes could begin from the first week of March. | Legally, the union must give a week's notice if it plans to take action - meaning strikes could begin from the first week of March. |
| Unite has already pledged that there will not be stoppages over the Easter period. | Unite has already pledged that there will not be stoppages over the Easter period. |
| BA has already threatened to take away generous travel perks for workers who do strike. | BA has already threatened to take away generous travel perks for workers who do strike. |
| Disruption | |
| The vote result comes as passengers are suffering delays and cancellations due to industrial disputes elsewhere in Europe. | |
| On Monday, 4,000 pilots at German airline Lufthansa began four days of strike action. | |
| The carrier has cancelled about 3,000 flights and has warned of delays both domestically and internationally. | |
| Meanwhile unions representing French air traffic controllers have announced a four-day strike, beginning on Tuesday, that will result in hundreds of flights in and out of Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports being cancelled. | |
| Cutting costs | Cutting costs |
| Earlier this month, British Airways announced it made a pre-tax loss of £50m ($79m) in the three months to December 2009, down from the £122m it lost a year earlier. | |
| The changes which prompted the strike ballots were part of cost-cutting measures at the airline. | |
| In November, BA reduced the number of cabin crew on long haul flights from 15 to 14 and brought in a two-year pay freeze from 2010. | In November, BA reduced the number of cabin crew on long haul flights from 15 to 14 and brought in a two-year pay freeze from 2010. |
| The airline has also proposed new contracts for fresh recruits and newly-promoted staff. These include a single on-board management grade, no seniority, promotion on merit, and pay set at the market rate plus 10%. | The airline has also proposed new contracts for fresh recruits and newly-promoted staff. These include a single on-board management grade, no seniority, promotion on merit, and pay set at the market rate plus 10%. |
| This would still see new recruits paid significantly less than current staff, however. | This would still see new recruits paid significantly less than current staff, however. |
| On Friday, a High Court judge ruled that BA was within its rights to make the changes to save money. | On Friday, a High Court judge ruled that BA was within its rights to make the changes to save money. |
| The union had claimed it was not consulted properly, but the judge said the "less-than-extreme changes" including freezing pay and cutting crew on long-haul flights, were not unreasonable. | The union had claimed it was not consulted properly, but the judge said the "less-than-extreme changes" including freezing pay and cutting crew on long-haul flights, were not unreasonable. |