Unite threatens BA with more strike dates
Unite has announced a further four days of British Airways cabin crew strikes later this month, on top of the four days already planned for later this week.
The union, which is fighting for better pay for BA’s mixed fleet, is planning a walk-out from 00.01 on February 22 to 23.59 February 25 inclusively,
Its members are already striking from 00:01 this Friday (February 17) to 23:59 on Monday (February 20).
Unite is calling on BA to enter talks at the conciliation service Acas and reach an agreement to avoid further strike disruption.
BA has already been hit with 11 days of strike action since the beginning of January, forcing it to cancel flights and airline chartering aircraft from other airlines such as Titan Airways, Vueling and Thomson Airways to cover striking cabin crew.
Unite regional officer Matt Smith said: "For every hour British Airways ‘wet leases’ an aircraft from another airline to cover striking cabin crew it costs in the region of £2,000 to £3,000.
"Our estimates put the amount of money British Airways has spent on defending the dispute and poverty pay at £1 million.
"This is money which the airline has taken a conscious decision to give to other airlines rather than addressing pay levels which are forcing hardworking mixed fleet cabin crew into financial hardship.
"We would urge British Airways to reconsider its costly intransigence and enter talks at Acas and reach an agreement."
BA has so far insisted the strike action has had minimal impact on its services.
It said this weekend all London Gatwick and London City flights will operate as normal but some Heathrow flights will be merged.
It urged customers not to contact its call centres as no additional information would be available than is already given on its website.
Contingency plans for the strikes later this month will be announced over this weekend.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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