British Airways Cabin Crew Vote To Strike

December 14, 2016

British Airways cabin crew have voted to strike in a dispute over pay for staff working for the airline’s ‘Mixed Fleet’.

The ballot, carried out by the Unite union, was 79 percent in favour of strike action on a turnout of 60 percent. Strikes could start after December 21, the union said in a statement.

The 2,500 cabin crew involved in the potential industrial action work on British Airways’ long and short-haul mixed fleet. All new starts have been employed under mixed fleet terms since 2010.

The union said new starts on the mixed fleet earn just over GBP£12,000 (USD$15,250) plus flight pay of £3 per hour. Cabin crew have rejected an offer of a two percent increase and some have taken on second jobs on days off, the union said.

“Our members have overwhelmingly voted for strike action because British Airways’ pay rates are indefensible and the crew are at breaking point. The airline’s boss Willie Walsh has pocketed EUR€8.8 million and the parent company IAG reported profits of EUR€1.4 billion,” Unite regional officer Matt Smith said.

British Airways said it had proposed a fair and reasonable pay increase and remains focused on “resolving this issue as quickly as possible without any disruption to customers.”

The airline said it has a range of contingency plans in place should the Unite members strike. Under UK law the union must give seven days notice of industrial action.

The 2,500 mixed fleet crew makes up only about 15 percent of BA cabin crew.

(Airwise)