Further strikes could be on the horizon after latest proposal voted down
By Luke Whitmore, 21st July 2010
Air travellers could soon face more strike chaos after Unite
union members rejected BA's "final" pay offer.
The increase of 2.9% next year, followed by 3% the year after,
was voted down by British Airways staff by 3,419 votes to
1,686.
The union, which represents around 11,000 of BA's 12,000-strong
cabin crew, had not offered guidance on whether staff should accept
the pay offer in question, although a list was sent out explaining
the "good" and "bad" parts of the proposal.
The failure of this latest pay offer came as a surprise, with
many expecting a slim victory for the airline in resolving their
disagreements with staff. However, with less than half of affected
union members - 5,000 out of a total of 11,000 - casting their
vote, BA has expressed the view that they are in the right in
calling on Unite to bring an official end to the dispute.
In a statement, the airline claimed to be "encouraged by the
result of this ballot which shows that 73% of our cabin crew did
not reject our offer." It also stated that the low turnout and
closely contested outcome showed that the Unite union had
"lost the moral authority to represent the views of our cabin
crew".
Tony Woodley, joint-leader of Unite, has encouraged further
discussion - suggesting they should should "'jaw jaw' and not 'war
war' with Willie Walsh" - but despite this positive approach, the
outcome nonetheless lends itself to the possibility of the union
balloting for further industrial action.
A strike ballot was delayed last month pending the result of
this new offer, and has still not been ruled out. The earliest any
such action could take place is in September.
Unite has already led 22 strike days since March this year,
costing BA £150m, but whether a resolution will soon be forthcoming
has yet to be seen.
If you've been affected by previous BA strikes, or are concerned
about booking flights for future travel, take a look at our
free flight delay compensation
guide.
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