BA passengers face seven days of strikes

By David Millward, Transport Editor 1113AM GMT twelve Mar 2010

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Unite pronounced the first, lasting 3 days, will take place on Mar twenty and the second, lasting four, on Mar 27. Further stoppages will follow from Apr 14, unless a understanding can be reached.

Peace talks collapsed progressing this week when the airline deserted the union"s own cost-cutting proposals, that enclosed a 2.6 per cent compensate cut, observant it fell "significantly short" of the �62.5 million assets it was seeking for.

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Despite this there were gloomy hopes that an agreement could be reached when Unite pronounced it was ready to put a counter-offer by BA to the members to the membership.

But they were dashed by Willie Walsh, the airline"s arch executive, who pronounced that this suggest had been withdrawn.

It was a move that dumbfounded kinship officials who believed that cabin organisation competence have supposed the proposals, despite reluctantly.

The ultimate walkouts follow strenuous await for a set upon in a rerun list called by Unite after the High Court outlawed a 12-day blocking that was due to take place over Christmas.

BA, that carries about 75,000 passengers a day in March, says it has strait plans in place to keep most of the report in place.

The airline has lerned around 1,000 volunteers who will step in to the boots of the distinguished cabin crew. BA has additionally leased a series of aircraft and organisation to accelerate the swift should industrial movement take place. In further 1,300 staff formed at Gatwick are not concerned in the dispute.

This, BA said, will capacitate it to run a estimable piece of both the prolonged and short-haul operations from Heathrow.

At Gatwick the airline will run all the prolonged area flights and half to closer destinations. BA"s operation at London City Airport, together with the New York services, will go on as normal.

The severity in between both sides showed small pointer of reducing with the airline and kinship blaming each alternative for the impasse.

Len McCluskey, Unite"s partner ubiquitous secretary, launched a sour conflict on BA.

"Instead of British Airways government channelling all their money and appetite in to perplexing to mangle a strike, they would have finished improved to channel this in to assembly the concerns."

Defending cabin organisation he combined "These are not foolish militants, these are people who dearly love British Airways."

But Willie Walsh in spin dull on Unite. "There is positively no fact for the movement Unite has taken. The changes we have introduced are satisfactory and reasonable. This is about securing the destiny of this good business. We are not going to let Unite fall short this company."

British Airways is right away additionally confronting the hazard of a second industrial dispute, this time involving belligerent staff.

It has indicted BA of perplexing to levy new operative practices on 4,000 belligerent staff the same indictment that triggered the cabin organisation dispute.

Unite is melancholy to list the belligerent staff together with container handlers and workers who hope for the aircraft prior to it flies unless the airline withdraws a minute it sent to employees becoming different their operative practices.

A full-blown brawl with belligerent staff is a little weeks away, but if agreement cannot be reached, the airline could be set upon by a second set upon in May.