British Airways strikes to go ahead after union talks collapse
British Airways strikes to go ahead after union talks collapse
Friday 19th March 2010
Strike action by British Airways cabin crew will go ahead at the weekend after talks aimed at preventing the disruption collapsed this afternoon, the union Unite has confirmed.Staff will go on strike for three days at midnight tonight, with further industrial action planned for later in the month.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh said it was "deeply regrettable" that the discussions had failed but urged the head of Unite to put the latest offer from the airline to its members, his staff, claiming they would accept it if given the chance.
Tony Woodley confirmed the two sides and been unable to reach an agreement, claiming today's offer from BA was worse than previous proposals.
"This company does not want to negotiate and ultimately wants to go to war with this union. We will support our members on this," he said.
However, Mr Woodley said the union was still open to further talks.
Mr Walsh this afternoon described the strike action as "completely unjustified" but said British Airways' contingency plans to deal with the industrial action were "robust".
BA said earlier this week 65 per cent of its passengers will fly as normal at the weekend, with 1,100 flights out of a scheduled 1,950 set to be cancelled.
"Tens of thousands of BA people stand ready to serve our passengers and BA will be flying and will continue to fly through these periods of industrial action," Mr Walsh added.
Transport secretary Lord Adonis responded to the news, saying: "It is disappointing that the talks have broken down. This strike is in no one's interests and will cause major inconvenience to passengers.
"Clearly, passengers travelling in the next few days will need to check with BA on the status of their flights. I continue to urge both sides to find a negotiated settlement."
Unless an agreement can be reached in the coming days, a second four-day strike by cabin crew is also due to begin on March 27th.
Related News
Lloyds set to return to profit after £6.3 million loss last year - 19/03/10
Lloyds Banking Group has claimed it is set to return to profit this year due to a larger than expected drop in bad debts
Lloyds Banking Group has claimed it is set to return to profit this year due to a larger than expected drop in bad debts
Railway signal workers vote to strike over job cuts and safety - 19/03/10
Railway signal workers have voted in favour of strike action in a row over jobs, the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced today
Railway signal workers have voted in favour of strike action in a row over jobs, the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced today
FTSE 100 opens strongly following Lloyds trading update - 19/03/10
The FTSE 100 made steady progress on Friday morning, rising by 0
The FTSE 100 made steady progress on Friday morning, rising by 0
Banking sector leave FTSE 100 at close of play on Thursday - 18/03/10
The banking sector left the FTSE 100 flat on Thursday, on the day it was confirmed the government borrowed £12
The banking sector left the FTSE 100 flat on Thursday, on the day it was confirmed the government borrowed £12
Government borrowing in February 'less than predicted' - 18/03/10
The UK government borrowed another £12
The UK government borrowed another £12
News Article Search
Quick Apply
News Archive