Pic:Multiple airline strikes look set to cause festive misery to travelers
Staff reporter(wp/es):
British Airways has branded planned strikes by thousands of cabin crew over Christmas as “calculated and heartless”.
Staff voted overwhelmingly to stage a walk-out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in a row over pay.
Unite, the union representing workers, said 80 per cent of members backed the strike on Wednesday which has raised the threat of flight disruption.
The row involves the airline’s “mixed fleet” employees who have joined British Airways since 2010.
Unite claims the cabin crew earn less than other staff and have been forced to take on second jobs to make ends meet.
The union alleged earnings were advertised between £21,000 and £25,000 but in reality started at just over £12,000 plus £3 an hour flying pay.
It emerged on Saturday that no talks have been organised in a bid to avert the industrial action.
BA, which employs around 16,000 cabin crew, said in a statement: "We are appalled that Unite proposes to disrupt customers' travel plans on such special days when so many families are trying to gather together or set off on well-deserved holidays.
"This calculated and heartless action is completely unnecessary and we are determined that it will fail.
"We will plan to ensure all our customers travel to their destinations so that their Christmas arrangements are not ruined.
"Meanwhile, we have also approached the conciliation service Acas to seek their assistance in reaching an outcome that would avoid any possibility of disruption."
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "Unite remains ready and willing to talk to BA at any time. This dispute can be sorted but the company needs to come to the table with a positive offer."
However, talks aimed at averting strikes by baggage handlers and other staff at 18 airports will be held at Acas next week.
Officials from Unite and aviation services company Swissport will meet at the conciliation service on Tuesday.
More than 1,500 check-in staff, baggage handlers and cargo crew are due to strike for 48 hours just before Christmas in a long-running pay dispute.
Members of Unite employed by Swissport will walk out on December 23 and 24 at airports including Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton.
Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Doncaster, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton airports will also be affected.
Mr McCluskey added: "This is clearly a positive development. We are pleased that the company will sit down with us in an effort the resolve this dispute. We are confident that our members' case is extremely strong, and that fairness will prevail."
In a further threat of chaos, Virgin pilots will work "strictly to contract" with a removal of "goodwill" from December 23, their PPU union said.
Postal and rail workers are also planning industrial action in a Christmas of discontent.
A dispute between Southern Railway and train drivers has already brought a large portion of the travel network to a standstill this December.
Post Office workers will strike next week, including on Christmas Eve, after their union said an offer it made to resolve a row over jobs, pensions and closures was rejected.
Postal workers from the Communication Workers Union will strike for five days, including three days of walkouts by staff in Crown offices - larger branches typically in high streets.
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