British Airways cabin crew to vote on strike action

British Airways' cabin crew have today (Monday, November 16) received ballot papers from the Unite union. The ballot, on strike action, will close on December 14, also the date for the next mass meeting of cabin crew. If the ballot papers show support for a strike, industrial action could start on December 21 and take place throughout the busy Christmas travel period.

In a statement on its website, Unite says the changes to cabin crews' working practices, which also come into effect today, will cause "additional stress during flight, with fewer crew required to absorb the work of colleagues who have been removed by the company".

Of the 14,000 cabin crew, 3,000 will move to part-time working and 1,000 are to take voluntary redundancy. There is also the prospect of a two-year pay freeze for crew, fewer holidays and decreased allowances for working on long-haul flights. Newer staff will also be paid at a lower rate than their longer-serving colleagues.

Brian Boyd, National Officer for Aviation for Unite, said: “The way to deliver change is through negotiation, not imposition. Of course the cabin crew are angry; they care passionately about this business but feel they are not being listened to on serious matters of service delivery.

"This business is all about its customers and the crew do not want them to suffer as a result of these changes."

O H Parsons, a firm of employment solicitors engaged by Unite, has set up an email hotline to help cabin crew log any complaints associated with the changes to their working practices. The union will use complaints received by OH Parsons in their legal challenge against British Airways, which is due to start in the High Court on February 1, 2010.

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