BA votes for pre-Easter strike

LONDON - British Airways cabin crew have voted overwhelmingly to strike in a move likely to cause huge disruption to flights in the run-up to Easter and lose the airline ten of millions of pounds in revenue.

The industrial action was due to take place over Christmas but BA won a legal challenge when it emerged that the union had balloted hundreds of members who subsequently left the airline.

Yesterday Unite announced the result of a re-ballot over changes to staffing levels. Cabin crew voted by a majority of 4-1 in favour of industrial action, on a turnout of 80 per cent. All but 4 per cent of BA's stewards and stewardesses are Unite members.

In the first ballot, conducted in November and December, the majority in favour of strike action was 92 per cent.

Unite's assistant general secretary, Len McCluskey, blamed "enormous intimidation, pressure and bullying" by the airline for the decline. BA had warned that any cabin crew who strike that they will lose their travel concessions permanently.

A BA statement called the ballot result very disappointing, and said the renewed threat of industrial action was completely unjustified.

Unite has promised not to strike during the first two weeks of April, when most schools are taking their Easter holidays. Effectively, that means any action must take place during March.

More than two million people are holding British Airways tickets for flights during next month, and all face prolonged uncertainty about their travel plans.

- INDEPENDENT