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British Airways facing strike by cabin crew in contracts dispute
British Airways cabin crew could strike just days before Christmas.
Up to 2,000 members of the Unite union travelled from across the world to attend a mass meeting which was set to back calls for industrial action.
Sources said yesterday that industrial action could start any time after December 20, traditionally one of the busiest periods of the year for air travel.
Workers spoke of their "anger and frustration" at the planned imposition of new employment contracts from November 16 on top of thousands of job cuts and a pay freeze.
One cabin crew worker said before the meeting, held at Sandown Park racecourse in Esher, Surrey: "We are not militant trade unionists looking for a confrontation. We are all decent people from middle England, some would say middle class, just wanting to protect our living and look after our families."
Another worker said: "We are all very proud of the jobs we do, providing a great service to customers. But this is now a battle for the heart and soul of BA's cabin crew."
Unite has already announced plans to ballot more than 13,000 of its members for industrial action, although it has not yet given details of when voting will start or finish.
BA said it had announced changes to cabin crew numbers so it could accept more than one thousand requests for voluntary redundancy and more than 3,000 for part-time working.
The airline said it had been negotiating with Unite for more than nine months, adding: "BA is facing very difficult economic conditions."
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