BA accused of intimidation on eve of further strikes

Chief executive Willie Walsh accused the cabin crew union Unite of being "out of touch with reality" as hopes of finding a last-minute deal faded.

Unite countered that there was an atmosphere of "intimidation and fear" at the company as a result of the long-running row over cost-cutting.

The airline has been battered by the recession, a harsh winter and seven days of strikes in March, although its slide into the red was slightly less than the 600m feared.

Yesterday Mr Walsh pledged to run an increased level of services during 15 days of strikes, starting with a five-day walkout from Monday, with the help of an increasing number of volunteer staff who have come forward to stand in for those taking industrial action.

He said BA's customers were "frustrated" at the disruption caused by the strikes, but maintained they were staying loyal to the airline.

"There is a surprisingly strong level of support from customers. The vast majority of letters I receive are expressing anger at Unite and are committed to supporting BA. Customers need confidence in our schedule and they know that when we say we will keep the flag flying, we can deliver on that.

"Returning the business to profitability requires permanent change across the company and it's disappointing that our cabin crew union fails to recognise that," he warned.

He added that the current financial year "could hardly have had a worse start" due to the disruption caused by Iceland's volcanic eruption, which closed most of European airspace for almost a week in April.

Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, said that Mr Walsh

was "misleading" people, adding: "By BA's own assessment, we came very close to their target figure for costs down, but BA chose to reject this.".

He added that negotiations were difficult "when an atmosphere of intimidation and fear persists."

Mr Simpson accused BA of having a macho position.

Mr Walsh described Unite as "dysfunctional and out of touch with reality" because of the activities of its cabin crew branch Bassa. "The vast majority of people at British Airways do not support the action being taken by cabin crew. They have voted with their feet. During the last strike, 73 per cent of cabin crew turned up for work as normal."