Staff reject 'final' BA peace offer

British Airways has been urged to hold fresh talks to break its deadlocked row with cabin crew after staff rejected a "final" offer by 2-1, raising the threat of fresh strikes.

Members of Unite voted by 3,419 to 1,686 against the offer, dashing hopes of an end to the bitter row over cost savings, travel concessions and disciplinary issues.

The union had balloted about 11,000 of its members without making any recommendation on whether to accept the proposed deal.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, said the ballot result was a "wake-up call" for BA chief executive Willie Walsh and urged him to attend more negotiations to try to agree a deal.

The union held back from immediately calling a fresh ballot for strikes as it pressed BA to hold more talks.

Cabin crew have taken 22 days of strike action since March, costing the carrier more than 150m, and one of the options on the table is to hold another ballot for further walkouts, which could take place from September.

The 2-1 majority against the offer follows previous ballots on

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

industrial action, which returned much bigger votes in favour.

Mr Woodley said only 15 per cent of BA's cabin crew voted to accept the offer, adding: "It is really important that Willie Walsh wakes up and understands that the vast majority of his employees have decided not to accept this offer.

"I call on him to come back to the negotiating table so we can reach an agreement and end this dispute so our people can get back to work."

Mr Woodley said Mr Walsh was aware of the union's call and any decision on a fresh strike ballot now depended on BA's response.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But there was no tone of conciliation from the airline, which claimed Unite had lost support and "moral authority".

"We have made a fair offer that includes two years of guaranteed rises in basic pay on top of annual increment pay increases and gives certainty to crew about their future earnings," it said."There are no cuts in pay and our current Heathrow crew remain the best rewarded in the UK airline industry.

"After the worst recession in aviation history, we must reshape ourselves to achieve the kind of sustainable profitability that will enable us to invest for the benefit of our customers."

Mr Woodley denied the claims, pointing out that only a fraction of the workers involved in the row had voted in favour of the latest deal.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Speaking outside the union's London head office, he said: "The big question for British Airways is to understand why only 15 per cent of cabin crew voted to accept the deal."

The union leader accused BA of being "vindictive" in removing travel concessions from workers who went on strike, which has become the main sticking point to a deal. He accused Mr Walsh of imposing changes on to cabin crew, adding: "When will he wake up and understand that this is a deal that the vast majority of his employees have not accepted? You cannot browbeat people into submission. You have to do it by agreement.

"He has to grasp the nettle now so we can move forward."

The British Airways Stewards and Stewardesses' Association (Bassa), the cabin crew branch of Unite, published a guide to the latest offer, called "The good, the bad, the promises and the threats".

The good points were said to be a pay rise of 2.9 per cent in 2011/12 and a 3 per cent rise the following year, possible expansion of work at Gatwick airport, non-victimisation of workers caught up in disciplinary cases and the partial reinstatement of staff travel.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The bad points included no further recruitment to BA's current fleet of aircraft, "vastly reduced" terms and conditions for new staff, continued dismissal of staff in a "disproportionate and unfair way" and only partial reintroduction of staff travel concessions.

The threats were said to include the loss of staff travel for life for involvement in any future strikes, reduced rights for workers, and attacks on Unite's ability to comment in a "free and open" way.

Related topics: