Strike ballot due in BA dispute
Air travellers will hear later today if they face the threat of disruption when a union representing thousands of British Airways check-in staff announces the result of a strike ballot.
Some 3,000 members of the GMB have been voting on whether to support a campaign of industrial action in a dispute over pay.
The outcome of a ballot among 8,000 members of the Transport and General Workers Union at BA, including thousands of baggage handlers, will be known next week.
A strike by the two groups of workers would seriously disrupt BA’s operations at airports including Heathrow and Gatwick.
The unions will have to give seven days notice of any industrial action.
Unofficial talks have been continuing despite union rejection of a three-year pay offer worth 8.5%, or 10.5% if it does not count towards pensions.
BA’s director of customer services, Mike Street, said: “I am pleased that we are still talking. Keeping a dialogue going will be key to resolving our differences and our conversations have been helpful.
“As long as we keep talking I remain hopeful that we can settle this matter without the upset that industrial action would cause.”
Unions stepped up their demands for a higher pay rise following publication this week of BA’s financial results for the quarter to June which showed increased pre-tax profits of £115m (€171.3m).
Chief executive Rod Eddington described the profits as “reasonable” and said he hoped workers would see that BA was delivering sensible results in tough times.
“If we don’t make profits, the business will simply not be robust,” he said.
BA needed to make money so it could buy new aeroplanes, grow the business and meet its increased pension contributions.
A strike would hit these plans, agreed Mr Eddington, adding: “It would be a bad outcome for everyone – for the company, for customers and for the workforce. But we are determined to work hard to ensure there is no strike.”
