BA staff to vote on strike

The biggest union at British Airways is to ballot baggage handlers and check-in staff in a dispute over pay, heightening the threat of airport chaos later in the summer, it was announced today.

The Transport and General Workers Union said more than 8,000 workers will vote over the next few weeks after talks failed to resolve the row.

Members of the GMB union at BA are already being asked to support a campaign of industrial action.

The TGWU said talks at the conciliation service Acas had not made enough progress to break the deadlock, adding that any chance of success had been “stymied” by BA insisting on an inflation-only deal.

The ballot was announced after the airline wrote to thousands of workers warning that industrial action would “seriously damage” the company.

The unions have rejected a three-year pay offer worth 8.5%, or 10.5% if it does not count towards pensions.

Brendan Gold, national officer of the TGWU, said: “With BA board’s instruction of inflation-only pay increases, the people who are delivering for BA on the ground are working flat-out but standing still on pay.

“The BA board is looking for low-paid workers to sort out its problems. The directors, who have just accepted a pay award of twice the inflation rate, are in effect refusing to acknowledge that our members have saved the company over £860m (€1.2bn) each year.”

BA took issue with the claim that directors had been given a pay rise of twice the inflation rate.

Chief executive Rod Eddington, director of operations Mike Street and finance director John Rishton have all recently given up bonus payments worth over £350,000 (€528,000).

Mr Street said in a personal letter to staff yesterday that industrial action would cause “significant and serious damage” to the company in terms of its reputation for customer service, its finances and ultimately its future.