BA holds crucial strike talks

Crucial talks aimed at averting a crippling strike by thousands of British Airways workers will be held today, with hopes of resolving a pay dispute hanging in the balance.

The airline yesterday made an improved offer worth £1,000 (€1,500) to each employee to try to head off a damaging walk-out by check-in staff and baggage handlers over the UK's August Bank Holiday weekend.

Union officials said the offer was not enough to resolve the row but agreed to hold further talks with the company today.

The GMB has warned it will order a 24-hour walk-out on either August 27, 28, 29, or 30 if the deadlock is not broken.

The Transport and General Workers Union could announce later today the result of a ballot among thousands of baggage handlers, which officials expect will show support for industrial action.

BA said the extra money will be paid in three stages if staff are absent from work for no more than 16 days over two years.

The airline’s staff take an average of 17 days off sick every year, more than twice the UK's national average.

Union officials blamed the high figure on heavy workloads and stress levels at busy airports such at Heathrow and Gatwick.

BA said the offer, on top of an 8.5% pay-rise over three years was a “significant” improvement and called on unions to put it to a new ballot members.

Union leaders welcomed the extra money but indicated they were not happy about linking the deal to reductions in sickness absence.

The airline said the £1,000 (€1,500) was worth an extra 6%, taking the total offer to 14.5% although union officials took issue with this figure.

Mike Street, director of customer service and operations, said he hoped the new offer would be enough to settle the dispute.

Sickness absence costs BA £60m (€88.8m) a year and the company believes halving the figure will pay for the extra money.

Ed Blisset, a GMB official, said the new offer was the basis for fresh negotiations but he made it clear it was not enough to settle the dispute.

“We are moving in the right direction. There is a long way to go but I am more hopeful.”