New proposals bid to end British Airways row

New proposals to end the dispute between British Airways and the Unite union were put forward by the arbitration service Acas today.

BA is embroiled in a bitter row with cabin crew staff over changes to staffing levels, pay and working conditions.

Acas chief conciliator Peter Harwood said: “This is a very damaging dispute for all concerned.

“The proposals we have put forward must understandably remain confidential, however, to enable the parties to reflect on them without the glare of publicity.

“I am expecting to meet the parties again early next week but, given past events, I hope everyone understands that the timing of the meeting and its location will be kept secret.”

Members of Unite have taken 22 days of strike action since March, costing the carrier more than £150m (€180.2m).

Fresh talks are expected to be held between the two sides, although Unite is preparing to hold a new ballot for industrial action, which could disrupt flights in the busy summer months.

A spokeswoman for BA said: “We can confirm Acas's statement is correct but it's clear that it would not be appropriate to start commenting further at this time.

“The process is continuing. We do not give a running commentary on our discussions with Unite.”

Earlier this week it was revealed that BA chief executive Willie Walsh had turned down a bonus worth £334,000 (€401,218), the second year in a row he has made such a gesture.

Mr Walsh was entitled to a bonus of deferred shares awarded to him by the board for the last financial year, but he decided not to take it after turning down an award last year estimated to be worth more than £500,000 (€600,625).

Nearly 7,000 other employees also took voluntary pay cuts.

The figures were published in BA’s annual report as cabin crew returned to normal working after the end of their latest wave of strikes.