Some 2,000 British Airways cabin crew employees voted in favour of strikes this week over an ongoing pay dispute with the airline.
Confirmed by the Unite union, industrial action is believed to be taking place some time after 21st of December, however, organisers aren’t yet sure whether action will impact travel over the upcoming Christmas holidays.
According to Unite, the vote among 2,500 union members came after staff rejected a proposed two percent pay rise. Some 79 percent of those who voted were in favour of action, which Unite hopes will urge the carrier to return to the negotiation table, BBC reported.
“Not surprisingly, the crew have rejected a 2 percent pay offer and on-board customer service managers are furious.”
Unite Union
“They do not have collective bargaining rights. The managers have also endured a six-year pay freeze.”
Unite research found that some staff members claim they have been forced to take out second jobs, and more than two-thirds say they were going to work despite being “unfit to fly” just because they couldn’t afford to take sick days.
Research conducted by the union also found that some 84 percent said they were experiencing stress and depression because of their financial position and some even said they were sleeping in cars between shifts just to save on petrol money.
“Not only are the pay rates indefensible, but in aviation, low pay is a safety issue,” the union added.
British Airways said it was disappointed with the decision and assured that it is focused on “resolving this issue as quickly as possible”.
“We are extremely disappointed that the union is creating uncertainty for our customers.”
British Airways
“Mixed Fleet Unite represents about 15 percent of our cabin crew. We remain focused on resolving this issue as quickly as possible without any disruption to customers.”
