The Unite union of cabin crew has drawn up a document outlining cost-saving measures that could be taken by British Airways and which could prevent a strike.
BA wants to cut around £60m from its budget for cabin crew and this document proposes savings of a similar amount. The deadline for announcing a strike is the 15th March, so the current meetings represent something of a last-ditch attempt at preventing industrial action.
81 per cent of Unite cabin crew have voted in favour of a strike. BA will study the cost-saving document over the next week and its response is likely to determine whether one goes ahead or not.
Willie Walsh, BA chief executive, says that staffing cuts on long-haul flights are unavoidable and believes that the 60m savings required can only be achieved through a reduction in pay for crew of around £2,000 – something which he believes the union will not acknowledge.