A ballot by the Unite union, which represents 16,000 BA workers, received 97 percent backing yesterday for potential industrial action in a row over pay. Staff claim the airline’s management broke a pledge over the advertised wage for a group of ground handlers but the company insists there has been a misunderstanding.
It comes amid the ongoing airport chaos with BA cancelling 114 short-haul flights, including 92 to Europe. Some 16,500 flights – around 80 a day – are being grounded too through the summer schedules.
Airlines have now been ordered to rip up their holiday timetables after government and industry officials admitted that many flights are unlikely to go ahead.
The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority stated in guidelines that earlier cancellations are “better” than axing flights on the day of departure.
They issued a joint letter to the aviation industry calling on companies to take “all possible steps to avoid the unacceptable scenes we have recently witnessed”.
The disruption, with delays and cancellations affecting tens of thousands of passengers in recent months, has been blamed on firms struggling to recruit enough staff to cope with the spike in demand after thousands of jobs were cut due to the pandemic.
The threat of strikes will only add to the chaos for passengers.
In addition to yesterday’s strike ballot, hundreds of BA check-in staff at Heathrow have until June 27 to vote on whether to take action as part of a separate pay dispute.
Sources say the anger over wages follows frustration about the amount of overtime staff are being asked to do to cope with staff shortages. Frontline workers are also understood to be facing abuse – including being spat at from customers because of cancellations and delays.
BA insists with its cancellations that the vast majority of customers have been given plenty of warning, as opposed to rivals – such as easyJet – which have been slammed for axing flights on the day of departure.
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