The union claimed thousands of experienced staff had been dismissed without being replaced
British Airways could be hit by a summer of strikes after cabin crew and ground staff backed industrial action in a dispute over pay.
Trade union Unite, which represents 16,000 workers at the airline, reportedly won a 97% majority in a ballot for potential industrial action after claiming BA went back on a pay deal.
The union is also balloting 500 check-in staff on walk-outs that could be staged next month at the start of the summer peak.
BA is said to believe the threat of industrial action is based on a misunderstanding which they believe was rectified immediately.
What has the union said?
The Telegraph has reported that Unite is claiming that the carrier has restored management pay to pre-pandemic levels but refused to ease a 10% pay cut imposed on staff during Covid.
The union also claimed thousands of experienced staff had been dismissed without being replaced, leading to a shortage of check-in personnel, loaders, baggage handlers and cabin crew.
Unite reportedly said: “Two years of job and pay cuts mean BA customers and staff are unfortunately paying the price through sky high ticket prices, rock bottom service levels and non-existent morale.
“Staff are simply no longer willing to excuse or pay the price for poor management decisions.”
The union is understood to have thought BA breached the deal by awarding ground handlers a pay rise, on top of 5% for all staff, when it had accepted any increase would be paid to all employees.
Will there be strike action over the summer?
The union’s ballot was consultative, asking staff if they would support industrial action over the breach of a ‘good faith’ clause in a pay agreement with the airline.
Some 97.3% voted in favour, the newspaper disclosed.
However, no industrial action ballot has been announced and strike action cannot be called based on a consultative ballot result.