09.03.10
BA odds of avoiding a strike by its 12,000 flight attendants are no better than even, the Unite union told Bloomberg. Other rumours suggest that BA seems to not have accepted the union's proposition over a pay freeze and new flight attendants, ending hopes of a breakthrough ahead of the 17:00 deadline today to reach agreement.
Negotiations held under the auspices of the TUC are due to end at 17:00. today, and Unite Assistant General Secretary Len McCluskey informed Bloomberg: ‘It’s a toss of a coin. We’ve held all along we want to negotiate an settlement, and I remain optimistic about these things.’ He added that Unite, which has a strike mandate after a month-long ballot of BA flight attendants, will decide whether to call a strike as soon as the deadline expires.
Other press reports indicate that BA has raised issues over cost-cutting proposals from the trade union. Unite has offered a two-year pay freeze and accepted the recruitment of new crew on different pay and conditions. The proposals additionally deal with the core of the dispute - unilateral staffing cuts on BA flights from Heathrow imposed last November - by partially reinstating cabin crew numbers on some long-haul services.
However, BA is reported to have questioned the proposals, which have been made in answer to the airline's call for cost-savings of a minimum of £60m a year from cabin crew. The Unite proposal to accept new recruits on a separate fleet of jets, with a number of guarantees protecting existing attendants, has not been unconditionally accepted by BA because the airline believes it is not likely to deliver immediate cost savings.
The union must give BA at least 7 days' notice of strike action, making Wednesday March 17 the potential date for the opening walkout. Cabin crew have got to strike by March 22 to keep their mandate for industrial action, which means that as long as they strike for at least 1 hour next Wednesday they could stage a walkout after March 22.
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