Unite announces fresh ballot of BA cabin crew members

British Airways' 13,000 cabin staff, represented by Unite announced (18-Jan-2010) it plans to conduct a new industrial action ballot on 25-Jan-2010. The move follows the failure to secure an agreement between the two sides on the crucial issues of imposed changes to the workload and working conditions of cabin crew. Negotiations ended on 15-Jan-2010 and no date has been set for a further meeting. In Dec-2009, cabin crew voted to take strike action, although the ballot was subsequently ruled unlawful by the High Court. If cabin crew vote for industrial action, it could commence from Mar-2010. [more]

Unite: "We have been engaged in intensive discussions over the last few days, but unfortunately we have not been able to secure an agreement yet. We therefore have to honor our commitment to give our members the voice they were denied by the courts before Christmas, and hold a fresh ballot," Assistant General Secretary, Len McCluskey. Source: Unite, 18-Jan-2010.