Union leaders will reveal today whether British Airways cabin crew have voted in favour of industrial action.
Last-ditch talks over the weekend failed to lead to a truce in the ongoing dispute between staff and the airline over a reduction in the number of cabin crew on long haul flights.
Officials are expecting a ‘yes’ vote from the cabin crew and it is thought strike dates will be revealed later this week. The union has ruled out a strike over Easter.
Check-in staff, ground crew and some pilots are being retrained to cover for the cabin crew during industrial action. BA has also offered to re-hire temporary workers whose contracts expired in the autumn.
A 12-day strike over Christmas was averted when the High Court ruled that the ballot was illegal because staff who had taken redundancy were allowed to vote.
This second ballot follows another legal setback last week when Unite lost its High Court bid to halt changes in working practices brought in by BA last November.